My 2011 Mustang shimmy saga beginning to today
09-10-2010, 03:35 PM
#1
1st Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: NJ
Posts: 100
My 2011 Mustang shimmy saga beginning to today
8/20/2010 - My 2011 GT Premium has 1200 miles on it now. Since day one there has always been a bit of a shimmy in the wheel which could only can be seen if you let go of the wheel and watch it rock a couple of degrees.
After the car sat for two weeks while I was on vacation the tires must have flat spotted as now there is a vibration all the time on the highway, pretty strong from 80-100 and beyond. I have driven it 300+ miles and it still is bad so something is wrong besides simple flat spotting from sitting and it is not like 2 weeks is a long time.
At times even under 55mph you can watch the steering wheels rock a few degrees if you take your hands off it.
I called the dealer (Mahwah Ford) and they said they will not drive the car 80mph, so I did not even bother to make an appointment.
I moved the rear tires to the front as a test and there was still a shimmy, but it felt different…worse maybe.
I decided to take matters into my own hands.
I took it to Euro Tire in Fairfield, NJ (very highly regarded shop) and had the tires balanced and one turned on the wheel as it had a "high spot" they said. $85 OOP.
STILL SHIMMY/VIBRATION AT 80mph
I then the same day took it to Tire and Wheel performance center in Ridgewood, NJ (another very highly regarded shop). They found 3 out of 4 tires to be out of balance, odd as Euro Tire just balanced them that day but I was in the garage when T&W did the work and the machine showed them out of balance. $55 more OOP
STILL SHIMMY/VIBRATION now from 55-80 and beyond.
8/24/2010 - Now that it was happening at lower speeds I took it to the dealer (Mahwah Ford, Mahwah, NJ) I gave them notes about what had been done so far.
8/25/2010 - Dealer gave the old “unable to reproduce customer concern” They claim they took it up to 85 MPH twice and it was smooth. Nothing more they can do.
08/27/2010 - I went right to my salesman to complain and he put me right into a brand new 2011 on the lot that had 65 miles on it. As soon as I hit the highway with the new car the steering wheel was doing the same dance, mild but there and over 80mph it had a pretty strong vibe, but much less than my car.
At this point I decided to take the car to the shop of a guy I know that owns an exotic car rental business (Gotham Dream Cars). He had his mechanic rebalance the tires on a brand new Hunter GSP 9700. He found all the tires out of balance with Road Force measurements as follows 29,26,9, 6 all within spec. $100 OOP
SHIMMY STILL THERE! MUCH WORSE NOW.
08/28/2010 – I decided to buy another set of tires and wheels to try out from a forum member. 19” Luster nickel painted from a 2010 GT with a couple thousand miles on them. On the ride to his place the car shook so badly at times I had to slow below 55 so I would not get sick.
New wheels and tires mounted, car is smooth up till 70 and pretty good at 80-90 but not very smooth 90-100+. $925 OOP
The previous owner claims his car was very smooth with these wheels.
I also drove his 2010 GT with 19s from a 2010 GT500 and it too had a bit of rocking when you take your hands off the wheel but was otherwise smooth at speeds up to 70mph.
08/29/2010 – I curb my one of my brand new used wheels and have to get it fixed for $135 OOP – looks almost good as new.
09/09/2010 – I took the factory 18” that are off the car to yet another tire shop. They find all 4 out of balance and get this one warped wheel. The guy shows me on the balancer how the wheels does not spin true. He said to put the warped one on the right rear and it should be ok. He said the warped wheel has to be a factory flaw as there is no visible damage and no bends in it, it is just not perfectly round. $45 OOP.
09/10/2010 – 2100 miles on the car now and I am not sure what to do at this point. I paid 33K for a 412HP car that is not smooth over 80mph and am at my wits end. I have spent $1345 OOP and am worse off than I when I started. I am actually debating on buying a BRAND NEW set of aftermarket wheels and tires as a test but I am not a rich man and my wife is ready to divorce me over all of my complaining about this issue.
Interesting tidbit - the shimmy is much worse when in SPORT mode.
