How often do you guys get your tires rotated and balanced? I'm getting a slight shake in the steering wheel at and around (give or take 5mph) 55 mph. It is not distinct anywhere else.

I have replaced (within the last two years):
front control arms and bushings
struts/shocks/springs
rear shock mounts
two front wheels (were bent)
rear brake pads
two new tires on the rears, moved the rears to the front, alignment

That's all I can think of relating to the suspension, wheels, and brakes.

The car has 150,000 miles on it.

So I'm trying to think of things that could be causing it. Warped rotors is high on my list - I'm pretty sure mine are at least a little warped, I tend to get a little shaking on braking. Also, my emergency brake is pretty close to needing a rebuild - BMW of Chattanooga says they've adjusted it as much as possible, and they can't turn the rotor anymore without a new one.

Cheaper down the list is the tires being out of round. So I was wondering how often everyone does this, and if I am due for a balance and rotation.

Next question : How much would these cost?

If none of the above could be the cause, what could be causing it? If it is the brakes, what should I go with for OEM quality brakes - Bimmerzone lists Balo, Brembo, Zimmerman, ATE, and Bosch. Same for Brake pads - which is closest to OEM? -- PBR, Pagid, and ATE.

Thanks gang. Looks like more money down the drain :(

I rotate my wheels/tires about every 5,000 miles. I do the actual rotation myself and then have the dealer balance them. My local dealer has one of those fancy Hunter machines for wheel/tire balancing and vibration diagnosis. You can search on Hunter's Web site to find a machine near you.

I seem to remember someone saying that BMW does NOT recommend 'rotating' the tires (Front to back). Anyone else recall this??

AL

That's correct. BMW does not recommend tire rotation.

cow

my experience with my non bimmer vibrations since my bimmer has no vibes yet:

vibes are not unusual with increasing tread wear. i might live with some and get a re-balance at 50% of treadwear. of course sooner with serious vibes or from a lost wheelweight.

vibes in steering at brake application most commonly rotors. so your extra shaking on braking is probably a front rotor, esp if old.

i will diagnose a vibe sometimes by rotating my own wheels/tires. and i get fewer wheel chips by doing myself.

using a shop like discount tire, i get free flat fixes, and followup free re-balances after the initial balance fee.
a shop balance likely to cost you about $15/tire.

now on my bimmer, i went with the old pbr deluxe disc pads. extremely low dust, and i beleive adequate grip for my street use. i use synthetic brake grease in appropriate places with no squeals.

I asked my local BMW service writer why they don't can didn't get a clear answer other than they don't. What's the reason?
I rotate every 5k on all my vehicles. I don't see a reason not to on the BMW. Makes no sense at the moment.

It makes perfect sense to tell people not to rotate the tires when you are in bed with the tire manufacturers. It forces your tires to wear out faster and buy new ones.

In fact, they are so in bed with them, they have decided to make the newer cars (M Roadster/Coupe for example) absolutely impossible to rotate tires.

I always say I wouldn't buy a car where I couldn't rotate front to back...I hope I can keep my promise to myself.

When I was looking for a set of M Contours, I was specifically looking for a set where all 4 were the same width so I could rotate them. That was a real pain.

warped front rotors- vibration in the steering wheel is felt

warped rear rotors- vibration is felt more in the seat

an unbalanced tire will shake more as speeds go up, it wouldnt disappear at higher speeds

maybe you have worn suspension parts...also run your hands along your tires and make sure there not cupped due to improper inflation or misalignment

Originally posted by Mark85

maybe you have worn suspension parts...also run your hands along your tires and make sure there not cupped due to improper inflation or misalignment

Is this a description of a cupped tire: tires have uneven inner grooves like some that are worn in more than others. I feel vibration on my rear seats I think because of this since of rotated the cupped tires to the rear.

Also do worn ball joints cause steering wheel vibrations?

You will get vibrations at higher speeds if tires have uneven wear. I have a slight toe out on my car and the insides start to wear uneven. I get a vibe only between 60-65......

>>It makes perfect sense to tell people not to rotate the tires when you are in bed with the tire manufacturers. It forces your tires to wear out faster and buy new ones.<<

It also makes perfect sense to tell people not to rotate when the stock front and rear tires are different sizes, as they are in many models!

Front tires and rear tires wear differently on most cars, but moreso on our beloved performance-tuned BMW suspensions.
Typically, the front tire will wear more on the outer edges of the tire, the rear, the inner edge. If you rotate frequently enough (if you have same-size wheels/tires) you can get away with it. If you wait til, say 5000 miles, then there's enough wear to adversely affect the handleing characteristics because the tires are no loger truly flat. You'll end up with a very light, twitchy feel for a while unthi the wear catches up (if it ever does...depending on the severity of wear).