ryu.rules

So, I own a 2010 Mustang V6 premium with 20 inch wheels. It has 75xxx miles on it and drives like a Champ. It is also my daily driver and over a period of time I have noticed an increase in the steering wheel shake while braking. Higher the speed I brake more the steering wheel shake it was. So, I have done following till now and got following results so far:
1) As a rule of Thumb, I got all the 4 wheels re-balanced and it helped with removing the steering wheel shake due to wheel imbalance while driving from say 55 to 65 mph but didn't help steering wheel shake while braking.
2) Got all 4 new rites installed along with the Wheel re balancing. So, getting all 4 new tires helped with the steering wheel stiffness a little bit and the ride is now smoother, but didn't help steering wheel shake while braking.
3) Replaced all 4 brake rotors with Power stop Z26 performance rotors. And also bled all 4 brake lines like hell and used DOT4 brake fluid instead of DOT3. Largely reduced the steering wheel shakes while braking, So now, I didn't have any steering wheel shaking while braking below 50mph. But steering wheel still shaking while braking over 50mph.
4) Replaced all 4 Brake calipers with Power stop performance Brake Calipers. Did not help with anything.
Now, with all of the above parts replaced and putting in a **** Loads of Money and time in this stupid Issue, I still have Steering wheel shake while braking above 50mph. While braking below 50mph I feel absolutely Nothing at all. It does feel like my steering wheel shakes more while I brake lightly and does not so much when I brake with full force.

I recently got it Check from two mechanic Shops and one of them told me that there is nothing wrong under the Car, my tie rods and control arms looks OK. However, the second mechanic told me that my Lower control arm shows some signs of wear and I should try getting them both replaced along with the Ball joints.

Now, I am on the brink of Braking off....... It is hard for me to believe any mechanic saying anything. Please Help !!! Should I go ahead and get my lower control arms and ball joints replaced???

This is very frustrating for me to keep on putting more and more money over and ever again into the same stupid problem in a car which is supposed to be well built, while my 2003 Nissan has 140K+ miles on it and not even a single problem. Brake Pads are the only thing ever replaced on it and that's about it, oh and it brakes wayyyyy better than mustang. I feel ashamed of buying an American car. Please help !!!

Derf00

For a 2010 its feasible that the control arms need to be replaced (bushing with ball joint). Take a look under the car and inspect if for yourself.

I had a strange shimmy in my wheel a few years ago only going around right hand wide sweeping turns above 50 or under medium to high acceleration from lower speeds. it would feel like the wheel was bouncing ever so slightly. Tried the tire balancing, rotating tires, alignment, brakes were just done and the problem was there before and after replacing them. Going straight or left hand wide sweeping turns, nothing, nada, zero. Very smooth but, wide sweeping right turns, like free way on ramps or on boulevards, I was losing confidence in the stability.

When I finally inspected them and got them out of the car, turned out my control arm bushings were toast. The drivers side main bushing was almost completely torn out of the arm. Passenger side was badly cracked but still in one piece. Anyway, replaced the arms with FRPP ones (GT500 arms) and problem solved.

Definitely take a look at your control arms. I mean get it up in the air (jackstands) , take the tires off and get in there with a flashlight. Radial cracks (those that go from the center to the outside) are bad and weaken the bushings to where they allow arm movement when there shouldn't be any. They most likely are causing the shake during braking because braking shifts the load of the suspension and the bushings aren't doing their job correctly.

P.S. I almost ignored your post. Disparaging the vehicle on a forum designated for that make/mode and making an ignorant comment about something irrelevant then asking for help is a quick way to not get any help. Nissan is not any better, I've owned several and wrenched on just about all makes in my lifetime. All cars break down.

The last Nissan our family owned was a 2005 Altima. In 2012 it got into an overheating issue. That was never resolved. Even the dealership couldn't figure out what was going on. I had taken there as a last result (since it was out of warranty) and most of what they tried I had already tried. They threw the towel in after a couple grand when I said enough and got a partial refund. I dumped the car. Just this past year, 2013 frontier, my coworkers car. Smog related sensor issue, so we thought. Turned out to be a Computer problem after six months of chasing it, even the dealership was guessing at that point. I have other Nissan stories but I think you get the point.

And while we're at it, 20" wheels on a car designed for 16-18" is not a good idea. It puts additional strain and stress on the suspension and bearings that weren't designed for it.

08'MustangDude

Causes:
Inner Tie-rods
Tie rod ends (ball koint)
Wheel Bearings
LCAs (bushings, ball joint).

I just had this issue on another car, and it was the passenger side wheel bearing.
It was not making noise when it started, but as I kept on driving, it did... The wheel
shook when braking before the bearing made noise.

Larger rims and suspension not being able to handle it?
First of all, it has to do with weight. Larger wheels and tires will bring more “unsprung mass” to
the car. The term unsprung weight refers to all of the components linked to the wheels and
suspension that are not supported by the latter. Unsprung weight like 26-inch can overwhelm
the ability of a suspension to maintain vehicle control. If you are using 20", but keeping the
same overall diameter of the original wheels, and te rims are not heavier than the factory rims,
then you're fine. It's when you start to over-size, problems can develop. Also, not too often are
larger rims lighter than the ones it came with...

