1M Wheel Shake on Highway

[etr2016]

Hi All. About a year ago I mounted some P4S tires on new (bmw oem) wheels. I drove the car and it all seemed fine until I got on the highway and noticed some serious vibration in the steering wheel. I swear I also sense some vibration on the dead pedal as well. After several rebalances, Michelin agreed to replace the tires for me for free. Thankfully they did it for free but the problem persists! The BMW dealer claims they did an inspection and didnt notice anything. Not sure where to look now...

Here is a video of the vibration.
https://youtube.com/shorts/1q2oUTg3Y3s?feature=share

[ShocknAwe]

Generally if it seems like a balance problem it's a balance problem esp if it started with new tires. I've had a shop balance and balance over and over again doing a shit job each time then take it somewhere else once and it's perfect.

[Andrewbens]

I have ps4s on my 135is with zero shaking. Can you find another set of wheels and tires from a friend and see if it stops?

[etr2016]

I definitely dont think it's the wheels because they have been road force balanced 4 times now. I would think if there was an issue with the wheel it would show up - full disclosure, I am not a wheel expert.

I did take it out today and it does seem better. It also seems a bit random so I wonder if this might just be the way the car is (they did repave the highway). I live in AZ where the roads are basically perfect wherever you go, however.

[Andrewbens]

Originally Posted by etr2016

I definitely dont think it's the wheels because they have been road force balanced 4 times now. I would think if there was an issue with the wheel it would show up - full disclosure, I am not a wheel expert.

I did take it out today and it does seem better. It also seems a bit random so I wonder if this might just be the way the car is (they did repave the highway). I live in AZ where the roads are basically perfect wherever you go, however.

My friends at American tires have told me if there’s any rust on the hubs where the wheels sit on, that can also cause any issue or if there’s any rust inside the wheel. Maybe try cleaning that up if there’s any build up with a wire wheel.

[arvinz]

I have a similar issue with my 1M.

At what speed are you noticing this vibration?

[NorthernDancer]

I'm a BMWCCA member and if a fellow member had an issue like this, I would have no problem switching wheels to see if problem stayed or was gone. I actually have 3 sets of wheels and all 3 balance perfectly.

[PRTSB1M]

Could be tie-rod/control arm ball joints, especially if it seems to worsen when you move the steering wheel. Fresh rubber can often reveal loose suspension.

[etr2016]

Problem finally solved. So it was the tires. When the dealer mounted the new tires they did not road force balance them (even though I said to). This is probably why the vibration got better but not perfect. When I went back they did the road force balance and one tire was at the limit of being considered acceptable but they made it better. I requested pictures of the balancing calculations. The one that was at the limit was "16lbs" whatever that means. They got it back down to 10lbs. He said that cars like the 1M, with a very short wheel base, are sensitive to out of balance tires.

If you're having this problem I would have a shop road force balance them and request the print outs.

Glad this solved it because everything else checked out and i didn't want to go down a rabbit hole chasing it.