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My mazda 323 TD runs really smoothly until I get to around 75/80MPH mark, car starts vibrating. What could it be? Is it tracking, balancing etc..? Please advise. Thanks
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Start by having the front wheels balanced.
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L\'escargot.
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Start by having the front wheels balanced. -- L\'escargot.
Thanks for your response. Would you please tell me what's the difference between tracking and balancing? When is it that we need tracking and do we go for balancing? Sorry for asking all these silly questions. I'm an IT person and am keen to learn as much as I can about cars, just an enthusiast so please bare with me. :)
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Usual cause is out of balance wheels, although there is a multitude of things it could be. Tracking is not usually on the list, as mild errors cause excess tyre wear, and big ones, 'interesting' handling.
In no particular order some other things are, wheel bearings, worn bushes or equivent in the suspension, worn drive shaft bearings, and tyres falling to bits.
There are others but assuming there are no other symptoms or odd noises, I'd start by getting all four tyres balanced. Say you are chasing vibration, and if you go to a good place, they ought to check the wheel bearing while they are at it. (Anyone who knows their stuff can usually spot a duff wheel bearing in 5 seconds once the car is jacked up).
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The most likely cause would be a wheel out of balance. I once had vibrations at speed that turned out to be caused by a tyre that was out of round! It was a retread that was on the car when I had bought it.
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Most probably will be solved as above, but it's just possible that the bearing is starting to go. Our Focus started thrumming above about 50 mph. Came from the rear, and it was the NSR bearing, which is a common Focus fault above about 50,000 miles.
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Balance:
is the weight distibution around the wheel, is done with the wheel off the car (99% of the time), is corrected with the clipped on weights on the wheel rim, usually causes vibration when it's out, costs about £5 per wheel if you're not having a new tyre, which is when it's usually done. Front wheel out-of-balance often causes te steering wheel to shake, wheras, rear wheel out-of-balance often causes the whole car to shake - can be the other way around though.
Tracking:
is where the front wheels are pointing relative to each other and the car, is adjusted on the car by screwing in or out the track rod ends, costs about £20, causes the tyres to wear unevenly - inside shoulder if it's pointing out (toe-out) or outside shoulder if it's pointing in (toe in). Usually done following suspension work, bouncing off kerbs, or noticing uneven tyre wear.
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RichardW
Is it illogical? It must be Citroen....
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Thanks guys, I'll get the balancing and tyres checked sometime on the weekend, thanks
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