After the car sat for two weeks while I was on vacation the tires must have flat spotted as now there is a vibration all the time on the highway, pretty strong from 80-100 and beyond. I have driven it 300+ miles and it still is bad so something is wrong besides simple flat spotting from sitting and it is not like 2 weeks is a long time.
At times even under 55mph you can watch the steering wheels rock a few degrees if you take your hands off it.
I called the dealer (Mahwah Ford) and they said they will not drive the car 80mph, so I did not even bother to make an appointment.
I moved the rear tires to the front as a test and there was still a shimmy, but it felt different…worse maybe.
I decided to take matters into my own hands.
I took it to Euro Tire in Fairfield, NJ (very highly regarded shop) and had the tires balanced and one turned on the wheel as it had a "high spot" they said. $85 OOP.
STILL SHIMMY/VIBRATION AT 80mph
I then the same day took it to Tire and Wheel performance center in Ridgewood, NJ (another very highly regarded shop). They found 3 out of 4 tires to be out of balance, odd as Euro Tire just balanced them that day but I was in the garage when T&W did the work and the machine showed them out of balance. $55 more OOP
STILL SHIMMY/VIBRATION now from 55-80 and beyond.
8/24/2010 - Now that it was happening at lower speeds I took it to the dealer (Mahwah Ford, Mahwah, NJ) I gave them notes about what had been done so far.
8/25/2010 - Dealer gave the old “unable to reproduce customer concern” They claim they took it up to 85 MPH twice and it was smooth. Nothing more they can do.
08/27/2010 - I went right to my salesman to complain and he put me right into a brand new 2011 on the lot that had 65 miles on it. As soon as I hit the highway with the new car the steering wheel was doing the same dance, mild but there and over 80mph it had a pretty strong vibe, but much less than my car.
At this point I decided to take the car to the shop of a guy I know that owns an exotic car rental business (Gotham Dream Cars). He had his mechanic rebalance the tires on a brand new Hunter GSP 9700. He found all the tires out of balance with Road Force measurements as follows 29,26,9, 6 all within spec. $100 OOP
SHIMMY STILL THERE! MUCH WORSE NOW.
08/28/2010 – I decided to buy another set of tires and wheels to try out from a forum member. 19” Luster nickel painted from a 2010 GT with a couple thousand miles on them. On the ride to his place the car shook so badly at times I had to slow below 55 so I would not get sick.
New wheels and tires mounted, car is smooth up till 70 and pretty good at 80-90 but not very smooth 90-100+. $925 OOP
The previous owner claims his car was very smooth with these wheels.
I also drove his 2010 GT with 19s from a 2010 GT500 and it too had a bit of rocking when you take your hands off the wheel but was otherwise smooth at speeds up to 70mph.
08/29/2010 – I curb my one of my brand new used wheels and have to get it fixed for $135 OOP – looks almost good as new.
09/09/2010 – I took the factory 18” that are off the car to yet another tire shop. They find all 4 out of balance and get this one warped wheel. The guy shows me on the balancer how the wheels does not spin true. He said to put the warped one on the right rear and it should be ok. He said the warped wheel has to be a factory flaw as there is no visible damage and no bends in it, it is just not perfectly round. $45 OOP.
09/10/2010 – 2100 miles on the car now and I am not sure what to do at this point. I paid 33K for a 412HP car that is not smooth over 80mph and am at my wits end. I have spent $1345 OOP and am worse off than I when I started. I am actually debating on buying a BRAND NEW set of aftermarket wheels and tires as a test but I am not a rich man and my wife is ready to divorce me over all of my complaining about this issue.
Interesting tidbit - the shimmy is much worse when in SPORT mode.
09-10-2010, 04:18 PM
#3
My '06 shimmies every day of the week and prefers to turn left. I live with it but yours being a new 2011 is the kicker. At this rate, it's probably more than just tires. Did you try an alignment? Have you hit pot holes, hard bumps, random burn outs?
BTW, these are muscle cars, they are not European performance vehicles. Mustangs will be a little more rough.
