I have a 2001 Toyota highlander with 160000 miles on it. I recently got new tires and alignment. The problem is when I reach 65 my steering wheel starts to shimmy. The wheels were balanced and the shimmieing last for ten to fifteen minutes. Any suggestions to what might be causing this?
There is a tire property called uniformity that is independent of balance. If you think in terms of “Out of Round”, you’ll be close.
So go back to where you purchased the tires and register a complaint. Just be aware that worn out suspension components could also be causing the vibration.
I am thinking that with amount miles I have on the vehicle that the suspension is suspect. What do I need to look for?
"What do I need to look for? "
Pretty much everything. You need a pro to look at the car.
I agree; at 10 years of age and 160k miles this could be due to worn suspension components, wheel bearings, etc, etc.
Be careful, I just spent over $700 getting this kind of concern addressed last year on my 1993 Escort with 167,000 miles, and it still shimmies. The mechanic’s most recent claim is that the culprit is whatever caused my check engine light to start coming on in warm weather or when the engine is hot from sitting in traffic (which I never noticed before they looked at the car the 5th time). I have since given up on dumping money in the car, and will drive it until it dies, or I can afford to replace it with something newer.
You need a competant professional to look it over, or just become accustomed to the shimmy.