Need advice on fighting the dreaded steering wheel vibration

[Jimmy N.]

Any idea? Two that weren't done on Hunter machine have been somewhat corrected by increase in PSI? @Jimmy N., any ideas other than the 4 door curse 😅🤣😂🤣😅.

Start with installing Lambo doors, upside down. That way you have four built-in jack stands.

Then take all four tires to get Road Force balanced.

 

[Hellcatcfp]

Start with installing Lambo doors, upside down. That way you have four built-in jack stands.

Then take all four tires to get Road Force balanced.

Ok, will do that in the coming weeks. Will require all get dialed in by the Hunter machine. Will keep thread updated.

 

[AeroF16]

Ok, filled my tire to 36-37 PSI (used truck tire guage, couldn't find my digital) and went for a drive. Vibration is gone for now. Tested on smooth roads. Not sure what to make of it, but I guess a solution for now. Thanks for the suggestion @Heminized, really appreciate it.

Any idea? Two that weren't done on Hunter machine have been somewhat corrected by increase in PSI? @Jimmy N., any ideas other than the 4 door curse 😅🤣😂🤣😅.

Great thread and great info...thanks everyone.

I was desperate for a fix so I tried the tire pressure thing too.

I honestly have a difficult time imagining a few psi making much difference though.

Especially when mine run just fine at 32 now. Hell, I just put new tires on my wifes car and Discount had them at 45 psi instead of the 35 the door jamb calls for. I came home, set the pressure to 35 when the tires were cold the next morning, cant really tell any difference haha.

I think the psi fix is a red herring, something else is going on. Agree with getting them balanced properly.

 

[Hellcatcfp]

I was desperate for a fix so I tried the tire pressure thing too.

I honestly have a difficult time imagining a few psi making much difference though.

Especially when mine run just fine at 32 now. Hell, I just put new tires on my wifes car and Discount had them at 45 psi instead of the 35 the door jamb calls for. I came home, set the pressure to 35 when the tires were cold the next morning, cant really tell any difference haha.

I think the psi fix is a red herring, something else is going on. Agree with getting them balanced properly.

Same here...just a bandaid...but my issue has gone away for whatever reason. More or less PSI plays with tire surface area on the road? Probably something to it though. Will keep thread informed for sure.

 

[Jimmy N.]

I honestly have a difficult time imagining a few psi making much difference though.

Why? The sidewalls are essentially a series of springs, some a bit stronger others a bit weaker.
With a higher inflation pressure those differences are minimized.

That's one reason a tire should be Road Force balanced with the pressure it'll be run at. Otherwise the machine won't know what it's supposed to counteract.

 

[Hellcatcfp]

Why? The sidewalls are essentially a series of springs, some a bit stronger others a bit weaker.
With a higher inflation pressure those differences are minimized.

That's one reason a tire should be Road Force balanced with the pressure it'll be run at. Otherwise the machine won't know what it's supposed to counteract.

Interesting Jimmy N. I remember them telling me only 2 wheels needed it??? So, if they did balance and Hunter at 35 PSI (which I honestly don't remember initial PSI), and when dealer did my rotation and lowered them to 32 PSI at rotation...could that really be enough to mess up a tires balance?

 

[Jimmy N.]

My guess is that they couldn't get a decent balance on a lesser machine, so those tires got done (more) correctly.

Unfortunately, it seems to be common practice to throw the tire on the balancer with whatever pressure it took to seat the beads, then worry about lowering it later.
They could have been balanced for (at) 50 psi for all we know.

Could three psi make a difference? It seems so, doesn't it. And besides, the limit has to be somewhere, so why not at three.

 

[Hellcatcfp]

My guess is that they couldn't get a decent balance on a lesser machine, so those tires got done (more) correctly.

Unfortunately, it seems to be common practice to throw the tire on the balancer with whatever pressure it took to seat the beads, then worry about lowering it later.
They could have been balanced for (at) 50 psi for all we know.

Could three psi make a difference? It seems so, doesn't it. And besides, the limit has to be somewhere, so why not at three.

Great info. My understanding was the regular balancer for 2 and other 2 needed Hunter machine. Will figure it out...I know it can be dialed in and not a wheel or car problem. Thanks Jimmy N.

 

[Hellcatcfp]

My guess is that they couldn't get a decent balance on a lesser machine, so those tires got done (more) correctly.

Unfortunately, it seems to be common practice to throw the tire on the balancer with whatever pressure it took to seat the beads, then worry about lowering it later.
They could have been balanced for (at) 50 psi for all we know.

Could three psi make a difference? It seems so, doesn't it. And besides, the limit has to be somewhere, so why not at three.

PS4s say maximum 60 PSI, and Hellcat recommendation says 32 PSI (how do they come up with that...EPA?). Maybe the sweet spot for PS4s or any tire for that matter, is something other than 32 PSI? Just curious...

 

[AeroF16]

Why? The sidewalls are essentially a series of springs, some a bit stronger others a bit weaker.
With a higher inflation pressure those differences are minimized.

That's one reason a tire should be Road Force balanced with the pressure it'll be run at. Otherwise the machine won't know what it's supposed to counteract.

