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TR6 TR6 Shake, Rattle and Roll

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ichthos

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Hello,
I need some help. When I am on the freeway, and I go above about 60mph, the entire car, and especially the steering wheel starts to shake. I currently have redline michelins. I believe they were balanced, as I can see the lead weights. There does seem to be some play when I grab the steering wheel and move it up and down. Again, I don't know if I replaced the bushings in the steering wheel column or not. Does anyone have a list of items I should check? With most things on this car, it always seems to be the culmination of a few little things. Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated.
Kevin
 
I am almost possitive it is your redlines. How old are they?? I had the same problem, put new tires on and the roller coaster ride stopped.
 
Where to start...

If you think it might be the wheels that need rebalancing, try swapping them front to back... make a difference?

How long since your bearings, steering etc. has been serviced? Jack up each side and give the wheel a good shake at 12 & 6 o'clock. Any movement?

While it's up there, get underneath and have someone move the wheels (and/or steering wheel) side to side. Any perceptible looseness? (Tie rod ends, etc.)
 
Inheritr6 said:
I am almost possitive it is your redlines. How old are they?? I had the same problem, put new tires on and the roller coaster ride stopped.
Click to expand...

Same for me. I had my old redlines rebalanced and they still bounced. Then I noticed they were not even round any more. The one I saved for a spare actually expanded so much that I had to let the air out to get it back out of the wheel well. They were not safe at any speed.
 
Yep, tyres!
 
Thanks Everyone. I have no idea how old the redlines are. I know the car itself sat in a warehouse for over 25 years. I am sure I will be scolded for using them, but I could not find any visible cracks, so I decided to use them. I'll start checking each possible problem tomorrow.
 
When I bought my TR3, it had the original Michelin X's on it. There were no cracks, but they provided a very hard ride. The car was a ball around bends, steering with the right foot, but even more fun after I replaced them.
 
Indeed the redlins have a harder ride, It's a tradeoff for the look of originallty...

I will be replacing mine hopefully before the end of this summer.
There are so many choices!!!!!


DSC01552.jpg
 
One more thought - even though your rims have weights on them don't assume they are still accurate. One TR6 I got back on the road as the same behavior, and it turned out to be as simple as re-balancing the wheels.
 
You likely have a nice looking set of tires with separated or warped belts within the tire body which renders them useless and unsalvagable
BUT
on my 4A with steel rims
Do what I did:
Rebuild entire front end
Buy new Tires
Spin tireless rims on a tire mounting machine to see if / that both the tires and the rims were hooped
Have rims spun on a lathe, inspected for metal failure and re trued
Bead blast rims
Por 15 the rims
Mount and balance new tires to the newly re-manufactured rims
Have the best shop in the world (My Mechanic!) heavily involved in the whole process.
I now drive at highway speeds with 100% confidence which is a wonderful feeling
 
ichthos said:
I am sure I will be scolded for using them, but I could not find any visible cracks, so I decided to use them.
Click to expand...
Wish I'd taken a photo of what the old tires did to my Stag shortly after I bought it. Were just fine, no strange vibration or anything; but the LR tire eventually just flew apart on the freeway. The steel belts stayed attached at one end, while the other end came loose; looked like one of those paint strippers you see on TV. It not only flayed the paint off the fender, but bent the metal ! Of course I pulled over as quickly as I could, but the damage was done.
 
Do I need to re-post the picture of the time warp TR7 with the brand new looking 23 year old tires?
 
Any <span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-weight: bold">original</span></span> Michelin redlines that are on the road, shouldn't be, for safety sake

Note: At spring Carlisle this year, there was a guy selling 5 slightly worn (maybe 80% tread) Michelin X tires. I asked him quietly if he knew how old they were? he said just a few years based on their appearance, but admitted that he was not sure. He was not ammused when I told him that he was only slightly older than the tires. (the date code indicated 1984). He pointed out that these tires were intended for someone who would only be using them when he showed his car. Didn't explain how this poor soul was to get from home to the show.

Please don't buy used tires. You may pay dearly for it!
 
ichthos said:
Thanks Everyone. I have no idea how old the redlines are. I know the car itself sat in a warehouse for over 25 years. I am sure I will be scolded for using them, but I could not find any visible cracks, so I decided to use them. I'll start checking each possible problem tomorrow.
Click to expand...

I had a similar situation. My car was stored in a garage for a little over 20 years. When I picked up the car it was sitting on its flat redlines which were probably at least 25 years old. We put air in the tires so we could push the car onto a trailer. I didn’t expect the tires to hold air for too long, but they did. The tires held air for the 2 years I spent getting my tr6 drivable, never needing to be topped off. With a little tire cleaner they actually looked really good with no cracks and had plenty of tread. When I first drove my car it shook badly at about 20 mph but knowing they were old tires I never went faster then that.
I personally wouldn’t trust any tire over 8 years old, no matter how much tread they have.
 
When I installed my new Goodyear's last year, I had already replaced the original redlines once, but the spare was the original with 80% of the tread remaining.

The spare was flat so the installer pulled it last to install the 5th new tire. When he broke the bead on the tire machine, it disintegrated and blew apart. Rubber and wire flew everywhere.

For what tires cost today, replace your tires now. 205/70/15 tires are available in many brands at all prices and will be so much better for you.
 
yes I've been running them for about a year. Nice ride, infinitely better than the old Michelin redlines. I found the folks at Universal very nice to deal with.

DSC01843-sml.jpg
 
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