I have a 1998 Toyota Corolla. The tires are good and I rotate them every 3000 miles. Lately I noticed a shimmy or vibration of the steering wheel when I travel over 60 MPH. Gets worse at 75. It seems to pull to the left. Could this be a bad wheel bearing and do they need to be packed or are they sealed? Any suggestions? Thanks
If your tires are balanced, the problem is likely in your front suspension or steering, I would check the wheel BALNCE first though… Your car could very well have well worn front end components (ball joints and steering arm connections) causing the problem.
Thanks for the information Docnick
The first sign that the bearings are going is usually noise - a really annoying whine or roar that will change when you turn. If you haven’t been getting a lot of noise then I wouldn’t start assuming a wheel bearing.
What does “the tires are good” mean? How many miles are on then and have they been balanced lately? Balancing is the first thing I would have done. You may also have the beginnings of tread separation which wouldn’t show up visibly right away.
What I would do is take it to your mechanic and ask to have the tires balanced and do a full front end inspection while they are at it since there are plenty of really important front end parts that can also cause vibration if worn.
Thanks I appreciate the info.