BTW, these are muscle cars, they are not European performance vehicles. Mustangs will be a little more rough.
Last edited by alkemist; 09-10-2010 at 04:24 PM.
09-10-2010, 04:29 PM
#4
6th Gear Member
Although my '07 has experienced some shimmy which I have NEVER totally eliminated, it's bareable and currently hardly noticeable. My g/f's '06 is smooth as silk. Go figure.
At this point it really sounds like a suspension issue. How many more places can do a balance and still have it wrong? And I consider the RoadForce balance to be one of the best tools for identifying out of spec rims and tires where a standard spin balance will show all is well.
At this point it really sounds like a suspension issue. How many more places can do a balance and still have it wrong? And I consider the RoadForce balance to be one of the best tools for identifying out of spec rims and tires where a standard spin balance will show all is well.
09-10-2010, 04:42 PM
#5
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: OR
Posts: 312
I had a 2008 with factory 17"s that had a slight bit of vibration (barely noticeable) at 60mph...none at 50....none at 70+. My 2010 on factory 19"s doesn't have any vibration; it's even smoother than the 2008.
I think there's an issue with the 2011's (possibly related to the new steering???) that doesn't have anything to do with tires, wheels, alignment, or balancing but that's just a hunch. I've been reading lots of reports on the forums about issues with the 2011's and if you said you drove another with only 65 miles on the OD and it had the same problem...??
I think there's an issue with the 2011's (possibly related to the new steering???) that doesn't have anything to do with tires, wheels, alignment, or balancing but that's just a hunch. I've been reading lots of reports on the forums about issues with the 2011's and if you said you drove another with only 65 miles on the OD and it had the same problem...??
09-10-2010, 04:51 PM
#6
1st Gear Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: California
Posts: 130
There have been a number of threads regarding this subject and one of the fixes that seemed to work was removing the factory retaining clips from the rotors.
Except for the first few miles in cold weather (tire flat spotting overnight) my car has been rock solid at any speed.
Except for the first few miles in cold weather (tire flat spotting overnight) my car has been rock solid at any speed.
09-10-2010, 07:02 PM
#7
1st Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: NJ
Posts: 100
I had a 2008 with factory 17"s that had a slight bit of vibration (barely noticeable) at 60mph...none at 50....none at 70+. My 2010 on factory 19"s doesn't have any vibration; it's even smoother than the 2008.
I think there's an issue with the 2011's (possibly related to the new steering???) that doesn't have anything to do with tires, wheels, alignment, or balancing but that's just a hunch. I've been reading lots of reports on the forums about issues with the 2011's and if you said you drove another with only 65 miles on the OD and it had the same problem...??
I think there's an issue with the 2011's (possibly related to the new steering???) that doesn't have anything to do with tires, wheels, alignment, or balancing but that's just a hunch. I've been reading lots of reports on the forums about issues with the 2011's and if you said you drove another with only 65 miles on the OD and it had the same problem...??
The factorys use 400k tire matching machines, like a real fancy version of the Hunter GSP9700.
09-10-2010, 07:03 PM
#8
1st Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: NJ
Posts: 100
There have been a number of threads regarding this subject and one of the fixes that seemed to work was removing the factory retaining clips from the rotors.
Except for the first few miles in cold weather (tire flat spotting overnight) my car has been rock solid at any speed.
Except for the first few miles in cold weather (tire flat spotting overnight) my car has been rock solid at any speed.
09-10-2010, 09:12 PM
#9
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Virginia
Posts: 214
The clips did nothing to remove my steering wheel shake nor did 3 sets of tires. Some days my shake is very noticeable and other days not at all. It's a major frustration but I have learned to live with it.
09-10-2010, 09:51 PM
#10
1st Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: NJ
Posts: 100
Since you have the 2010 v6 you could get away with a 16"(I think) or 17" combo from one of the vendors for under $800 and maybe finally be happy with the car, in fact you could just get wheels and resuse your tires for under $500.
Since you do not have the EPAS I think we have different issues for sure.