Driving an 06 Acura RL at 30mph, I veered left to try and avoid a “pothole” (actually a deep rut in the road caused by heavy bus tires in the summer heat). I caught the rut with the right front tire with the wheels turned about 30-40 degrees to the left. It was a jarring, hard hit. I’ve driven it about 1,000 miles since then, and have noticed a vibration through the steering wheel and the entire car at speeds over 70mph (mild at 70, maximizing at 78, then mild again over 80). The car does not pull left or right, so I do not suspect misalignment. What should I ask my mechanic to look for in order to correct the vibration? (I have seen another chat forum recommend “force balancing” to correct a vibration, but I suspect my situation may be different).
Have you tried having your tires rebalanced? Road force balancing probably is not what you need. You may have simply lost a wheel weight.
There may be dents in the rim or bulges in the tire. That’s at least what should be looked for.
If you want to get it all done in one swoop pay for a rebalance with a place with a road force balancer. Make sure they test drive the car. Also mention which wheel(s) took the hit and they may verify it.
It could be a missing wheel weight, damaged rim, or damaged tire.
Good luck.
Thank You for your response. I went to a new Honda service bay where they found ALL 4 WHEELS out of balance! (I didn’t tell you that I bought this car used a few months before, but it didn’t have a vibration until I hit the pothole). They used a road force balancer and also rotated the tires, which showed typical tread wear more on the fronts than rears.
This service totaled $50 and got rid of the vibration! I was a happy customer!
Thank You for your response. I went to a new Honda service bay where they found ALL 4 WHEELS out of balance! (I didn’t tell you that I bought this car used a few months before, but it didn’t have a vibration until I hit the pothole). They used a road force balancer and also rotated the tires, which showed typical tread wear more on the fronts than rears.
This service totaled $50 and got rid of the vibration! I was a happy customer!
Thank You for your response. I went to a new Honda service bay where they found ALL 4 WHEELS out of balance! (I didn’t tell you that I bought this car used a few months before, but it didn’t have a vibration until I hit the pothole). They used a road force balancer and also rotated the tires, which showed typical tread wear more on the fronts than rears.
This service totaled $50 and got rid of the vibration! I was a happy customer!
I recommend that you get the alignment done even though the road force balancing took care of the vibration. That sounds like a brutal hit, and you may have chassis damage that’s not manifesting itself as pulling or vibration, as well as an out-of-alignment condition that’s not manifestng itself as those symptoms. A 4-wheel alignment comes with a good look-see.
Please, let me!
Thank You for your response. I went to a new Honda service bay where they found ALL 4 WHEELS out of balance! (I didn’t tell you that I bought this car used a few months before, but it didn’t have a vibration until I hit the pothole). They used a road force balancer and also rotated the tires, which showed typical tread wear more on the fronts than rears.
This service totaled $50 and got rid of the vibration! I was a happy customer!
I know, I read your responses in the thread. I’m happy that you got the vibration cured. I still recommend the alignment.
There is a echo on this thread
Thanks for the advice to do the alignment. The Honda mechanics wanted to do an alignment, but their equipment can’t service the PAX system (run flat) wheels on this 06 Acura RL - there isn’t enough of a lip of metal where the rim meets the tire to hook on. So I need to go to a tire shop that sevices PAX (I am in western Michigan, where the only place they know of to do this is Belle Tire in Grand Rapids). I’ll do it asap.