A steering wheel that shakes at highway speed is most often an out-of-balance front tire. A damaged tire, a bent wheel or worn steering parts can cause it too. If it only shakes when you brake, it's usually the brake rotors instead. Balancing the tires is the cheapest place to start.
We balance tires on computerized equipment at our Tyler and Longview shops, about 15 minutes a wheel set, and we've fixed shakes that other shops sent home still shaking.
Why is my steering wheel shaking?
Your steering wheel shakes because something in a front wheel isn't rolling evenly. The usual causes, in order of how often we see them, are an out-of-balance tire, a tire with internal damage, a bent wheel, and worn steering or suspension parts. Brakes cause a shake too, but only when you're braking.
Think of a washing machine with all the towels on one side. Nothing's broken. It's just lopsided, and at full spin it walks across the laundry room like it's got somewhere to be.
| When it shakes | Most likely cause | Usual fix |
|---|---|---|
| Steering wheel, at highway speed | Front tire out of balance | Balance the front tires |
| Seat or floor, at highway speed | Rear tire out of balance | Balance the rear tires |
| Only when braking | Front brake rotors | Rotors and pads |
| After a pothole or curb | Bent wheel, lost wheel weight or damaged tire | Inspect, rebalance or replace |
| Shake plus clunks or wander | Worn steering or suspension parts | Replace the worn part, then align |
Steering wheel vibration: where you feel it tells you where to look
Feel it in the steering wheel and the problem is usually up front. Feel it in your seat and it's usually in the rear. Les Schwab puts it simply: "If a front tire isn't properly balanced, you'll likely feel vibrations in the steering wheel. If the problem is in the rear, you'll feel shaking in the seat or floor."
That one detail saves real time at the shop. Tell us where your hands, your back or your coffee feel it, and we know which end to start on. The coffee is usually the most honest witness.
Steering wheel shakes at high speeds
A shake that shows up around 55 to 70 mph and gets worse as you speed up is the classic sign of a tire out of balance. Michelin lists "vibration of the steering wheel at highway speeds" as a key symptom of imbalance. It often smooths out a little above or below that window, which makes it easy to ignore.
Don't confuse balance with alignment. Michelin draws the line cleanly: "Alignment controls where the tire points... Balancing controls how the tire rotates."
A bad alignment pulls. A bad balance shakes. If yours pulls instead, read why your car pulls to the right.
Shake starts around 60? Balancing usually fixes it in about 15 minutes. See tire balancing in Tyler and Longview.
Tire balance symptoms
The main tire balance symptoms are a steering wheel or seat vibration at highway speed, faster or patchy tread wear, and sometimes a rhythmic hum or thump that changes with speed. Tires lose balance from normal wear, from a curb or pothole knocking a wheel weight off, and after a flat repair.
- Vibration at highway speed, steering wheel for the front, seat for the rear
- Cupped or patchy tread wear, scalloped dips around the tire
- A thump that rises and falls with speed
- A missing wheel weight, a clean spot on the rim where one used to be
Les Schwab recommends rebalancing with every tire rotation, with new tires, and after hitting something hard. On a lifted truck with 35s, I'd take that advice personally.
Shakes we've fixed
The shake I like fixing most is the one two other shops already tried. Keith Tibbits came to our Longview shop after exactly that and wrote: "I've had my tires changed and balanced at two other stores and no one seemed to get it right... They balanced my tires told me what the other place was doing wrong and explained the whole situation to me. I put the tire my truck and it was smooth as glass."
That's the job: find why the balance didn't hold, not just spin the wheel again. Sometimes it's a weight in the wrong spot. Sometimes it's a tire that needs to be replaced, and we'll tell you that too.
Shaking questions
Is it safe to drive with a shaking steering wheel?
Can alignment cause steering wheel shaking?
How long does tire balancing take?
Why does my steering wheel shake after new tires?
Make it smooth again. We balance on computerized equipment and find the reason it shook. See tire balancing and repair in Tyler and Longview, or call Tyler at (903) 500-8557 or Longview at (903) 500-9626.