BMW 3-Series E36 (1991 - 1998) - 1997 2.5 vibration from rear

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Sun 18 May 2008 20:12
1997 2.5 vibration from rear - corax
About 3 weeks ago I replaced both rear tyres on my BMW 323i touring with a new set of Avon ZV3's. When I drove down my local dual carriageway there was a vibration from the back, pervading the whole car and through the feet. I took the car back to the tyre dealer and had them rebalanced. Still vibrating so had them rebalanced another 2 times. Still vibrating, so I swapped the spare for the nearside rear and virtually banished the problem. So I got another tyre fitted as I thought the first one was faulty, but the tyre dealer was dubious, saying faulty tyres are very rare. Anyway, I went out and still had a problem with vibration. My old ZV3's did 16000 miles without any problems. At the moment I'm still driving the car to work, but I can't do any high speed work due to this problem. I'm now thinking of going back and having 2 new rear tyres of a different make fitted. Is it common to have faulty batches of tyres or am I just imagining it? I also span the tyres and noticed that they don't seem to be completely round, theres a slight up/down movement as they spin, especially on one side. Does anyone have any opinions on this?
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Sun 18 May 2008 23:32
1997 2.5 vibration from rear - Peter.N.
If the tyres are running eccentrically that will be your problem. Demonstrate this to your tyre supplier. Are they fitted to the same wheels as the original?
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Mon 26 May 2008 17:25
1997 2.5 vibration from rear - corax
Yes, they are fitted to the original wheels, and they've been checked for buckling, of which there is no sign. Looks like the tyres are probably eccentric. Demonstrating this to the tyre supplier will be fun, because they'll probably think I'm trying to tell them they're job. Anyway, thanks for your answer.
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Fri 13 Jun 2008 22:55
1997 2.5 vibration from rear - corax
Just thought I'd answer my own email. The vibration wasn't the tyres, it was the propshaft! Starting to get a bearing noise from underneath the car, and driveline shunt. So no more tyre grief.
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