Forum Discussion

Shane549's avatar
Shane549
Explorer
Mar 09, 2015

Vibration in steering wheel

Hello all. After researching class c moho,s for quite a while, I

found a 2011 Sunseeker 2860DS (30FT) with 29000 miles that I made

a deal on. It is on an E450 with a 202 inch wheelbase. I have read

much on the handling issues so I was apprehensive before the test

drive. Drove it on I 75 in construction, rain, and heavy traffic

and was it seemed to drive well. Passing trucks gave a gentle push

and the coach almost seemed to return on its own after trucks passed.

There was no wander or white knuckle issues. Actually I could

drive it one handed if I wanted. I kept speeds from 60 to 65.

Now here IS what I noticed and am not sure about. It had a

slight vibration in the steering wheel that to me felt like a

tire balance issue. (salesman noticed to). They said they would

look at it. The tires are like new Michelins (replaced on the

recall perhaps?) So bottom line, is a slight vibration normal

in an E450 or is it something that can / should be corrected?

I will add I have logged well over 20000 miles in fivers but

have no class c experience. Thanks
Class C
  • tenbear's avatar
    tenbear
    Explorer
    Mar 10, 2015
    Re: tire date code.

    The week is first.

    Here is a link to some reading about the code.
  • AndyW's avatar
    AndyW
    Explorer
    Mar 10, 2015
    I had this exact same problem when I bought my C last year. Got an alignment done, it was way out, but no noticeable improvement.

    Swapped the front tires with one of the dual pairs, and suddenly the vibration was in the rear end. Aha! Tread separation on one of the former-front tires 50 miles later, put the spare on, and the vibration is down to about 20% of what it was originally.

    I now have 6 new tires on order.

    The tires all had good tread and were only 3-4 years old, but I suspect the alignment was bad enough to damage the front tires in some way. Or maybe the previous owner liked hopping curbs. Not wanting to risk it, I'm putting new tires (Bridgestone Duravis R500HD) on all around, and taking the remaining four 'good' ones (the ones originally on the rear duals) and giving them to my neighbor for his beater truck.
  • Shane549's avatar
    Shane549
    Explorer
    Mar 10, 2015
    tenbear. Yes I (and my brother both) noticed the tires looked way
    to new to have 29k on them. That is why I thought possibly they
    could have been replaced on the Michelin recall. Will check out
    the dates on Thursday and report back. Thanks
  • tenbear's avatar
    tenbear
    Explorer
    Mar 10, 2015
    You said the tires look almost new. Most MHs don't get enough miles on them to wear out tires. Check the DOT date codes on the tires. The code has 2 digits for the week and 2 for the year, I forget which pair is which. Any tires over 7 years old are suspect. Some say 5 years.

    The code is on the tire sidewall. It reads DOT xxx xxx 1234 where 1234 is the code. Which ever pair is over 15 will be the week.
  • Shane549's avatar
    Shane549
    Explorer
    Mar 10, 2015
    Thanks, some good points here. No shimmy, shake, pull etc. Not
    felt in floorboard. Just a slight but obviously noticeable "buzz"
    in the steering wheel. Will drive it again Thursday. Thanks again
    for the help.
  • j-d's avatar
    j-d
    Explorer II
    Mar 10, 2015
    You can sometimes hear a broken belt in a series of slow drive by passes and a listener in j
  • Gene_in_NE's avatar
    Gene_in_NE
    Explorer II
    Mar 10, 2015
    Rons5er - It is also possible that one or more of the tires has a broken belt. It will still be balanced, but when compressed caring a load will cause a shaking sensation. If you ever hit a chuckhole large enough, you can break a belt in a tire. Driven far enough, will cause a blow-out.
  • tatest's avatar
    tatest
    Explorer II
    Mar 10, 2015
    Even well balanced tires will have a speed at which resonance amplifies minor balance and roundness effects in the tires, resonance modes in the suspension and steering, and there are also resonance speeds in the driveshaft. All of these make it hard to pin down the source of something that can be described as a slight vibration. Felt in the steering wheel, it is most likely front end, but other things can telegraph.

    If it is a vibration, the out of balance is likely slight and can be hard to correct. A significant out of balance problem will be felt through floorboards, seat, jerking the steering wheel.

    A lot of people like to fix tire and wheel balance with tire bead solutions. These do not so much correct the balance as they dampen the vibrations caused by the out of balance condition.
  • Rolin's avatar
    Rolin
    Explorer
    Mar 09, 2015
    In both our Chevy based Class C and our current Ford based B+ we have a vibration in the steering. Sometimes it is very smooth, then it might vibrate all day. Not bad or dramatic...just enough that you can sense or feel it.

    At first it made me a little nervous but after a while I just accepted it as normal. Like you, the motorhome didn't wander or steer funny....just vibrated. After 25K miles the front tires did not have any cupping or funny wear so I stopped worrying about it.

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