Death wobble

[pop.pop1955]

71 Super sometimes at 45 MPH i get the death wobble in the steering, doesn't happen all the time. Tie rod ends and centerlink are new, everything else in the front end looks good. Just had an alignment. What should I be looking at? Again it doesn't happen all the time
_________________
let your conscious be your guide

[KTPhil]

Bent rim? Are they balanced?
_________________
Current Fleet:
'71 Fastback
'69 Westfalia
Retired:
'67 Beetle
'65 Beetle (x2)
'65 Bus
'71 Squareback

[74VWSunBug]

Back in the day when my SunBug was new, I got that death wobble a few times & a call to the dealership always got this answer: "adjust the front tires air pressure to as recommended in the manual & be sure that both are set the same."

It worked.

[bhartwell59]

Ball joints?
_________________
'74 Zambezi green Ghia vert, autostick, 101k
'87 Jeep Wrangler, 4.2, 330k

[Buggeee]

I've read that worn rubber bushings in the front end (control arms, stabilizer bar) can cause the shimmy at highway speeds. Mine has replacement polyurethane bushings and drives smooth.
_________________
1966 Sportsmobile Camper https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0
72 Super Duper http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=672387
(adopted out) 61 Turkis Pile https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=728764

[bsairhead]

[lboos]

[Cusser]

Super Beetle Shimmy !!!

I fixed mine about 25 years ago by getting new idler arm bushing, new tie rod ends, new front bushings. I think the front bushings still had some life left in them.

_________________
1970 VW (owned since 1972) and 1971 VW Convertible (owned since 1976), second owner of each. The '71 now has the 1835 engine, swapped from the '70. Second owner of each. 1988 Mazda B2200 truck, 1998 Frontier, 2014 Yukon, 2004 Frontier King Cab. All manual transmission except for the Yukon. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335294 http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335297

[talljordan]

Upper and lower control arm bushings. You cant inspect them without removing the control arms from the frame.

This is the issue 9/10 times
_________________
1972 Super Beetle, Parked until adequate restoration funding is acquired in restoration!

Wanted: Male computer diagnostic plug end

[VW_Jimbo]

Inner control arm bushings. Where they attach to the pan. That is it EVERYTIME!

And who the hell did the alignment? That’s a big oversight!

Take a medium size prybar and wedge it in between the pan and the bushing. Give it a bit of pressure towards the tire. It should have a lot of resistance. If it moves more than an 1/16”, get a bright flashlight and get a good look at it!
_________________
Jimbo

There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but all the time necessary the second time!

[vamram]

[Starbucket]

What size are the front tires? Wide rims and wide tires magnify any worn bushings and will cause the shimmy at 45 - 55.

[dennismcd707]

My 71 Super had the shimmy at 50mph. I had the track arm bushings replaced, and no more shimmy. I think the track arm is also called the control arm? I'm not sure on this.
_________________
1971 Super Beetle, 1776, dual Weber's, roller crank, big valve modified racing heads, close ratio trans, lowered suspension, 4 wheel disc brakes, car has over 368,000 actual miles. (RIP 1970 Beetle/Baja, 1986 GTI, 1999 Jetta, 2002 Jetta)

[passionre]

Have the balance checked on your tires first. If not that, replaced all bushings with Neoprene and lube with Silicone grease only. Take a look at your lower ball joints and look at the steering joints closely. Supers can be made to drive vibration free if you cover your bases.

[kpf]

As mentioned, check tire pressure (it's free, quick, and easy!). Factory spec is 18 psi for the front tires. Yes, 18.
_________________
1971 Super Beetle

[talljordan]

Yeah, we all tend to get over eager here when it comes to wobble, but start with the free things before paying for stuff.

In order, check:

-Tire Pressure
-Ball Joints
-Inner control arm bushings
-Steering idler
-Tie rod ends

THEN start thinking about buying parts and paying for things like
-Alignment
-Wheel Balance.

The rest of us should probably wait for OP to respond back with what they have inspected.
[/list]
_________________
1972 Super Beetle, Parked until adequate restoration funding is acquired in restoration!

Wanted: Male computer diagnostic plug end

[Cusser]

In 2022 my 1988 Mazda B2200 truck had similar steering wobble at high speed. My rear tires needed replacing, so I couldn't try the rear tires on the front.

I had lifetime warranty and closeout front end parts, so I installed new ball joints, tie rod ends, tensioner bushings, and sway bar bushings, and fixed a loose steering coupler, but stayed the same. Since I needed new rear tires, I went to tire store who said the fronts needed re-balancing - but weren't sure if that was enough to cause my issue. So I had the 2 brand-new tires put on the front, that fixed mine
_________________
1970 VW (owned since 1972) and 1971 VW Convertible (owned since 1976), second owner of each. The '71 now has the 1835 engine, swapped from the '70. Second owner of each. 1988 Mazda B2200 truck, 1998 Frontier, 2014 Yukon, 2004 Frontier King Cab. All manual transmission except for the Yukon. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335294 http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335297

[volksworld]

lower inner bushings were the usual suspect...and were only cured by genuine VW bushings...the rubber on the aftermarket ones was too soft and the center sleeve too thin so they shook worse than the ones you just replaced....since i havent seen a real bushing in 15 yrs this is one of the few occasions that i recommend urethane ones...they dont rotate enough to squeak in this application....another issue i've seen are tie rod ends that have a raised "derby hat" shape...the extra bump houses a spring that should help prevent play in a worn joint but instead allows it to wobble when enough pressure is applied....so stick to the ones with the flat tops....rims and tires need to be round, many aftermarket (even stock) ones arent....and and a perfectly balanced tire that isnt round will still shake....additionally if the car has been driven long enough with a bad front end the tires will have a "hop" worn into them that will persist even after you replace all the front end parts....so theres plenty of reasons why the "everything in the front end is new" cars still shake

[pop.pop1955]

First let me say thank you to everybody that answered. I had checked ball joints and bushings etc. and everything checked out. It never occurred to me to check the tire pressure and low and behold the tire shop that did the alignment saw fit to air all the tires to 30psi
_________________
let your conscious be your guide

[Cusser]