SilverPro

The other day I hydroplaned onto a medium. After that I noticed a rather violent shake coming from the left front and thru the steering wheel at low and moderate speeds. I get to my apartment and and throw my full size spare on the left front side, which was the side that initially impacted the median first. The shaking and shuddering is gone but as I am driving I notice that my steering wheel is off center and car seems to want to pull to the right. My question is do you guys think an alignment and balance will fix my off-center steering wheel or is it off-center due to more serious damage?

Thanks, Ronaldo

SILV02ES

My recommendation would be to have a 4-wheel alignment done, also check all four wheels/tires. One or more of them may be bent depending on how hard you hit the median. The sttering wheel is off center because of your alignment problem. Take it to your dealer or a good local alignment shop, they should be able to help you out. Also doing an alignment will be able to tel if there is more damage done then is visable to the naked eye.

carguycw

Actually, the pull to the right could be caused by a full-size spare that has a different brand, type or diameter of tire mounted on it. It can even be caused by the wear pattern on the tires or different tire pressures from left to right. It's hard to say. If the "full-size spare" the same as the other wheel and tire?

If the old wheel and tire shook badly but the spare doesn't, you have (at best) broken a belt within the tire or (at worst) bent the wheel. However, IMHO you MUST go get an alignment and get the front end inspected. If you hit the median hard enough to cause a violent wheel shake, chances are good that you bent something else too, which could explain the pull. Keep in mind that when you hit an off-road obstacle at speed, the worst damage sometimes isn't caused by the initial impact- it can be caused by a secondary impact, such as the curb hitting the suspension itself and bending a control arm or a tie rod.

Good luck!

SilverPro

Thanks for the replies. You guys are right, I will have to get an alignment and see what the damage is...D@mn Potenzas. Yes, the full size spare I put on are Potenzas of the same spec as the other three. Oh well this might just be the excuse I need to dump the steelies and the tires and upgrade

igator210

They should check it when they do the alligment, but you might also have a bent tie rod. If you are hearing a rattle as you turn, either the upper or lower bearing might be damaged. If the vibration exsits only when the regular rim is on the car, the rim might be bent.

I've hit too many curbs at night or in wet weather.

Sir Nuke

somehow it doesn 't surprise me that you said you have Protenza's....a good friend of mine got a new Maxima last year and it came with them......and the first time it rained his wife nearly swapped ends of the car going around a corner....they suck on water......he took them off and got a new set the next day.....

carguycw

Ditto SirNuke's comment. The lack of wet grip of these tires is truly astounding. Actually, just about the only positive thing I can say about the RE92 is that they're quiet and very predictable in the dry (notice I didn't say sticky; just predictable).