The bigger the unsprung mass, the more downsides it brings to handling, performance, and reliability
of the entire rolling gear. Brakes are also considered unsprung weight as they are fitted inside the wheel.
You also need more power to turn the larger wheels, and larger brakes to stop them. However, as I
said, 16" to 20", using a tire that retains the factory diameter, is fine, but a harder ride with more
shock to the suspension.

If an extreme rim size increase is chosen, smaller sidewall tires will be a requirement, and ride comfort will
degrade to a disappointing level. This will simply put more wear and tear on the suspension, because the
tire is the cushion, which you have removed by a thinner sidewall. Over-sizing can overwhelm the brakes.

Suspension and brake system are designed for the wheels and tires the factory bolted on, anything else is
style-based guesswork.

outceltj

Do you have an aftermarket front sway bar? I have seen people not install those right and cause very similar experiences as you have described. How about control arms? Could easily be the culprit

08'MustangDude

Sway bar does not cause the steering wheel to shake when braking...
Even if it were loose, it won't translate through the end links to even pull
on the struts, it doesn't work that way. bad way bar causes the front
end to drift side to side, or body roll on turns.

outceltj

Front sway bar installed with improperly installed end links can and will cause vibration. Probably how I should have worded it.......

08'MustangDude

If that were the case, would it not cause the wheel to shake even when
not braking? Yes it would, but there is only one reason why... I have never,
EVER had any bad sway bar components cause steering wheel shake, ever.
You said vibrations, when the subject is a shaking steering wheel. The only
way this would cause shake is if he replaced ONE end link, and it is the wrong
one/length. Vibration, would be from a separate component causing it, and that
vibration resonating or traveling through the sway bar system. Having one end
link the wrong length is like driving with a bad toe alignment.

Even if you were to take the sway bar OFF, that would not happen. The sway
bar is a torsion bar. The entire front end would sway from side to side
without one, and get more body role in turns. The steering wheel won't shake
without one. You do know, cars did not get them till the 1950s, mainly, so you mean
to tell me, till then, everyone had to deal with shaking steering wheels?

You'll get vibrations from the BAR or links if it's all loose, and there is another problem
causing the vibrations to travel through the bar, like unbalanced tires, bent rims,
camber, and other suspension components; but the bar and the components is uses,
will not cause the steering wheel to shake. I had a 1984 T-Bird, the sway bar mount
broke, at the frame, and could not be fixed. So, once side of it was not even attched
to the frame. My steering wheel never shook, and I did not, and no vibrations either.
My '07 Charger, had blasted bushings, no shake, no vibrations. My VWs, every one
to date has had the end links go bad, no shakes, no vibrations, just clunks with
upward lift and bumps. Sorry, with experience, I don't buy it, and I won't buy it...
I won't accept that till it happens to me; and I have had PLENTY cars with bad sway
bar components.

As stated, unless one link is longer or shorter than the other one, it ain't happening...

Dino Dino Bambino

The commonest cause of steering wheel shake under braking by far is warped rotors. Since you've already replaced them, and replaced the pads, it's unlikely that the new parts would cause the same problem. Everything else mentioned will also produce other symptoms.
Wheel rims/tires that are damaged or out of balance cause vibrations that get worse with increasing road speed rather than under braking.
Worn steering/suspension components such as tie rod ends, ball joints, and control arm bushings can cause vibrations when steering to the left or right but not normally when going in a straight line. You will usually also hear squeaks or clunks when going over speed bumps, and have vague steering response in the case of worn tie rod ends.
Worn wheel bearings don't produce any vibrations unless the degree of wear is severe. Normally you'll just hear a humming or whining noise when steering to the opposite side of the worn bearing if it's at the front.
Incorrect front wheel alignment can cause steering wheel shakes but they also occur at other times and not just under braking. If you're sure that all of the aforementioned parts are good, this is where I'd look next.

outceltj

Clearly my last post stated from improperly installed end links. This happens when people install new sway bars with the end links. You don't have to be a jackass. Learn to read. If end links are not installed correctly you will get clunking shaking and vibration. You can disagree all you want b/c you are a know it all

08'MustangDude

How can you install them wrong? Please tell us. There is one hole in the strut, and
one hole in the sway bar, how can you mess that up?. So, how can it be improperly
installed? Wrong length, is not improperly installed, it's, wrong part. There isn't even
a LH or RH side bias. You can't install them incorrectly, even if they were the wrong
ones, and you installed them, they're not installed wrong, they're the wrong part.

You are not getting wheel shake from links. He's not talking clunks, or vibrations,
he said WHEEL SHAKE. End links are not causing that. They won't even cause
vibrations unless something else is wrong. Sure, bad ones make noise, but they
aren't causing vibrations, or wheel shake.

Thank you, I pretty much DO know it all...