For those with lowered Mustangs...

[coladin]

For those with lowered Mustangs...update

Any problems with wheel balancing? I put in an Eibach Pro Kit which is great. I like the ride and handling but I have steering wheel vibration. No problem I though, just rebalance the wheels, which were Falken FK451 with American Racing Casinos 255/45/zr18. They rebalance and the car feels fine then a day later it returns. They do it again, this time on the road force balancing machine. For a few days it is fine then the vibration returns.

The delaer is saying because the springs have a slight negative camber, they are borderline spec as far as they are concerned and think that this may be the problem. I just don't see how a spring can have a steering wheel vibration, which typically is a balance issue.

i think it may be the tires, must be a bad batch of tires. How would I know if it were the rim or the tire...would the road force balance machine pick that up?

It really is dampening what should be a real fun time with this car.

 

[Power Surge]

Did you have the alignment checked after the drop? It might be possible that the lowered stance has changed your settings. You could have positive toe which will cause a vibration because the tires would be fighting the road as you move.

 

[coladin]

Did you have the alignment checked after the drop? It might be possible that the lowered stance has changed your settings. You could have positive toe which will cause a vibration because the tires would be fighting the road as you move.

That is interesting. Once they dropped the suspension, they did a wheel alignment...do you mean have another one done?

 

[Power Surge]

That is interesting. Once they dropped the suspension, they did a wheel alignment...do you mean have another one done?

Well, you didn't mention if you had it done, so that's why I suggested it. But it might not hurt to have it checked at a different shop. I've seen alignments done poorly at some places that were way out of whack when checked elsewhere.

 

[Section8]

Well, you didn't mention if you had it done, so that's why I suggested it. But it might not hurt to have it checked at a different shop. I've seen alignments done poorly at some places that were way out of whack when checked elsewhere.

I second this suggestion. After putting an Eibach kit on my car, i took the car for a custom alignment, and the shop totally fubbed it up. I finally managed to find a decent race shop that did a quality alignment and the car was transformed.

 

[coladin]

I just went on a long test drive with a mechanic friend of mine and he felt the slight steering wheel vibration at 55mph and then the vibration in the seats at 80 mph. The vibration in the wheel is gone at, like, 58mph and the one in the seat is gone at 84-85mph. He thinks without a doubt it is the tires. I am inclined to agree. I called Eibach headquarters and he also poo-pooed the dealer's analysis sayin the camber aspect would only be felt in a corner, not while travelling straight. He also said that there will be 5% more tire wear than normal with the springs in a slight camber.

i don't know, but my delaer said that they will get this vibration machine to verify where it is coming from. It is so precise, apprently, that it can trace it down to a pulley. we'll see i guess.

 

[subzero05]

i Have had no probs with mine.I even had the alignment checked following the drop and it was within specs!

 

[Thunder Road]

If you have a vibration that changes with speed, its the tires. Likely they are out of round. A lot of times if yu take the tire off the rim you can actually see it not totally round. I wonder who makes Falken tires? Ive had a lot of problems in the past with Dunlop radials.

 

[Florida Bob]

If you have a vibration that changes with speed, its the tires.

Agreed. I have the Falken FK451s also but am not having any problems (255/18 fronts, 275/18 rears). Sounds like you may have a slightly out-of-round tire.

 

[YELLOW42RCODE]

I have done the Eibachs on my GT and kept the stock 17" tires/wheels. I have not had any problems.

Fred

 

[billy_tripper]

It's likely not the tires if you didn't notice this before the drop. The road force balancer would definitely pick this up though.
Just because it changed with speed does not mean its the tires. Certain cars are sensitive to wheels with the wrong offset or balanced improperly, and this could cause a vibration that varies with speed, such as my '03 Explorer that had a slight steering wheel shake at 65-70 because I had the wrong offset wheels on it. Put some with the right offset and it solved the problem. The offset shouldn't be the case here with the Casinos but you could have them balance them off of the lug nut holes instead of the center hole. Most people balance off of the center hole because it's quicker and is nearly just as good but in some more sensitive cases the lug nut hole balance is better and solves the problem.

