How much vibration is "normal" at highway speed?

[Zathras]

I've seen previous threads about vibration, but can't seem to find them now. Ever since my car was brand new, it's had a minor but noticeable vibration once it gets up to speed (over say 45-50 mph). The vibration is mostly felt in the steering wheel and steering column, but can also be felt if I grab the shifter or rest my arm on the door. It's not a low-frequency shimmy or wobble, and it doesn't have a predominant direction like side-to-side or up and down. It's more like a high frequency "tingle." The steering wheel doesn't jiggle back and forth or anything like that. The vibration doesn't really get worse at high speeds, it's just kind of always there at the same intensity.

Is this something the S550 is just naturally prone to? On my other cars, a tire balance problem usually caused the steering wheel to jiggle or shudder, but it was a lower frequency. This is more like the whole car, and especially the steering column, has a "tuning fork" resonance. I know it's not a Cadillac or Rolls, but still I'm not sure if this amount of background vibration is normal.

Anyone know what I'm talking about?

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[S550HPP]

Not normal at all. Should be zero vibration. Might have a damaged tire or lost weight from wheel take it to Hunter Road Force balancer ...

Any warranty?

 

[leonardd]

Yeah, I know exactly what you're describing, that subtle, high frequency buzz that’s more of a "tingle" than a shake. I’ve experienced something really similar in my S550 too. It’s not enough to make the wheel visibly move or anything, but it’s definitely something you feel through your hands and even a bit in the seat. From what I’ve gathered over time (and after chasing this same issue a bit too long), it seems to be fairly common with these cars, especially if they’re running the OEM wheels/tires or certain aftermarket setups. The S550 chassis is stiffer than a lot of people expect, so small imbalances or even slight road imperfections can transmit more directly into the cabin, almost like a magnifying glass for minor vibrations.

Things that helped in my case: road force balancing the tires (not just a standard spin balance), and making sure the wheel hub mating surfaces were super clean, no corrosion or debris. Also, some tires just seem to transmit more vibration than others, even if they’re brand new and balanced perfectly.

That said, if it’s been there since new and hasn’t changed over time or worsened, it might just be something inherent to the car’s design/feel. Not ideal, but unfortunately not entirely unusual either. Curious to hear if anyone’s completely eliminated it or if we all just end up tuning it out after a while.

 

[LCK22GT]

It must be luck of the draw. This one I have which is still the factory setup and tires rolls perfectly smooth at highway speeds. It’s an aspect of the car I really like, because I’ve had other models that never had that smooth feel.

 

[Skye]

I do not have vibrations of any kind, the car also tracking straight. I can think of three areas something like this can be coming from, and some possible solutions:

- Wheels and tires. As others have mentioned, performing one of the more stringent balancing actions, rotating the tires front-to-back, etc., to help define where the problem is. If being caused by these bits

- A brake disc rotor that is out of round, out of balance. Turning the discs on a brake lathe, I'm not sure would fix a balance issue. Replace?

- A driveshaft that is out of balance. Like wheels, these can be rebalanced. Maybe chat up a performance or speed shop to see what they can do

I also considered half shafts, CV joints, wheel hubs and the like. Given the age of the car, if one of these components was out of round or balance, I'd think it'd result in a component failure or seal leak by now?

 

[Paddles]

Don't assume all was well from the factory. Just because it was brand new doesn't mean it was perfect. I've read about quite a few cars that came with terrible alignments or balancing issues with wheels/driveshafts from the factory.

 

[qwiknotch]

Mine was perfect until I installed a 1 piece driveshaft

 

[Pittpa]

Zero for me, at 55k miles.

 

[Zathras]

Thanks for all the feedback. I think the post by leonardd really nailed what I'm feeling. It's basically a buzzing sensation that doesn't seem very speed-dependent. I thought it might be just the tread pattern on the tires causing resonance but it's the same even on a different make/model of tire. I'll look into the other factors like wheel balance or driveshaft, but it just feels different to when I've had those problems on other cars.

 

[Mike Pfeifer]

Thanks for all the feedback. I think the post by leonardd really nailed what I'm feeling. It's basically a buzzing sensation that doesn't seem very speed-dependent. I thought it might be just the tread pattern on the tires causing resonance but it's the same even on a different make/model of tire. I'll look into the other factors like wheel balance or driveshaft, but it just feels different to when I've had those problems on other cars.

If it’s not road speed dependent, is it engine speed dependent? Maybe some sort of exhaust resonance or something like that?

 

[TonyT930]

I've seen previous threads about vibration, but can't seem to find them now. Ever since my car was brand new, it's had a minor but noticeable vibration once it gets up to speed (over say 45-50 mph). The vibration is mostly felt in the steering wheel and steering column, but can also be felt if I grab the shifter or rest my arm on the door. It's not a low-frequency shimmy or wobble, and it doesn't have a predominant direction like side-to-side or up and down. It's more like a high frequency "tingle." The steering wheel doesn't jiggle back and forth or anything like that. The vibration doesn't really get worse at high speeds, it's just kind of always there at the same intensity.

Is this something the S550 is just naturally prone to? On my other cars, a tire balance problem usually caused the steering wheel to jiggle or shudder, but it was a lower frequency. This is more like the whole car, and especially the steering column, has a "tuning fork" resonance. I know it's not a Cadillac or Rolls, but still I'm not sure if this amount of background vibration is normal.

Anyone know what I'm talking about?

Are you tired feathered on the edges in the front?

 

[Zathras]

Tires are not feathered, and the issue has been this way on two different sets of tires.

It doesn't seem engine speed dependent, for example I can upshift or downshift a gear and it doesn't change.

Maybe the steering column in this car just really transmits a lot of vibration right into your hands. Even with the car completely stationary, if I play music with the right low frequencies (for example: Electric Wizard, Monolord) there's a similar buzzy sensation in the steering wheel. And that's with the 9-speaker system and no subwoofer.

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