Wobble/Vibration/Shimmy - definitive answer??

[tlarwa]

I get a shimmy felt through the steering wheel in my '01 Catera between 50-60mph. The car runs great, and is in perfect alignment. I've also had the wheels balanced. I've searched the forum for this issue and have read many opinions on what the cause is, but haven't really been able to boil them down to anything conclusive. So, is there a definitive answer as to the cause of this??? Is it something inherent in the car, or something that I need to have fixed?

[TomCat]

I had a similar problem with my '97 a couple of months ago. Vibration through the steering wheel between 40-50 mph, then again around 75-80. Turned out to be the tires, even though they were also balanced and looked pretty decent, but were still due for a change sometime next year. I put on a new set of Kumhos and the problem went away. You might want to rotate the tires and see if the vibration is either minimized or gone.

[caddy4sho]

Is your steering loose at all?

[1998catera]

Had the same problem on my '98. It turned out to be the rotors. Go figure. Hope this helps. Mine eventually began to do this when I would brake as well.

[meyema03]

Do you know why it was the rotors that caused the problem. I have a similar prob but only above speeds of 70 or so and i have had the wheels balanced twice so i can rule that out but i have never herd of rotors causing a prob unless the brakes are applied. But who knows.

[CateraKidd]

TIE ROD ENDS they might appear to be ok but until the suspension is off the ground with car in the air u cant tell 1 way or another tire kingdom in st pete fl found this to be true after 2 years of dealership excuses and the famous words thats a characteristic of that car because the roads in u.s are not the same as in germany