Many people complain that their car tires become wobbly, which can affect normal driving because of poor control over the steering wheel. Tires become wobbly because of their incorrect installation, loose nuts, worn-out brake discs, and poor alignment or balancing.
How To Fix a Wobbly Tire on a Car? You can fix a wobbly tire on a car by rotating the tires, straightening the bent rims, checking bent or damaged axles, correctly mounting a tire, proper inflation, replacement of defective tires, checking transmission and suspension parts, straightening the brake rotors, wheel balancing and alignment, replacing wheel bearings, and tightening the lug nuts.
Routine maintenance and inspection of the car’s interior and exterior components are necessary to decrease the risk of damage.
Last week, I was going to my friend’s house and felt vibrations on the steering wheel. The issue came because of wobbly tires, and I stopped driving because tires can also come off from the wheel assembly because of excessive shaking. I called the expert mechanic to inspect and replace damaged or faulty parts.
Rotate tires
Wear and tear on tires are common because of their extended use, age, and driving conditions. Their uneven wear and tear lead to wobbling sensation during driving because of unequal pressure on all sides.
The issue comes when the front wheels are fine, and the tread surface of the rear one is damaged. My friend called me last night and complained that his car started shaking when he increased the speed.
I recommended that he check the front and rear wheels. He said the front ones are fine, but the rear ones have wear and tear marks on their tread surface.
I advised him to rotate the tires by moving the rear ones to the front side and vice versa. Rotating causes an equal distribution of wear and tear on both sides and decreased shaking movement.
Straighten the bent rims
Wheels cannot maintain contact with road surfaces because of bent rims, leading to wobbling issues. You can straighten the bent rim with a hammer and wood blocks. Tap the wood block over the damaged area with a hammer.
The rims body is made of metal, including zinc, aluminum, and steel. The outer case holds the tires by ensuring their proper fitting.
Sometimes, rims can bend because of hitting potholes, damaged tread surfaces, or moving over speed bumps at a fast speed.
Check bent or damaged axle
Many people prefer to replace the bent axle instead of straightening their bent parts. You have to straighten it carefully because of its metal material, which can break during the procedure.
High impacts from the hammer cause the breaking of metal material. These are made of low-tensile strength metal that cannot withstand the high pressure.
However, my friend told me that he straightened the bent axle of his car with pliers. He clamped the bent area in the pliers and lifted it upward. He used the other plier simultaneously to straighten the bent part.
Correct mounting of tires
The wobbling sensation during driving occurs because of incorrect tire mounting. The issue comes when you incorrectly install them as an aftermarket addition.
You have to mount them correctly according to their size. Remove the vibratory wheel and call the mechanic to install it correctly.
Moreover, you can also perform this procedure at home by loosening the bolts and removing the wheels from the assembly. Clear the debris and dust from the wheel hub before mounting it correctly.
Inflate tires properly
Over and under-inflation do not allow the wheel assembly to maintain traction on the road for smooth driving. You can also feel vibration on the steering wheel because of the wobbly tires.
It is necessary to inflate them correctly according to the standard pressure. Check the owner’s manual to get information about the air pressure that your car’s wheel needs.
Remove the valve stem to fill the air in the wheels according to the recommended level.
Check transmission and suspension parts
Bad transmission and suspension parts also transfer the vibratory movement to the wheels. The issue comes from a low transmission fluid level and damaged gears.
Check the transmission fluid and fill it according to the recommended guidelines. In addition, it is also necessary to replace the damaged gearbox with new ones.
Car suspension parts contain struts and shocks to absorb the impact from the road and ensure smooth wheel spinning.
You cannot replace the struts and shocks because you are not familiar with their procedure. It is better to hire a mechanic to install these correctly.
Inspect motor mounts
Motor mounts are made up of low-carbon steel, and they connect the engine with the vehicle’s frame to reduce the vibrations during driving.
These can break because of high-temperature exposure and corrosion. You should inspect motor mounts and replace the damaged ones because they cause the wobbling sensation in tires.
I also replaced the motor mounts in my car by checking the clearance near the firewall to access these mounts. I used the wood blocks to jack the engine and avoided placing it directly over the oil pan.
I moved inside the vehicle and loosened the bolts mounted to the frame. I installed the new bolts and lowered the engine to tighten the bolts.
Drive at a slow speed
Many people complain about wobbly tires while driving at high speed. The issue usually comes when you are driving above 50 miles per hour.
You can face the problem because of poor wheel inflation and balancing. You should drive at the recommended speed to reduce the vibratory sensation of the steering wheel.
Moreover, you should also inspect their alignment, balancing, and air pressure to reduce the risk of accidents.
Straighten brake rotors
A brake rotor is part of the disc brake assembly connected to the wheel hub. They work with brake pads and help to stop your vehicle when you apply brakes.
Excessive heat because of friction causes them to bend. In addition, hard braking also leads to deformation in their shape.
It is better to visit the dealerships for straightening of the brake rotors. They use machines to remove the excessive material from their surface. Furthermore, you can also use the wrench to straighten the bent part and reduce the rubbing issue.
Wheel balancing and alignment
Wheel balancing adds weight to the wheels to ensure equal pressure distribution on all sides. Mechanics use the wheel-balancing machines to check their movement.
You have to attach the tires to these balancing machines and allow them to spin at high speed. These machines get information about the weight that the wheel needs for balancing. Moreover, you should know about the location for the installation of these weights.
Attach the adhesive wheel weight with the tires to ensure equal pressure distribution and fix the problem of wobbly tires. You can set the wheel angle by adjusting the toe, camber, thrust, and caster angle.
Replace wheel bearings
Wheel bearing are helpful to connect the wheels to the axle. Bent wheel bearings do not allow the tires to move smoothly, leading to a wobbling sensation.
You can replace the wheel bearings by parking the car on a flat ground surface. Check the affected tires to restrict their movement during the procedure.
Loosen the lug nuts to unscrew it and remove the wheel assembly. Detach the brake calipers, dust covers, cotter pins, and castle nuts.
Remove the rotor and loosen the hub bolts to detach the wheel bearings. Remove the races and clean the knuckles. Install the new wheel bearings and secure them with nuts.
Tighten lug nuts
Lug nuts secure the wheels in their place. Tires start to wobble because of loose lug nuts that do not keep them at their place for smooth driving.
You should tighten the lug nuts twice a month to decrease the risk of problems. Use the lug nut wrench to tighten it properly.
Tighten it according to the recommended torque because overtightening can also affect the driving conditions and lead to squealing noise.
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