Rep Power: 0

hey guys and gals i've been stuck with the same problem for about a year now... it started as soon as i got my civic too because i was an idiot and had to slam on my brakes.

my steering wheel shakes and i can feel the car somewhat shake as well... it's predominantly when i am using the brakes, however still applies when i'm just driving, mainly cruising/coasting. accelerating i can hardly feel it but it's still there.

things i've had done (not myself so i'm not sure if i got jipped):
rotors TURNED not replaced
new brakes
balancing and rotating tires as normally suggested

i've been suggested to get an alignment check but i am not sure, and my brother used to fix cars like crazy and suggested it may be the bearings.
with so many possibilities and suggestions i'm only looking for the one that applies to the description of the problem i gave above... i was told it's brakes by a mechanic but i think he misunderstood that it also happens while driving normally and not applying the brakes.

any suggestions would be helpful!!!

 
Rep Power: 318

How old are your tires? My wife's Saturn had a shake that wouldn't go away and new tires solved it.

 
Rep Power: 0

y'know i totally forgot about that possibility... they're actually not old i got them right after i bought the car last summer so about a year and a half? but the thing is i slammed my brakes on them so i might've warped one somewhere but i always look at my tires to make sure they're not unsafe but it still is a possibility

 
Rep Power: 475

if balancing or rotors didnt fix the problem than its most likely your wheel bearings or possibly tires

 
Rep Power: 0

thanks that's reassuring! you wouldn't happen to know the chances of which one it is though? since i slammed on the brakes i recall sliding a little so i'm assuming it's the tires so should i replace those first? is there a way i can get someone at like NTB to see if it's only a single tire so i don't have to drop 300 bucks for new tires?

i really appreciate any info i can get to avoid a lot of money. thanks!

 
Rep Power: 812

could be uneven tire wear, try swapping front tires with rears and see if it goes away. could also be wheel balance, or like my case front bushing failure which is gonna cost $300. but if it vibrates when you brake, its warped rotors. if you braked hard at one point, tires could have flat spots (all of em).

 
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yeah i'm thinking it's my tires, it's probably flat spots because that sounds logical. it jiggles at every point of driving, more when i'm braking, i can hardly feel it when accelerating, but it's still there. and cruising is a moderate amount.

when i'm braking it feels like i'm driving over several bumps and i think since my tires have been rotated it's geared towards the backish so i'll probably have to get new tires all around. oh well at least it's narrowed down pretty well. thanks for all ur help guys! if someone has anything else to add it'd be helpful. thanks again

 
Rep Power: 0

I had the same problem but I didnt feel the car actually shake, you probably thought that it was shaking because the steering wheel was shaking so bad.

my problem was solved when I balanced my tires again, apparently one of the weights fell off. You should go and get it checked.

 
Rep Power: 0

well it used to be where i only felt it in the steering wheel and i'd ask any passengers if they could feel it and they couldn't. now it's easy to detect even if you aren't driving and i can easily tell it's not only from the steering wheel. it also feels like it's shaking from the entire car, not the front so i assume brakes aren't the trouble because it shakes differently in the front when i rotate the tires so i'd love to believe it's the tires so i can just get it over with.

 
Rep Power: 0

Well somthing you may not consider a bent rim. I had this problem because i had some curb rash once and it chipped the rim not noticeable with the naked eye and with the tire on it but take the tireee off and roll it u will see the wobble the slightest bit in the right or left tire can cause such problems.