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JMB36TA · 11-07-2018, 11:07 AM

Why is it that after you tackle and overcome one issue another one pops up? LOL
Now that I have my car running the way it should be I've been taking it to work. The other day I was coming to a stop and felt a wobble in the rear end. It felt like someone was pushing it from side to side. I did some research and found that it could be a belt in the tire. I can't see any signs of it. The treads look OK and there's no bubbling anywhere. I'm not sure how long it would take to show after a belt broke. I felt it on Monday and checked the tires yesterday. I can only feel it at low speeds and under normal braking when the car reaches about 20 mph. It feels fine between 35-50. I have it in a shop across from work and they're gonna get it on a lift today. What else could cause wobbling if the tires are OK?

Chief of the 60's · 11-07-2018, 11:14 AM

Loose lug nuts?

JMB36TA · 11-07-2018, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chief of the 60's

Loose lug nuts?

That was the first thing I thought too. I checked them and they're all good. I wish it were that easy...lol

george kujanski · 11-07-2018, 11:20 AM

Belt shift can usually be seen, especially in front, when rolling at low speeds. The front sheet metal will be wavering left to right as the car rolls.

George

72LuxuryLeMansLa. · 11-07-2018, 11:21 AM

Try your spare on each side and see if it makes a difference....When my car wobbled it was a bad tire.

mgarblik · 11-07-2018, 11:25 AM

Step one of this diagnosis would be a close visual inspection of the tread. Spin the tire off the ground while observing the tread and look for runnout. Step two is to rotate the rear tires to the front and drive it. If the wobble is now felt in the steering wheel, you have a problem tire. If the issue is still in the rear, a bent axle flange is possible, but rare. Not much else in the rear can cause this symptom.

JMB36TA · 11-07-2018, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 72LuxuryLeMansLa.

Try your spare on each side and see if it makes a difference....When my car wobbled it was a bad tire.

My spare isn't the right size but maybe I can find something that will work and try swapping them. I've been meaning to find a rally II rim for a spare, maybe it's time.

JMB36TA · 11-07-2018, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mgarblik

Step one of this diagnosis would be a close visual inspection of the tread. Spin the tire off the ground while observing the tread and look for runnout. Step two is to rotate the rear tires to the front and drive it. If the wobble is now felt in the steering wheel, you have a problem tire. If the issue is still in the rear, a bent axle flange is possible, but rare. Not much else in the rear can cause this symptom.

If they don't find anything when they get it on the lift I'll have them do the rotation and see how it rides on the way home. Good idea, thanks!

Chief of the 60's · 11-07-2018, 11:39 AM

A shifted belt is highly unusual these days. After all, this is not the 70's and 80's anymore and tire technology has come a long way. However, there is not a lot back there that can cause a wobble. Nearly impossible to bend an axle, I'm sure you did not hit a big pothole or curb to bend a wheel, cannot see bushings or U-joint causing this, so a shifted belt in a tire is plausible.

aceaceca · 11-07-2018, 12:10 PM

Take it for a good long run with some freeway miles. When you stop, get out and put a hand on each tire, wheel, drum , or disc. If any of these are the culprit, they will be noticeably hotter than the others.

HWYSTR455 · 11-07-2018, 12:35 PM

How old are the tires? Anything over 5 years would be a suspect.

Crazy folks run tires that are way old, I wouldn't run a tire over 5 years old, unless it was a fleet/truck tire or something. I hear guys run 20 year old tire, insanity!

Bent wheel, bent axle flange, maybe a bad axle bearing, but the first two are usually caused by impact.

.

JMB36TA · 11-07-2018, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HWYSTR455

How old are the tires? Anything over 5 years would be a suspect.

Crazy folks run tires that are way old, I wouldn't run a tire over 5 years old, unless it was a fleet/truck tire or something. I hear guys run 20 year old tire, insanity!

Bent wheel, bent axle flange, maybe a bad axle bearing, but the first two are usually caused by impact.

.

I don't know how old the tires are, they were on the car when I bought it. I had plans to replace them for that reason. I doubt anything is bent because I've hardly driven it in 5 months because I rebuilt the motor and it drove fine before then.

