Steering wheel rattle

[Twincam16]

Hi guys.

I haven't had my MR2 long, but I have noticed that at around 50-60 mph, the steering wheel picks up a horrible shudder, rattling so much that it actually makes it unpleasent to drive. However, once it's got to 70, the rattle's gone.

My optimistic mind is saying 'just need to get the wheels balanced', but does anyone on here know whether it could be anything more ominous? It's just that I've got some long drives coming up this winter and I have to budget for an oil change next month too - so what does a rattling steering wheel on a Mk 1 MR2 at 50-60 mph tell you?

Cheers

Sam

[silent k]

It's probably just a buckled or out of balance wheel. It's a MK1 isn't it? You could try swapping the wheels from the front to the back as they'll be the same size.

[Twincam16]

silent k said:

It's probably just a buckled or out of balance wheel. It's a MK1 isn't it? You could try swapping the wheels from the front to the back as they'll be the same size.

Just had it looked at - the front passenger side wheel is badly buckled - looks like someone kerbed it repeatedly.

Thankfully, the old owner has a parts car with four good wheels on it which I'll swap, tonight hopefully.

Pity - it was running on some rather expensive 5-spoke Borbets.