A steering wheel that shakes at speed is one of the most common things people describe to us, and one of the easiest to diagnose from a few questions. When does it happen, where do you feel it, and did anything change just before it started? The answers usually point straight at the cause.

Shakes at motorway speed, then settles: wheel balance

If the shake builds up at a particular speed band, often around motorway speeds, and eases off if you go faster or slower, the most likely cause is a wheel out of balance. A balance weight may have dropped off, or the tyre has worn unevenly. Feeling it through the steering wheel usually points to a front wheel. Feeling it through the seat or floor points to the back. Balancing is quick, and it's the first thing to rule out.

Shakes only when braking: brake discs

A judder through the steering wheel or brake pedal that happens only when you brake is usually a brake disc that's worn unevenly. That's a brake job, not a tyre job, and it's worth getting checked promptly.

Pulls to one side: wheel alignment

Alignment problems usually show up as the car pulling one way, or the steering wheel sitting off-centre when you're driving straight, rather than as a shake. The two often get confused, and sometimes both are wrong at once. Our guide to the signs your wheels need aligning goes through it in more detail.

Started after hitting a pothole or kerb

A hard knock can bend a rim, knock the alignment out, or damage the tyre inside. Look at the tyre's sidewall: a bulge or blister means the internal structure has failed. That tyre isn't safe to keep driving on and needs replacing, not repairing.

Other causes worth ruling out

  • Worn suspension or steering parts — ball joints, tie-rod ends and bushes — which let the wheel move when it shouldn't.
  • A tyre with a flat spot or separated tread, often from being parked for a long time or from heavy braking.
  • Wheel nuts that aren't tightened correctly after other work.

Don't leave it

A vibration is more than an annoyance. It wears the tyres in patches and puts constant load through the suspension and steering parts, so a cheap balancing job left long enough becomes a more expensive suspension one. Because we do tyres, balancing, alignment, brakes and suspension under one roof, we can find the actual cause rather than guess at it. Call +64 29 777 7122 or call in to 151 Totara Street, Mount Maunganui.