HWYSTR455 · 11-07-2018, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMB36TA

I don't know how old the tires are, they were on the car when I bought it. I had plans to replace them for that reason. I doubt anything is bent because I've hardly driven it in 5 months because I rebuilt the motor and it drove fine before then.

When did you buy the car?

.

JMB36TA · 11-07-2018, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HWYSTR455

When did you buy the car?

.

Last year

grandam1979 · 11-07-2018, 01:28 PM

Tires have date codes you can check

Chief of the 60's · 11-07-2018, 01:34 PM

LOL! Yet there are thousands of original, low mileage, collector cars out there running on their original tires with no issues what so ever. I alone have and have had several. It all depends on how it was stored. PERIOD! I have an NOS pair of Goodyear Speedway redline tires dated 1972. They are perfect and I would not have any concern at all running them at 70mph on an interstate.

Authentic-242 · 11-07-2018, 01:58 PM

Could be a bad axle bearing. Especially if you hear any light crunching now and then. If the rear housing is pre 1970 they used a sealed bearing (round ball bearings) that is not as good as the later roller bearings. To check axle bearing endplay jack the rear tires off the ground and pull-out/push-in the entire tire by hand. Movement of say 1/8" (0.125") would be reasonable (I believe the factory max. spec is around 0.04"), but if you can move it 1/4" (0.25") you may have a bad bearing or the bolt-in axle retaining flange has been worn by rubbing of the bearing sides and there is a bigger than normal air gap allowing in-out movement. Replace original sealed bearings before the wheel/axle comes flying out of the differential housing and takes out the rear quarter panel.

HWYSTR455 · 11-07-2018, 02:02 PM

If you are ok with the risk of an old tire letting go on your pride and joy on the highway at 70, that's entirely up to you.

If anyone wants to accept the risk of advice from a random source, that too, is up to you.

But there's tons of evidence that supports tires only last a few years, and then degrade.

http://www.tiresafetygroup.com/tires...-in-six-years/

"For most tires, this expiration date should be six years from the date of manufacture. Tires age dangerously because of a chemical process commonly referred to as oxidation, which simply means that as the tire components are exposed to oxygen, the oxygen particles cause the flexible components of a tire to harden and become brittle. Over time, the tire will simply fall apart under normal stress, just like an old rubber band. Because this process occurs naturally, it does not matter if a tire is being used, stored as a spare, or simply waiting on a store shelf for an unsuspecting consumer."

And that's based on tires made within the last 10 years. You go back 20, 30 years, then you are just asking for trouble.

Anyway, original poster, my suggestion is, check the date, but it sounds to me like you need to replace the tires.

.

JMB36TA · 11-07-2018, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chief of the 60's

LOL! Yet there are thousands of original, low mileage, collector cars out there running on their original tires with no issues what so ever. I alone have and have had several. It all depends on how it was stored. PERIOD! I have an NOS pair of Goodyear Speedway redline tires dated 1972. They are perfect and I would not have any concern at all running them at 70mph on an interstate.

I've seen cars cross the block at Barett Jackson with their original tires. From my understanding my car was sitting in a collection and not driven much. I know it was stored in a climate controlled environment so the tires should be fine, but it could be a manufacturer default. I just don't know. I planned on replacing the tires simply because I don't know their history, and I want to replace the BF Goodrich with the Goodyear Polyglas E70/14's.

JMB36TA · 11-07-2018, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Authentic-242

Could be a bad axle bearing. Especially if you hear any light crunching now and then. If the rear housing is pre 1970 they used a sealed bearing (round ball bearings) that is not as good as the later roller bearings. To check axle bearing endplay jack the rear tires off the ground and pull-out/push-in the entire tire by hand. Movement of say 1/8" (0.125") would be reasonable (I believe the factory max. spec is around 0.04"), but if you can move it 1/4" (0.25") you may have a bad bearing or the bolt-in axle retaining flange has been worn by rubbing of the bearing sides and there is a bigger than normal air gap allowing in-out movement. Replace original sealed bearings before the wheel/axle comes flying out of the differential housing and takes out the rear quarter panel.

If there's still a wobble in the rear when I have the tires rotated I'll check the movement of the axle. The last thing I want is to see my rear tire pass me on the road! That wouldn't be good. I haven't noticed any crunching but the exhaust is kind of loud.

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