Section : Suspension

Vbration Through Steering Wheel Between 50 and 60

Posted By : Mark Stradling, 29-Dec-2003, 12:08pm

• Vbration Through Steering Wheel Between 50 and 60

  Posted By : David Styles, 29-Dec-2003, 12:58pm

  sounds like wheel balance to me !
  
  are they wires btw ?
  
  I had some new tyres put on about a year ago... and the car was horrid... the excuse for a mechanic who balanced them assured me that he knew how to balance a wire wheel... I asked him to redo it, and he said that it was odd, because the machine was telling him to put the weight in different places the second time round !
  
  Went and got them balanced properly. Be careful who you use.....
  
  although, you do talk of valves rather than tubes,... so I'm now presuming they aren't wires.
  
  anyway... If it were me, I'd go get both wheels balanced (and checked for straightness) pronto.
  
  
  

  • Vbration Through Steering Wheel Between 50 and 60

    Posted By : Tim Everitt, 29-Dec-2003, 02:34pm

    Sounds like the wheels need balancing to me, too
    
    Tim.

    • Vbration Through Steering Wheel Between 50 and 60

      Posted By : Mark Stradling, 29-Dec-2003, 03:25pm

      Cheers.
      
      I'll try to forget about it for a while, as next up is a set of alloy wheels anyway and this is going to mean new tyres all around anyway.
      
      BTW, anyone know what the aspect ratio would be on a standard Spitfire tyre? I'm trying to work out what size I will require on my alloys, but as the old Goodyear Grand Prix S's only call them selves 155SR14's (and not 155/xxSR14's) it's a bit of a pickle.

      • Vbration Through Steering Wheel Between 50 and 60

        Posted By : Michael Davis, 29-Dec-2003, 03:47pm

        80 profile would be standard, but that would be on a 13inch wheel. The sizes you quoted are for a 14inch wheel so you are non-standard to start with. You may need to be using a lower profile tyre to keep the rolling diameter the same.
        
        If your tyres don't specify a profile, I'd assume they were 80 profile. Any advances on that anyone?
        
        Mik

        • Vbration Through Steering Wheel Between 50 and 60

          Posted By : Mark Stradling, 29-Dec-2003, 04:01pm

          14 was a guess from memory!

          • Vbration Through Steering Wheel Between 50 and 60

            Posted By : Danny Stroud, 29-Dec-2003, 04:34pm

            Mark,
            
            You can use the following link as a help to size tyres and keep your speedo accurate.
            http://homepage.ntlworld.com/cattermole/tyres.htm
            Danny
            Mk3 spit

            • Vbration Through Steering Wheel Between 50 and 60

              Posted By : Mark Stradling, 29-Dec-2003, 05:15pm

              I smell some 'borrowing' going on...
              
              http://www.chris-longhurst.com/carbibles/index.htm...
              
              That's the easy bit...IF you know the aspect ratio of your current tyres.

              • Vbration Through Steering Wheel Between 50 and 60

                Posted By : Tim Everitt, 30-Dec-2003, 10:31am

                Without getting too technical, late spitfires were fitted with 155x13 = 155x80x13. To get the exact same rolling diameter with a wider tyre you need 175x70x13, but personal experience has indicated that this is actually too wide for a spitfire. The steering is very heavy at low speeds and roadholding, particularly in the wet can be reduced - because there is more tyre in contact with the road, there is less pressure on that point of contact. With many cars this doesn't matter, but with a car which is as light at the back as a spitfire, this can be crucial. You end up with significantly more grip at the front of the car than the back - great if you like powersliding, but not so hot in an emergency. Personally, I wouldn't go wider than 165 for everyday use. I use 165x70x13 on my car. This means the speedo reads about 5% faster than I'm actualy going - but I can live with that.
                
                Tim.

                • Vbration Through Steering Wheel Between 50 and 60

                  Posted By : Mark Stradling, 30-Dec-2003, 11:14am

                  Cool, thanks for that.
                  
                  Actually a setup that makes me speedo over-read will probably sort everything else out (have a 1300 with a 1500 o/d gearbox so speedo currently under-reads).

                  • Vbration Through Steering Wheel Between 50 and 60

                    Posted By : Tarquin Adams, 31-Dec-2003, 00:26am

                    Regards your vibration, yes it could be wheel balance and everything else that everyone always says.
                    
                    There's something else which no-one ever mentions and can be quite unpleasant: front wheel bearing problems.
                    
                    If you have a knackered or loose front wheel bearing this can cause the wheel to wobble around and it does start to become noticeable at the speeds you mention.
                    
                    Jack the car up and check for play in the bearing by trying to wobble the wheel. If the wheel wobbles then the wheel bearing is probably the culprit. They are taper bearings so you can then try tightening it but you might need to replace it if you cannot tighten it sufficiently.
                    
                    I hope this is helpful.
                    
                    Happy New Year to everyone!

• Vbration Through Steering Wheel Between 50 and 60

  Posted By : William Davies, 29-Dec-2003, 02:36pm

  Hi Mark,
  You say 3000 miles in 8 years? Has it been moved regularly, or have the tyres become square? Rebalancing tyres that have become deformed won't bring them back.
  Cheers,
  Bill.