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I can't pinpoint how long my steering wheel has actually been shaking at 100+ km/h, but it's probably been almost a year. My car is a 2003 Civic LX Sedan.

I've had my relatively new Michelin HydroEdges balanced twice, and while they still slightly shook the wheel after the balancing, it always became progressively worse over time. So i thought perhaps it was the HyrdoEdges themselves, until I put on my new winter rims + tires (Honda OEM steels + Kumho KW11s). When I first drove off, there was only a slight virbration in the wheel at 100+ km/h, but it got progressively worse and the wheel again shakes pretty badly.

I haven't had time to take it to Honda yet for diagnosis.

Can anyone speculate what parts could be causing this? We can rule out tire balance. I have NOT had my alignment done since I bought the car, FYI.

Am i looking at axle problems? bearing problems? alignment?

I will have to find time to take this to Honda but in the meantime, perhaps the more technical savvy can speculate for me.

Thanks
Chris

 
Rep Power: 277

Mines just like that, I suspect its an aligment issue, if you have had your tires balanced 2 times and it also does it with your new steelies.

 
Rep Power: 301

Sorry... it's a balance problem. Most shops balance to plus or minus 5 on the machine. You have to get it to ZERO. Lazy bastards. I go through this BS everytime I get tires and/or re-balance. Dude says it's OK. It's NOT. It takes a minute or 2 longer to balance to "0", but they don't want to take the time. Honda's in particular are very sensitive to balance problems. Try another shop, and insist they balance all the tires to "0", not "close enough".

 
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I've watched them balance them each time on their machine to "0".

 
Rep Power: 301

Hmm... well, alignment usually won't make your wheel shake, but wear out your tires unevenly. Something HAS to be out of round, or out of balance. Now, it COULD be a warped rotor, but that's unlikely. And if you had a loose bearing, you'd hear the racket IT would make. So next time as the shop if they balance to "0" on the coarse setting, or the FINE setting.
Yes, I COULD be wrong, I'm not perfect, but I have had similar problems with every honda I have owned. And a proper balance was always like silk. Amazing how smooth the car was. You MIGHT also need to have your wheels balanced ON the car by a special machine. This takes into account the balance of the rotor and CV joint, belive it or not. A few grams translate at high speed.

 
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I had the same problem and I started changing out everything with no luck. I changed struts and axles, nothing changed. I tightened the little adjustment bolt on the bottom of the rack and pinion and that helped for a while then it got worse again. My problem was bad tires. I had some busted belts in the sidewalls. I was running 215/35/18's. Very short sidewall. I put on a new set of 215/40/18's and it rides ALOT better.

 
Rep Power: 269

how bad does it shake? are these on stock wheels or aftermarket ones? if they are aftermarket ones some dont sit flush against the hub(small ring in the middle of the rotor or something like that(pull off the wheel nd u will see a small ring in the middle thats it). if the wheel doesnt sit flush and moves then you will need to get a hubcentric ring. now if you have stock wheels mayb rims bent? but if its bent wouldnt that just vibrate? it could several things.