Wheel wobble

[mikeyb13]

Sorry in advance for my lack of technical knowledge.

Been noticing a slight wobble from my drivers side front wheel for a while now on gentle left cornering, it was so slight to begin with i was starting to think I was imagining it. I read a few threads saying the A048s can go off and feel like this so didnt panic.

But on my second track day at knockhill It started to appear badly under heavy braking for the hairpin but only after a good few laps making me think it was maybe a warped disc. The brakes "look" fine though

Since then it gone back to being a slight wobble

Before i go taking things apart to "try" and diagnose the problem I was hoping some might have someone might have a magic answer!

[Modena Scotland]

Does it only happen during cornering?
Do you hear any knocking sound?
Do you feel any judders?
What speed do you start to feel the wobble?

p.s. might be a good idea to move this to the Tech section.

[Mike Scib]

Probably the wheel bearing gone. If you jack the car up you should be able to feel it if you try and move the wheel.

[robin]

I assume your wheel nuts are tight?

Does the wheel wobble cause steering wheel wobble? If not, how is it you know that the wheel is wobbling (I assume you cannot see the wheel whilst driving ).

If, when you press the brake pedal you can feel pulsing coming back up the pedal then it may well be a warped disk (which is really more likely just a disk with uneven deposits on it); you can get the disks skimmed lightly if they're relatively new or just replace them if they're manky anyway.

If the wobble actually causes the car to meander about the place (i.e. the wheel is moving as though it's being steered) then you probably have a worn track rod end, damaged steering rack or worn wishbone bushes.

Badly worn wheel bearings tend to make a howling sound like an aircraft, and the noise tends to change as you turn left or right - by the time the bearing is worn enough to cause noticeable wobble whilst driving it's pretty f*cked, so I would be surprised if the wobble was the first symptom you noticed.

First things first, jack up that side and see what play, if any, can be felt in the wheel, and see if the wheel turns freely or whether it grumbles and is rough when spun by hand - this would point at a worn bearing.

Is it S1 or S2?

Cheers,
Robin

[mikeyb13]

Thanks for the answers all. Its an s2 exige, Yes the wheel nuts are tight,

Its probably most noticable at low speed, theres no wobble through the steering at all and the car still runs straight even under normal braking, it almost feels like Im driving over a slightly uneven surface on the front right side of the car.

But when braking hard into the hairpin after every 5/6 track laps I was all over the place, it felt like my front right disc was very warped but it hasnt ever done it since on the road.

[Modena Scotland]

Does sound like worn wheel bearings to me. If the disc is warped, you should feel juddering while braking. If you can hear knocking noise, you could also check the ball joints.

[mikeyb13]

Does sound like worn wheel bearings to me. If the disc is warped, you should feel juddering while braking. If you can hear knocking noise, you could also check the ball joints.

No noise at all mate. Was thinking of phoning SLS for a service anyway.
Any idea how much this will add to the bill?

[renmure]

Any idea how much this will add to the bill?

18 months!!




/JOKE!!!

[meatball]

[mikeyb13]

Can we have a wee smilie for "am I missing something?"

[David]

Its probably most noticable at low speed, theres no wobble through the steering at all and the car still runs straight even under normal braking, it almost feels like Im driving over a slightly uneven surface on the front right side of the car.

My 2p worth

Sounds like a carcass failure of the tyre. Check with a straight edge across the tread of the tyre and look for an area that is raised or try a spare on the suspect corner.

David

[mikeyb13]

Its probably most noticable at low speed, theres no wobble through the steering at all and the car still runs straight even under normal braking, it almost feels like Im driving over a slightly uneven surface on the front right side of the car.

My 2p worth

Sounds like a carcass failure of the tyre. Check with a straight edge across the tread of the tyre and look for an area that is raised or try a spare on the suspect corner.

David

Take it that could explain why it got worse after a few fast laps? Thats whats been confusing me, thought the other faults wouldnt have got better once the car cooled down

[mainsy]

Can we have a wee smilie for "am I missing something?"

[David]

Its probably most noticable at low speed, theres no wobble through the steering at all and the car still runs straight even under normal braking, it almost feels like Im driving over a slightly uneven surface on the front right side of the car.

My 2p worth

Sounds like a carcass failure of the tyre. Check with a straight edge across the tread of the tyre and look for an area that is raised or try a spare on the suspect corner.

David

Take it that could explain why it got worse after a few fast laps? That's whats been confusing me, thought the other faults wouldn't have got better once the car cooled down

I wouldn't want to jump to conclusions too quickly as this may not be the problem, but hot tyre = higher pressures = more distortion of the tyre. It's the low speed bit that got me thinking about a similar tyre problem I had.

[robin]

If you cannot feel anything through the pedal or the steering wheel and yet the car is changing direction under braking I would suggest it's dangerous and you should limit your driving to getting the car somewhere to be inspected.

It could also be a failed front damper or broken spring causing excessive diving under braking at which point the car will handle badly (typically it will understeer at this point, but not always!).

It most likely won't be a wheel bearing - the brakes pull the wheel bearing back into line, so under heavy braking the hub is clamped in the upright position by the caliper/brake pads and the wheel will run true. It'll meander away up the straights though, but like I said before, a bearing that is so f*cked as to cause proper steering inputs is normally making a huge racket too, especially on the S2 which has proper bearings assemblies.

Unusual though it is, a failed tyre might well be the most likely explanation!

Cheers,
Robin