[varghesepaul]

Hello:

I experienced some amount of vibrations in the car(Corolla) when i was doing about 130KMPH, not sure if it was because of the tyres(they have done about 12000kms) or if it was an allignment issue...is this normal or is there any suggestions on what i should do?

Thanks
Varghese

[HappyWheels]

No, it is not normal.

Would suspect the alignment and suggest to get them checked. But this is just a initial thought.

But if you are able to give a better description of 'some amount of vibration', I am sure helping / suggestion a remedy would be easier.

[kpzen]

Varghese

This is not normal. U need to goto a tire shop and Get the wheel balancing done.!!

[abhinav.gupta88]

Something to do with the tyres. Vibration at speeds of 130 in a Santro can be expected but in a corolla : NO.
Get the things checked!

[sj_koova]

I too had very similar experience with corolla while I was in US.
Mine was a rented car, so I could get it replaced with a better Ford car.
While I was discussing this with my colleagues, they all said it is quite natural with the flimsy build of corolla. Corolla is a pure urban car and soft roader, not to be driven like a rally car. This is the advise I got from them. During this time I had driven 5 other cars of similar spec, each one for at least a month and never had such a bad experience with any other.

With my limited experience ( 2 weeks / 600miles) with corolla, I can say I am not surprised with your statement because I was so bugged with corolla's high speed performance. .

By they way you haven't mentioned to what extend is the vibration in your car. Does it happen every time you cross 130+ ?

12000km very less for a corolla tyre. I do not believe it is the age of the tyre

1. Did you get your wheel balancing/alignment done? This can really cause vibration at high speed. Do you see vibration on your steering too?

2. How about the tyre pressure? High air pressure can make the ride unpleasant.

3. Does it have anything to do with evenness of the road you had taken. Once I too observed the same with my cedia on Krishnagiri stretch while I was crusing at 135kmph. I was surprised to see that on my cedia, but later I learned it had happened only at that stretch where the road was bit uneven. I have done 150+ on my cedia many times on Mysore road and no vibration.

4. Keeping the window open or strong wind outside also causes vibration sometimes. If it happens every time you cross 130+, it can't be the wind.

I hope some the corolla owners can give you better suggestion.

[humyum]

Get the front 2 wheel balanced, ask them to mount the front wheels on the balancing machine without removing the old weights, if the balancing is bad, the machine will show that weights still need to be added, then u can remove the old weights and start the balancing thing from afresh
But but, if the balancing machine shows perfectly balanced front wheels, then u have other parameters to check.
From your description looks 90% like a balancing issue.

[JRD]

tyre pressure and balancing of the wheels will fix it. If not resolved then take it to the dealership.

[GTO]

As has been stated, get the wheels aligned / balanced. Also a good idea to check the tyres for any damage. Does the car vibrate only when you press the brake pedal? If so, then you have a problem with your pads and / or discs. If not, the problem lies in the wheels & tyres.

While I was discussing this with my colleagues, they all said it is quite natural with the flimsy build of corolla.

A tinny build has nothing to do with vibrations.

[ghostrider]

GTO has got it exactly right. It most probably is a balancing issue, so start with that. You haven't mentioned how strong the vibration is, or whether you're feeling it from the wheel or from the steering column, or whether its at cruising speeds or just under braking.

Assuming from your post that it's a moderate vibration and that you're feeling it at cruising speeds, first get the alignment and balancing done. If you still feel the vibrations after alignment, have it put on a lift and check the underside of the car... there may be minor front-axle boot damage.

If that's the case, then replacing one or both of the front-axle boots will fix the issue permanently.

Good luck, and let us know how it works out.

Originally Posted by GTO

As has been stated, get the wheels aligned / balanced. Also a good idea to check the tyres for any damage. Does the car vibrate only when you press the brake pedal? If so, then you have a problem with your pads and / or discs. If not, the problem lies in the wheels & tyres.

A tinny build has nothing to do with vibrations.

[HappyWheels]

Originally Posted by sj_koova

...With my limited experience ( 2 weeks / 600miles) with corolla, I can say I am not surprised with your statement because I was so bugged with corolla's high speed performance. ...

I am not sure of what is it that you terms as high speed performance, but I have driven one (a 1.8 fully automatic) for 2 years while in the Middle East and have done a number of 160kmph runs and have never found any sort of wobbling or shakes. The vehicle was as steady as a rock. This included quick flooring (after removing the overdrive) and what not.

I, for one, am sure Toyota quality is not that flimsy.

[mikem]

Is the steering wheel vibrating or is the entire vehicle or some specific corner vibrating??

I had a weird wobble in my esteem years ago from one corner only & that too only at slow speeds. Turned out to be a bad tyre. On another occasion the steering wheel was wobbling left/right, that turned out to be a wheel balancing issue. And finally on another occasion there was a weird vibration from the steering wheel, Sah & Sanghi told me that the bush of the steering column which is designed to collapse the column in case of a frontal impact had collasped on its own due to rough roads.


I strongly recommend that you stay away from high speeds until you have this issue figured out.


On a lighter note, I think you've reached your aircraft's optimum rotation speed, maybe you just need to pull the wheel back a wee bit and enjoy the flight.

[filcord]

Have you installed aftermarket alloys? If so check hub-centre diameters, if they are different this means your wheels are resting solely on the lug-nuts, and you need to put in centring rings to fill in the gap.
there is a thread detailing this elsewhere

[Steeroid]

I've been in a Corolla for the last 5 days in India and while the car is a wee bit scary after about 90 kmph it didnt have vibrations at the speeds you mentioned. I took it to about 150 kmph on a stretch and there werent any issues other than the wafty handling that is the trademark of Hondas and Toyotas.

[Tejas@perioimpl]

My brother had a similar issue in his new honda CRV in london. Company said it's some fly-wheel issue and the part was replaced free of cost since it was in warrantee.
Another friend of mine had put very broad tyres on his corolla and after around 10,000kms too developed the same problem. After visiting all wheel balancing shops in his area without success, he went to the dealer. He was told that the tyres had damaged (bent) his axle and either he drive around in that or spend a huge amount to refit the thing. My friend is still considering what to do.
-Tejas

[14000rpm]

Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl

My brother had a similar issue in his new honda CRV in london. Company said it's some fly-wheel issue and the part was replaced free of cost since it was in warrantee.
Another friend of mine had put very broad tyres on his corolla and after around 10,000kms too developed the same problem. After visiting all wheel balancing shops in his area without success, he went to the dealer. He was told that the tyres had damaged (bent) his axle and either he drive around in that or spend a huge amount to refit the thing. My friend is still considering what to do.
-Tejas

the corolla 1st gen was quite a scare at high speeds.I managed 210(indicated) kph in a brand new corolla (non abs) and had to brake.scared the hell out of me coz it behaved nervous and was all over the road.