My 08 Mustang is shaking really bad in the steering wheel, NEW TIRES & has been balanced 3 times,WHATS WRONG?
Ok so i have an 08 Mustang, I have aftermarket 18′s on it, I recently just bought brand new NEXEN N 3000 tires which are 255,45,18, before unfortunately, I had the wrong tires on there from my previous car which were 215/40/18, VERY BAD! I was shocked to find out that my tires hadn’t blow by now with the weight of the car.. Well after I bought these new tires i went and got them balanced, my car was shaking before but now for some reason whenever i hit 45 and up my steering SHAKES LIKE NO TOMMORROW. How is this happening?!! I got new tires, the rims have hits on the lip but not anywhere else, the lugs are the stock lugs since they fit, I got the ring inside the rim so that it won’t shake.. I don’t know what to tell the tire dealers anymore. They keep balancing it and they tell me it’s ok, when I leave onto the highway there goes the problem again. It’s very awkward and because of this shaking I can hardly keep control sometimes. Sometimes when I break it feels I guess this is the best way to say it, like when you’re on a Jet ski and u feel that the jet ski is going to the side because of the waves, well in this case when I brake it feels like my car just slips to the side.. Weirdest thing………
Also when i accelerate, and its only sometimes, I feel this tick on the tires, it sounds like keys in a way just jiggling but it’s not and the faster I accelerate the more the noise happens, it’s like a rattling noise.. Does anyone know what this could be? Could this be a result of my old tires and may have affected the struts or the coils?
I am already sooo frustrated with this.
Please someone help!
Thank you so much!
I know that ive hit the rims REALLY hard in my old car which was an 06 Scion, like 3 times. Is there a way to fix that? the Dealers” supposedly” have looked at the rims and never have advised me.. =/
I would want to take it to the Ford Dealers, however they told me they once i have aftermarket tires and rims, if something happens obviously its my responsiblity, if i put the stock rims and tires back on and complain about this problem, could it be possible that the dealer will cover me under warranty? in the case that the struts or suspension are messed up? my car has only 10,000 miles since i got it last year. If someone may be able to help me with this also i would appreciate it.
Thanks
So i took my car back to the tire shop, and they told me that it could be 2 things one the HUB CENTER RINGS that are flimzzy, also the lugs i have on are the stock logs but they shouldnt cause much of a problem but its not really too much of a bad problem. they checked my alignment, the rods, and everything, and they said this car is in great conditions, however the HUB center rings could be the problem.
The tires i have now are the exact size for the rims i have which are 18X9, the 255/45/18 are the recommended size, the ones i had before which were 215/40/18 were obviously the wrong size. The tires are not rubbing on any part of the car. Does anyone have any other ideas? Maybe the Hub center ring recommendation will work, although i have all 4 rings on the rim so i dont see how they would wear but i guess you never know.
Help !! how frustrating…

September 3rd, 2011 at 4:41 am
ill get back to you by later tonight promise. (ill edit)
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September 3rd, 2011 at 9:37 am
THANKS for the details you make this easy.
your mustang has rack & pinion steering, the tie rods and/or tie rod ends are worn .this makes it impossible for your wheels to stay alighned going down the road. your wheels are shimmying in and out and you can feel it in the steering wheel. if you don’t have it fixed soon your steering rack will be dammaged by the constant “hammering” and that will realy get into your wallet.
a reputable alignment shop can replace the worn parts and alighn the front end for less than 2hrs labor + parts which are fairly cheap.
in response to your additional details the answer is NO. other than the powertrain factory warranties do not cover parts that are subject to normal wear.(shocks, strutts,breaks,etc)
wheel alignments are part of routine maintanance which you are responsable for.
the only other possabitity i can think of that would cause you to feel the shaking in the steering wheel would be the upper ball joints.
