Steering shakes

donnkesterjr · Mar 16, 2012

At high speeds, I've noticed that when I depress the brake pedal (not fully, but partially, like in controlling speeds), the steering wheel shakes like crazy. It's less noticible at only 50, and under 45, it is not there at all.

I've already checked the brakes, and they seem fine. I'm starting to wonder if it's the steering rack & associated parts. What's the best way to check the rack & tie rod ends for damage/wear?

YelloEye · Mar 16, 2012

That's gonna be warped disk brakes.

donnkesterjr · Mar 16, 2012

They must be very mildly faded, because they passed the eye test. Oh well. At least it's a cheaper fix. I'll actually take them off the vehicle & give them a more thorough check this weekend.

YelloEye · Mar 16, 2012

You usually can't see warp until it's real bad, take them to Napa, they can usually mic them and tell you if they are warped. They can also take a little off to resurface them.

It has to be disc warp btw, speed makes it worse under braking. Loose caliper bracket bolts could do that as well but real unlikely. Have you changed discs or pads recently?

donnkesterjr · Mar 17, 2012

I didn't change the pads until AFTER all this started. I noticed a slight uneven pad wear on the driver's side pads, so I eyeballed the rotors & the brake lines on that side, and it all looked OK. I also hadn't noticed a degredation in braking ability either, so that's why I was thinking it was a steering issue.

YelloEye · Mar 17, 2012

Like I said, you're not going to be able to eyeball a 45-50mph braking warp.

BankDude · Mar 18, 2012

just replace the rotors, they're like 30 bucks. don't be a cheap ass

donnkesterjr · Mar 18, 2012

BankDude said:
just replace the rotors, they're like 30 bucks. don't be a cheap ass

I don't have a problem with replacing the rotors. I did not orginally (as I said in the OP) see a rotor warp, so I thought to look into something else.

BankDude · Mar 18, 2012

whenever you do a brake job, it's always recommended to replace the rotors. just remember that. for the small amount they are to buy, it's worth the money

YelloEye · Mar 18, 2012

BankDude said:
whenever you do a brake job, it's always recommended to replace the rotors. just remember that. for the small amount they are to buy, it's worth the money

Or at least resurface them. If you go with new ones buy only OEM blanks, anything else is going to warp easier.

Steering shakes

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