View Full Version : High Speed stop shimmy


Jonny5
07-05-06, 12:12 PM
Anyone know the culprit to my steering wheel shaking when i apply brakes at 60 or above. it isnt the rotors. They are pretty much brand new.. Thanks

CadillacSTS2003
07-05-06, 12:20 PM
well if your SURE its not the rotors then id bet an allignment or wheel balance. also could be a broken brake pad.

Jonny5
07-05-06, 01:41 PM
im SURE it isnt, they are under 10,000 miles old

CadillacSTS2003
07-05-06, 01:54 PM
doesnt mean anything....

these cars weigh alot and have plenty of momentum hard breaking that heavy of a car can cause wear. easy to check run your fingers in outward on the face and rear of the rotor. if you feel ripples then they need cut.

Shaggy
07-05-06, 03:17 PM
If you brake hard or down a hill and then hit a puddle, your rotors are fubar! You can thank GM for that one.

92EldoTC
07-05-06, 03:29 PM
bet your rotors need to be turned.
Feel them to see if there are any grooves or irregular surface bumps. If they are smooth then your pads need to be replaced.
Also have your wheels balanced.
Unless your vehicle is pulling to one side when you are driving or braking, you probably dont need an alignment.
What happens to cause that shimmy is that when your pads get hot they leave deposits on the rotors which when the pad goes over them causes the vehicle to shake when the brakes are applied, you can feel it in the steering wheel and the brake pedal.
I used to have this problem and thought my rotors needed turning.
I replaced all four pads and the shaking magically went away. Also I felt my rotors and they were pretty smooth which told me it was the pads that needed changing.

Ranger
07-05-06, 04:02 PM
Even if your rotors look good, they could have uneven brake pad deposits on them and cause the brake pulsation you discribe (been there, done that). Get them resurfaced.

Here is some interesting reading on the subject.
http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_warped_brakedisk.shtml