Steering Shakes When Braking

[Timwool]

When I brake to slow down the streering wheel shakes back and forth. There is no plusing in the brake pedal. It does not do it all the time either I would guess it does it about 50% of the time. any ideas? The steering is fine while driving, goes down the road nice and no vibrations at all.

thanks

[rp850]

Total shot in the dark but bad control arm bushings? Also, never discount the possibility of your wheels being out of balance.

good luck

When I brake to slow down the streering wheel shakes back and forth. There is no plusing in the brake pedal. It does not do it all the time either I would guess it does it about 50% of the time. any ideas? The steering is fine while driving, goes down the road nice and no vibrations at all.

thanks

[Mesoam]

tie rods? inner tie rods? slop in the rack?

[Guest AlvinL]

Bad tires. Try rotating them front to back and see if there's any difference.

[MrWinkey]

Take it out and ride the brakes too make them hot and see if it does it. It may only do it when the brakes are hot giving you that 50% factor. Or else get the car up to 60mph or so and stand on the brakes do that 2 times or so and see if it happens. If so it's probably in the front rotors. Check the rotor thickness min. spec is 23 mm. They may be too thin not allowing the heat to disipate properly. But it sure sounds like a front rotor issue too me ;)

[rp850]

That is a great suggestion. I just have one question in trying to understand this better. If it is the rotors, wouldn't you feel the problem more if the brakes were cold rather than hot? I was thinking that if everything was hot the metals would expand slightly and the vibrations would not be as bad. Why is it the other way around?

Take it out and ride the brakes too make them hot and see if it does it. It may only do it when the brakes are hot giving you that 50% factor. Or else get the car up to 60mph or so and stand on the brakes do that 2 times or so and see if it happens. If so it's probably in the front rotors. Check the rotor thickness min. spec is 23 mm. They may be too thin not allowing the heat to disipate properly. But it sure sounds like a front rotor issue too me

[MrWinkey]

Metal has more strength cold than hot right? You take a piece of exhaust tubing and make it red hot in order to bend it(which is not the proper way anyhow,but using it as an example) try bending the same tubing cold. Same applies to brakes when their hot they become lets say more flexible

[pfeener]

Rotors don't always pulse on the brake pedal. If they get bad enough they'll shake the whole front end when applied at highway speed.

[rp850]

That makes sense to me! Thanks

Metal has more strength cold than hot right? You take a piece of exhaust tubing and make it red hot in order to bend it(which is not the proper way anyhow,but using it as an example) try bending the same tubing cold. Same applies to brakes when their hot they become lets say more flexible

[(_8*(l)Homer]

Rotors don't always pulse on the brake pedal. If they get bad enough they'll shake the whole front end when applied at highway speed.

+1

My whole car shook like a jonesing crack addict for a while, it took me some time to figure out I needed new front brakes, brakes changed, problem solved!

[Oreo931]

Warped rotors is my guess.

[RussB]

Rotors don't always pulse on the brake pedal. If they get bad enough they'll shake the whole front end when applied at highway speed.

there's a good chance this is your answer...worn steering components will accentuate the vibration as well

[Timwool]

I have narrowed down the problem a bit. The only time my steering wheel shakes is when I brake at speeds greater than 50mph. Reading these posts I am going to change the rotors to see if it goes away.

Tim