 

[afixer]

after my steeda pro drop (which is less drop than the eibachs and done during the front popping TSB) the camber was off and also the toe. so i would imagine that the eibach would be worse. do to the fact that they are lower. the mustang has no adjustment for camber so unless your alignment shop has the new aftermarket camber adjustment kit or the overly priced steeda camber kit (189.00) the camber was not changed. and will after time wear the inside. know my bud has the latest 4 - wheel lazer wazoo alignment rack. i have also known him for 25 years and he has been doing alignments for most of that time. so i trust him very much. lowering changes the camber and toe! i saw the print out he fixed the toe and is installing the camber kit tomarrow. but the way the ride is great i chose the steeda kit because i didnt want the extra drop that the eibach kits give. i can drive over speed bumps,driveways no prob. i would recoment the steeda kit and my friend with a GT is getting the same kit because he loves mine.
http://forums.stangnet.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=34172

 

[coladin]

Agreed. I have the Falken FK451s also but am not having any problems (255/18 fronts, 275/18 rears). Sounds like you may have a slightly out-of-round tire.

Does that mean the tire is defective?

They did the road force balance and they found them to be .50 off. This machine tells them where to put the weights etc... It felt fine for a few days but then it returns!

The tires showed to be 15lbs. of "something" , a term that I can't remember. the mechanic says you want to be under 20lbs. he also says Michelin and Dunlops measure 7lbs. which is excellent.

One guy suggested putting in some powder or sand, this stuff that they usually put in truck tires which will keep them balanced....I say get me new bloody tires!

Do you find the Falkens noisy? I have always bought Dunlop SP8000s and these are much more noisy but I think that wet traction is superior.

 

[Over's GT]

if tires are still new try to get tire dealer to trade for another brand
(may be worth it even if you pay a little) problems will likley only get worse with time so act quick

or a test trade just to see if vibes still there

if you are stuck w/ the tires try:

-having dealer dismount and remount each tire on rim 180 degrees
and re balance

- I hope you already tried rotating tires front to back (if same size)

about the neg camber caused by the lowering springs causing the vibes,
it is possible that those tires (there inner belt construction or even tread design on inside edge of tread could cause this problem, most quality tires would not be effected IMO.

 

[mobydickdog]

Oh the cons and not so many pros of lowering a Street driven car.

 

[brownbrosperf]

OK here is a mistake more common than you would believe. Remove a wheel and check for the little metal clips that hold the rotor to the hub for assembly. 99% of aftermarket wheels do not have the recess for these clips and will end up throwing the wheel off balance when you torque the wheels. I have also seen it cause brake pulsations. Check that and let us know. (I dont know how i ever found out about this

 

[o5stanggt]

i am a tire dealer and have had excellent luck with the falkens not my firts choice but neverless a good tire most people will jump to claim an out of round tire very hard to find in a z rated tire because of the belt packaging also how long have you had it dropped mine has been dropped with the pro kit since feb just now getting the vibes because of inside edge wear. try the brake clips like wayne said also have the dealer get you hub centering rings if you dont already have them then rotate the tires who is your dealer

 

[megan_92]

I have had Eibach Pro-Kit lowering springs on my car for about 5 months and have had no issues with them until a few weeks ago when my car was in the garage (it's in the process of getting stripped and primered for fresh paint) I noticed that it had a little lean.. Here I take out the left rear spring and its ****ed up. Atleast they have a million mile warrenty, now i just gotta find the receipt, or hope I don't need one.

 

[TurboE]

not to come off harsh, but if you can afford lowering springs, and excess tire ware then you can afford caster/camber plates, so that after the car is lowered it can be aligned correctly and will have normal tire wear. If your afraid of what a alignment shop will do, ask the manufacture of the c/c plates the specs they recommend, and write it on a piece of paper and tell the shop to align it to those specs, say you are goin to scca race the car or something and need it to those specs.

 

[coladin]

I think we may have found the culprit: they now suspect that the stick-on weights are falling off. I told them to hammer the metal weights on the inside, at this point I really don't care. I just want it fixed.

One mechanic thinks it is actually the driveline because it was lowered! I really don't think so.

The Falkens have gotten much quieter with some wear on them. I am very pleased with these tires. They hook up really well.