So, using your spring analogy, the springs are countering radial forces only, they have no ability to do anything else. Tire pressure is a uniform force, the internal pressure of the tire is applied to every surface inside that volume between the tire and the rim equally. So your springs could get stiffer or softer with pressure changes.

An imbalance in centrifugal forces is what's causing vibrations. Unless higher psi is causing the tire to change it's shape, from a non-uniform shape to something more uniform, it should have no effect.

Heavy spots or irregularities in the tire/wheel are causing the rotation to be something more oblong or elliptical rather than a perfect circle, which is what causes the vibration.

It's been a while since I took any physics or dynamics classes but I cannot picture how the physics of tire pressure could effect centrifugal forces.

 

[AeroF16]

PS4s say maximum 60 PSI, and Hellcat recommendation says 32 PSI (how do they come up with that...EPA?). Maybe the sweet spot for PS4s or any tire for that matter, is something other than 32 PSI? Just curious...

Just reiterating the data:

Mine are at 32 and are perfect. And I mean perfect, so much more enjoyable to drive now.

 

[Blickie]

I have been fighting a vibration in my steering wheel for a few months now. The car was aligned by Dodge in May and they completed a full inspection on it, with nothing to note.

I installed Michelin PS4s tires and had a decently bad vibration from 70-80 mph. I took them back to Discount Tire and asked them to turn off the smart weight function on the Hunter machine when they road forced them (after reading through all the threads on here and the other forum about balancing tires for these cars). I reinstalled the tires and the vibration is better, but still there. Seemed to move up to the 75-80 mph range this time. So I take them back, the manager re calibrates the machine and does everything he can, says the tires and wheels look great and are balanced to a true zero. I put the wheels back on my car and the intensity of the vibration has not changed, though now it is most pronounced in the 80-85 mph.

The only other thing I have done to the car in the same time frame as the tires was replaced the front rotors. Not sure how those could factor into the vibration. OEM rotors and I made sure the matting surface between the hub and rotors was nice and clean prior to install.

I don't have the time to get the car up in the air for the next couple of weeks to check out the front end, so I figured I ask here to get some opinions or see if anyone has had similar issues.

Most Balancers are Hunter. Have the tech do a fresh balancer calibration and then turn "Smart Balance Mode/Smart Weight Mode" OFF. This mode does NOT work on our HCs and has to be turned OFF. Many have had the very same experience right at 80 mph and this is what fixed the issue.

https://www.hellcatforum.org/threads/more-wheel-suspension-problems.6661/post-102375

 

[Hellcatcfp]

Just reiterating the data:

Mine are at 32 and are perfect. And I mean perfect, so much more enjoyable to drive now.

I agree. Would rather be at 32 PSI (cold) as well. For me, upping PSI has masked vibration for whatever reason? Will figure it out either way.

 

[AeroF16]

Most Balancers are Hunter. Have the tech do a fresh balancer calibration and then turn "Smart Balance Mode/Smart Weight Mode" OFF. This mode does NOT work on our HCs and has to be turned OFF. Many have had the very same experience right at 80 mph and this is what fixed the issue.

@Blickie the manager at Discount did all this for me, twice. I found that info from previous posts of yours.

Didn't work for me. Two new tires, same guy and same machine, car drives great now.

 

[AeroF16]

I agree. Would rather be at 32 PSI (cold) as well. For me, upping PSI has masked vibration for whatever reason? Will figure it out either way.

Drop it real quick back to 32 and see what happens.

There has to be other factors at play here.

 

[Hellcatcfp]

@Blickie the manager at Discount did all this for me, twice. I found that info from previous posts of yours.

Didn't work for me. Two new tires, same guy and same machine, car drives great now.

AeroF16, please keep us posted as you put more miles on your tires. Curious what happens in 4,000 miles.

 

[Blickie]

@Blickie the manager at Discount did all this for me, twice. I found that info from previous posts of yours.

Didn't work for me. Two new tires, same guy and same machine, car drives great now.

Well, it worked for you in way you maybe didn't consider. If the balancer was calibrated correctly and in proper working order and the balance was done correctly, and the test weight step was done, then you eliminated the balance as the problem and looked somewhere else.

 

[AeroF16]

AeroF16, please keep us posted as you put more miles on your tires. Curious what happens in 4,000 miles.

Will do. Keep in mind, I still have 2 tires on the car with 4k miles on them and they ride great.

If they cannot get this fixed with a balance, I would try to get them to replace the tires. 30,000 mile warranty on them.

 

[Hellcatcfp]

Will do. Keep in mind, I still have 2 tires on the car with 4k miles on them and they ride great.

If they cannot get this fixed with a balance, I would try to get them to replace the tires. 30,000 mile warranty on them.

Yes, my thoughts exactly. PS4s aren't cheap and should perform better. Staying on top of mine as well and will stay in touch.

 

[AeroF16]

Well, it worked for you in way you maybe didn't consider. If the balancer was calibrated correctly and in proper working order and the balance was done correctly, and the test weight step was done, then you eliminated the balance as the problem and looked somewhere else.

You're right about that!

How can the tire be the problem and the Hunter not figure it out? I've never used one or read up too much on them but it sounds like they should be able to identify a bad tire or wheel.

Is it because there is really no set standard specific to each vehicle?