Vibration at high speed through steering wheel

[Mike_H91]

Hi all,

Fairly new to Cayman ownership and I have a 2014 cayman 981. From buying it I noticed a vibration at speeds above 50 mph. I took it back to the Porsche dealership and they rebalanced the wheels but I hadn’t really used it much since. However this weekend I noticed it again on a few longer journeys but not quite as much.

Question I have is it normal to get vibrations back to the steering wheel? I have never owned a car like this before and our other car is a 4x4 with zero feedback through the wheel so I can’t really compare.

Any feedback/help is appreciated

[Matt_E_Mulsion]

If you are not using it much could it be as simple as the tyres developing flat spots?

[Twinfan]

It's certainly not normal, something is wrong.

[Mike_H91]

Sorry I should have said. It has been used around once a week but no real motorway journeys. That’s where it is noticeable.

[SRT Hellcat]

try getting a road force balance. It is where they simulate balancing the wheels as they would run on the car

[Mike_H91]

Ok thanks all, it is going back to Porsche Portsmouth as the air con has now failed so I want to push it back to them and ask them to dig a bit deeper into it. Just wanted to check on here for an opinion as I am sure they will try to charge me.

[Evo9lution]

Matt_E_Mulsion said:

If you are not using it much could it be as simple as the tyres developing flat spots?

That would be noticeable at any speed

[nj1052]

Bent wheel rim? Had this on my 3.2 Carrera with the same symptoms.

[james.a.c.911]

Had this with my 944T for a while. Came on one day and got really really bad.
My indie tried everything (replaced discs, balanced wheels multile times, etc.) and concluded it was a bent wheel.

Went to a wheel spcialist to see if the wheel was bent. Guy took both front wheels off right there, sanded off some of the inside where a wheel refrub had left a not perfectly flat spot on the contact patch, balanced the wheel on his rotating kit. Charged me 20 quid. > not more vibration what so ever.

[Mike_H91]

Thanks gents. I will ask them to take a look. Still under warranty so hoping they can sort it. Bit frustrating I didn’t pick it up in the test drive but these things happen I guess once you hear the engine noise!

[churchie2856]

Ask/tell the dealer to swap the front wheels with those from another 981 (of the same size) and go on a road test with their technician.

If no vibration at wherever is the speed it normally occurs, then one can immediately deduce its the wheels or tyres.
- Then put one of your orignal wheels back on and repeat. If it wobbles, thats the defective wheel or tyre.
- Else put the other orignal wheel on and repeat. If it wobbles, then thats the defective wheel or tyre.
If vibration at speed with the alternaive set of wheels, then its suspension or something else.
Also tell the OPC you want to drive another 981 for comparative purposes.

Road force wheel balancers is a good call, but the OPC may not have one, so you could find a tyre specialist that does. The road force balancer will idenitfy a bent rim.

What size wheels do you have on your 981?

[Mike_H91]

Yes good call. I will ask them that.

The car has the 20" Carrera S Alloys. Can’t see any damage on them. But may have been repaired and can’t be seen.

[DarkMatter]

Christchurch tyres have a Hunter Roadforce wheel balancer according to their website.

[ricof]

I had a similar issue on my 987. Was a combination of missing (?!) balance weights and a slightly buckled rim. Only a couple of hours labour at RGA (they have a de-buckling rim rig).

[Mike_H91]

Just to update you all. So after two trips to the OPC and multiple attempts at balancing the rims it has been concluded that the two front alloys are out of shape. I have now gone back to the OPC where I got it from to inform them of this as they have known I have had issues since purchase. Is the only way out of this to replace the alloys? Any suggestions really appreciated

[Scrump]

When I had some alloys refurbed a few years ago it was noticed that one of my alloys was slightly out of shape. The refurb company straightened it for not much money.

[Chamon_Lee]

likely issue:

1) wheel balancing - get it road force balanced
2) buckled wheel/kink in the wheel (you wont see this until its spinning on a balancer) and the more likely reason
3) dodgy tyre - road force balancer will tell you this too

Porsche should be sorting it.

[churchie2856]

Mike_H91 said:

Just to update you all. So after two trips to the OPC and multiple attempts at balancing the rims it has been concluded that the two front alloys are out of shape. I have now gone back to the OPC where I got it from to inform them of this as they have known I have had issues since purchase. Is the only way out of this to replace the alloys? Any suggestions really appreciated

You don’t want concluded both front wheels are out of shape before money is spent. You want it proven. Both front wheels ... really?

Ask the dealer to put on two of the same size from another car. Issue should go away. Then put one of the old back and retest. Then the other old one back on with a new wheel and retest. Thus one can identify which or both. This won’t take long and would be on the interest of whoever is picking up the cost of a bent wheel(s) ... assuming it is the wheel(s).

[kilarney]

If they concluded that then they should tell you what the runout is. I straighten my own wheels and measure runout which i aim to get below 1mm both radial and axial. Easy to do just put a dti on it.
In my experience the runout has to be easily visible by eye on the balancer to excite the steering. If the wheels have negligible runout then its almost certainly the tyres irrespective of putting it on a road force balancer which only gives the best balance possible. It doesnt get rid of a fundamental tyre problem.
The easiest test for an opc is to swap the wheels from another car and test

[ricof]

They’re really making a meal of this. A specialist would be able to diagnose this within minutes of checking the rim runout.