Front end vibration

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

I have a 1998 Plymouth Grand Voyager. I bought Goodyear 16 "tires and aluminum wheels from a junk yard that were nearly new. I have not had any similar previous problems. Just since I put these wheel and tires on. Starting 45 or 50 mph the car has a vibration that seems to effect the brain in a weird way. It gets progressively worse with speed. The steering column does not shake or wobble when this happens but when the driver side window is up and the passenger side window is down it feels like it could suck the snot out of your head. Sorry about being so graphic but it is the best way to describe it. I took it to a place to have ithe wheels balanced and they said it was not a balancing problem. They said it was only the wind. He had seen this many times. So, I skipped the balance. What could be happening?

Thanks, Phil

p.s. My wife says the car just sucks! LOL

2

I disagree with the “wind” guy. Those tires and wheels need detailed examination and proper balancing, and if for any reason the wheels were damaged they should be discarded.

Your Plymouth is heavy enough not be be wandering in the wind and trying to become airborne. You could go to a proper suspension shop and have them investigate what else might me wrong with your van.

Your wife’s opinion is very subjective, but women generally relate to how the FEEL about something, and obviously your van is far from perfect at this stage. So for your mutual safety and happiness, I would get it fixed properly and let an expert examine those wheels/tires.

3

I bought Goodyear 16 "tires and aluminum wheels from a junk yard that were nearly new. I have not had any similar previous problems. Just since I put these wheel and tires on. Starting 45 or 50 mph the car has a vibration that seems to effect the brain in a weird way… So, I skipped the balance 

My guess is you are going to find there is a problem with those wheels. In any case you can try rotating the wheels (front to back) and see if it changes.  If so you know it is something with the wheels or tyres. 

You need a good alignment shop to check the wheels and tyres and then the alignment. 

Note: while those aluminum wheels are more expensive, they are not as strong as good old steel wheels, unless you are buying racing spec wheels that are likely to cost you far more than you paid for that car.
4

Second vote for bent wheels - which can be bent and cause vibrations even if they are balanced properly.

5

THe cheapest solution is finding another pair of hopefully balanced tires/rims for the front.

6

Thanks for the replies to my problem. I managed to find the problem. The front rubber grill and shroud under the suspention had several of the plastic rivets missing. The whole grill would vibrate at the highr speed causing the problem. I had some a/c work done last year and they must have left them out. I never did get the a/c working either.LOL
Thanks so much for your help!

7

Thanks for letting us know the results.