Anyone happen to have this problem before? When driving with no hands on the wheel the steering wheel shimmys back and forth about .5-1" each way. I'm thinking warped rotors or worn bushings - any ideas?

Start with the simple things first. It could be a front wheel balance problem. Are you missing any of your balancing weights? Any bends in the front wheels?

I got new tires recently and noticed a steering wheel shimmy a couple of days after the new tires were mounted. A re-balance of the front left wheel solved it. Best of all, I didn't pay a thing. :D

I agree with G. P. Burdell. I had a bad shimmy problem between a certain range of speeds consistently. I have 17" factory forged wheels with a 15mm H&R spacer for each of the fronts. I went to 3 separate shops and had my wheels balanced 3 times. The first two shops had high-end Hunter balancing machines. Each time I drove my car after they had "balanced" the front wheels, the shimmy was reduced by never eliminated. They blamed the spacers that I had on the front wheels for the remaining shimmy. The last shop I went to was able to fix the shimmy problem completely as he was a very experienced tire balancer. The most ironic thing was that his balancing machine was by far the most outdated (read: used the least amount of computer assistance). If I had taken the advice of the first two shops and simply accepted their advice, I would have never solved my problem. I am not suggesting that wheel balancing is THE solution, but try it first. Persistence pays off...

Dennis

Anyone happen to have this problem before? When driving with no hands on the wheel the steering wheel shimmys back and forth about .5-1" each way. I'm thinking warped rotors or worn bushings - any ideas?

Thanks I will try that for sure (anything to save a $ or $$)!

if you have put on different wheels, an incorrect offset may also be the problem, and if the wheels in the front are bent replace one of the rear wheels(make sure its not bent too) with the bent front one. The front wheels matter the most...goodluck

If the shimmy is from side to side, at some but not all speeds its probably balance.
I would try to put rear tires on the front and see if you have similar results.
If different results then you know its the tires, or wheels. If same results then you know it is probably not the tires or rims.

If the simmy is there all the time , it may be a tie rod end, or one of the ball joints.

If the shimmy only happens when braking, then it is probably warped rotors.
Machine if thick enaugh, replace if not.

Good luck
Paul

Thanks all!

It turned out to be a balance issue, one of the weights fell off the backside. Freebie!

Thanks for everyones input.