P.S. i suspect your tire shop does not have the specialized equipment or knowlege to do a propper alignment. some places will intentionly mislead you.(premature wear = new tire sales = job security)
i highly recomend taking your mustang to an allignment shop. these people are specialsts. and are well equipped to diagnose and repair your problem. one of the first things they will do is roll your wheels on a SPECIAL tool to make sure it turns true.(rims not warped)
HUB CENTER RINGS that are flimzzy, also the lugs i have on are the stock logs but they shouldnt cause much of a problem?? sounds like these guys are blowing smoke up your @$$. the lug nuts are either 100% right or 100% wrong.
asking a tire jockey to fix your front end is like asking a dentist to fix your hemmeroid.
I STILL THINK ITS THE INNER TIE RODS.
mechanic 23yrs experiance been there done that
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September 3rd, 2011 at 2:37 pm
You must have hit a curb really hard. You need a front end alignment.
mechanic 23yrs experiance been there done that
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September 3rd, 2011 at 8:37 pm
Perhaps the old tires damaged something in the suspension or steering. .
mechanic 23yrs experiance been there done that
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September 4th, 2011 at 2:38 am
I would have the struts on the mustang checked out… driving on wheels that are not compatible may have messed it up…
mechanic 23yrs experiance been there done that
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September 4th, 2011 at 8:37 am
Umm with your situation I would take it too a custom shop. Ask them if they can find anything wrong usually the people that work there have project cars in which they have had to look through there entire car. ask them
hope this helps
mechanic 23yrs experiance been there done that
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September 4th, 2011 at 2:36 pm
1) tires should not rub…..so not sure who sold them to you, but in due course you will have to correct that.
your car can handle 18 in rims….and while your choice of tire & tire size is poor ….tire rub should not be a regular feature.
are YOUR WHEELS a fit for the mustang …. every car fits a wheel differently and you should insure the wheel has the correct offset…..if you are driving a wheel that does not have an appropriate offset, no question you will have serious handling issues at speed.
https://www.rsracing.com/tech-wheel.html
2)stay away from the tire shops…..get to a ford pro shop….
-either the wheels have been badly mounted (which happens) and aftermarket sellers often like to use spacers to fit (not a great idea)
-or you have a suspension problem, which was a function of your rim installation….or a parts failure in conjunction with the installation (strut)
since its a front end issue …..
-or you have installed wheels that are not a correct fit (i am inclined to think this is the issue as you have not specified where the wheels came from)…it almost sounds like you installed incorrect wheels, bad offset and you are also encountering wheel issues against brake calipers or tie rods………
you will have to get it to a pro shop – get it up on the hoist and have a decent mechanic (not a tire jockey) have a look at it.
…..forget whose responsibility it is, get it fixed, sounds both unsafe and unpleasant to drive…..your tire guys cannot assist you….WHY ARE YOU DELAYING?? you may NOT get an answer here, it requires a mechanic to have a hands on test drive and a look at it from under the hoist….and stay away from the tire shop!
there are so many mustangs riding around on oversize rims….narrow profile tires, i cannot understand why you are having such a problem….
cheers 04 cobra (19 inch foose rims running nitto’s 285/30 ZR 19′s)
…………..AS I SAID BEFORE YOU REALLY ARE BETTER OFF DEALING WITH A PRO SHOP AND NOT A TIRE JOCKEY.
IN ANY EVENT YOU HAVE A GREAT CAR, AND INSTEAD OF JERKING AROUND WITH BAD WHEELS, HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU INSTALL DECENT WHEELS AND MADE SPECIFICALLY FOR YOUR OFFSET.
I REALLY FAIL TO UNDERSTAND WHY YOU ARE HAVING SO MUCH TROUBLE WITH AFTERMARKET RIMS & TIRES….ITS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON ADD-ONS IN THE MARKETPLAVE AND VIRTUALLY NEVER RESULTS IN A PROBLEM, SO I HAVE TO THINK YOUR WHEEL INSTALLATION IS BAD………WHY ARE YOU CONTIINUING TO BE FRUSTRATED WHEN THE ANSWER APPEARS TO BE IN FRONT OF YOU?
Try and go cheap with an installation on a performance car, and it generally always come out poor………..do it right from the start and it will usually (if not always) come out ok.
mechanic 23yrs experiance been there done that
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