steering/suspension issue

steering/suspension issue

Hey everyone. I have had this issue for a while but not a big deal until i got my new rims/tires put on just recently a week ago. This problem might be common but it just irritates me sometimes. So I have an 03 corolla S and whenever i hit a bump in the road the steering wheel shakes. Sometimes i think its just the way the car's suspension setup is and sometimes i think there's something wrong. Nobody has told me anything was off so I'm thinking i'm just picky about the way the car rides but it seems like it got worse when i put the new rims/tires on a week ago.

Is there something wrong with the rims/tires?? I did upgrade to 17 inch. Or is it normal for the corolla to ride rough like that sometimes. I just think the bumpsteer is really bad and the wheel shakes bad when I go over rough roads or just over bumps in the road in general. is there something i can do or look for to take it in to a mechanic??? Please give me some ideas...thanks

Kinda just sounds like an alignment / wheel balancing issue.

When you get wider wheels it's pretty normal for them to occasionally follow the grooves in the road. This will turn the steering wheel a little. If I stop at a light and there the road surface is uneven it will force the steering wheel will try to turn as well. I've always thought that had something to do with the offset of my wheels, so who knows... that may be a problem in your case too.

If the steering wheel is vibrating only when you hit a bump? If it vibrates continuously then that means a wheel is out of balance.

the way the car follows the groves in the is more because of the caster settings that the car has from the factory, and the same is true with bumps. I have a stock suspension with a fresh alignment and it still turns the wheel when it hits a bump or a grove, though the problem with bumps is more a problem with the bumpsteer on our cars, which can cause it to be a little iffy sometimes. Eibach might have something for sale to fix it.

Yeah thanks guys...I just had a fresh alignment done and he told me he fixed the camber on it also to push the wheels out more. Maybe that's what made it worse. I no absolutely nothing about suspension but I think ill take it abck there on monday to have them check it out again to see if anything is going wrong

Wheels arent balanced properly. This happened to me too. Bumps and gravel would make entire car shake. Also if I hit about 70 the entire car would shake too.

Hmmm interesting, so the place where i got it done messed up then?? So I should go back there on monday??

Go back and ask them to re-balance the rims for you. If that doesn't fix the problem then there might be something else wrong.

Ok thanks

That could also be true

Good point E...I know when I went from the Bridgestone Dueler H/T (heavy terrain) to the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO...it was a pretty noticeable difference in how rough the ride was...just due to the more aggressive tread pattern and tougher compound.

Or you got a very freaking heavy little stone stucked in your tire and made it unbalance.

How many psi's would be common in some 215/45/17's?? Maybe if i lessen the amount it will ride a little smoother?? I'm trying anything but I am going to get them rebalanced tomorrow so maybe they will find something wrong. The guy also told me that one of the tires sidewalls may be defective so maybe that's what is happening...i dont know???

Check your sidewall. It'll probably tell you 32 or 36 (What it was on my 225's on my Firebird)
The max load pressure on my BFG A/T's is 60...I run 35...smoothes out alot.

Alright thanks, yeah I guess it's just the aggressive tread pattern that is making the car ride a bit harsher. I just have to get used to it, but everything else is good so that's a relief...