vibration while driving and more so when braking, both at high speeds?

Question

I was recently in a small accident where i damaged the front corner of my civic and was also hit at my rear passenger side wheel. The wheel was apparently not damaged. Since I've had it back there is a small vibration at higher speeds in the steering wheel only. When I brake there is a very noticeable vibration especially at highspeeds but also at as low as 60km/hr. There is no pull in the car so I don't suspect an alignment problem. I had no issues before the accident in mid feb and had my rotors ground down in November which got rid of a small brake pulse back then. How can this be related to my accident because it must be! However I need this to be proven to my insurance company that it was accident related. Could it be that the tires are off balance? The rear suspension was replaced but I can only feel it in the steering wheel. Could the locking bolts or part of the braking system be loose and cause this much of a problem? Braking still feels tight. Any suggestions?

Don't know how this thing works so hopefully this is posted right! Thanks for all of the answers. I will definitely be requesting a tire rebalance and possible rotation. I'm having a difficult time believing it's my brakes from wear and tear since I had no problems prior to this accident. Back end wasn't hit that hard but hard enough to damage the suspension. Front end didn't touch the tire, only body damage so I'm not sure how the suspension could have been impacted. Will check locking bolts as well. Keep in mind that it vibrates BOTH when driving and braking...just a lot more with braking. no pulling at all. Vibration starts around 90-100km/hr and stays, doesn't come and go. i'll be bring all of these suggestions to the mechanic, thanks!

Answer 1

i had the same issue,and needed a 4 wheel alignment.check the tire tread as well. i am dumb with cars,but that's what was wrong with mine.

Answer 2

A simple Bad alignment will not cause vibration. Pulling, yes, bad tire wear, yes. Vibration is either the tire has a buldge, wheel is bent (even if it balanced out it should pass a visual check), could be a hub or something to that effect.

Could be in the rear - even if you feel it in your steering wheel.

Something cheap you can do is rotate your tires. Fronts to back, backs to front. See if the character of the vibration changes at all.
If it's exactly the same, it's not in your wheels/tires. If it feels slower/faster/harder/gentler, etc, it's the wheels or tires. Get another opinion then.

Answer 3

You need to take it to a shop that can balance the tires. Make sure they can do a road force variation balance test. not all machinces can do that. This test will determine whether or not it is the wheel itself or the tire. The tire can be out of balance with a broken belt. They can determine that it was the accident. Warped rotors will only vibrate when braking.

Answer 4

The first thing that I would do is to see if it is tracking straight.

Take a ball of string or cord and with someone to help, measure from the inside of opposite wheels. This will tell you if it is driving sideways.

You could also have someone drive behind you and observe if it is tracking OK.

But it sounds like you are going to need a mechanic.

Answer 5

Front end is out of alignment, possibly the rear as well.. Also have a mechanic check for cracks in the control arms, and take it to an alignment shop.

Answer 6

hows the wheel,is it bent?you could have broken a belt in 1 of the tires.if you can feel it in the steering,then its probably in the front suspension.check the ball joints and tie rods.

Answer 7

It could be bent rims, a twisted frame, warped rotors, a busted belt in a tire...

Good luck.

Answer 8

It may just need to have the tires balanced.

Answer 9

Same thing happened to me and had to have new brake discs.

Answer 10

probably warped discs