I bought my RS with a bad front end vibration when braking that would shake the whole dash. I just passed it off as warped rotors and been saving up for new ones. I installed the new pads and rotors Saturday. The after-installation drive I noticed a slight difference in stopping distance but the violent shaking has yet to go away. What else could this be?

 

-Kyle

Check inner and outer tie rod ends and ball joints. just a thought

Check inner and outer tie rod ends and ball joints. just a thought

 

That is what my dad suggested. If weather permits, will check tomorrow.

Ive had wheel bearings cause this before....but you usually hear them....

you need new front struts!

Check and make sure the Radius arms are solid both where the bolts attach them to the lower A-Arms and the other end at the frame. I had a loose one on the Brat when I got it and it was pretty violent during braking.

you need new front struts!

 

Good grief I hope not. Money as tight as it is, I had to scrounge up the money for pads and rotors. I will check the steering components next chance I get, weather permitting.

Good grief I hope not.

Well I hate to say it but while there are a few possibilities I give this a VERY high probability of being strut related. Check the easy stuff first, but keep in mind it's probably going to be strut related.

 

This doesn't have to be bad. First, try and find out which strut it is. Noise is the easiest indicator, the next is the strut may be leaking or have notable wear elsewhere.

 

New is nice, but if you can't then a used set of good struts is better than what you're describing. They can be had really cheap too, like $25-$40.

Check and make sure the Radius arms are solid both where the bolts attach them to the lower A-Arms and the other end at the frame. I had a loose one on the Brat when I got it and it was pretty violent during braking.

 

What's a radius arm? I think you're thinking of the older subaru suspension setups. There is the A-arm, lower balljoint, hub/spindle assembly, sway bar, sway bar end link, strut, spring, and top mount in an impreza front suspension. That's all.

 

Anyhow, did you replace all 4 rotors? What makes you so sure it's a vibration in the front? You've never mentioned a vibration in the steering wheel, which is typical if the front rotors are warped. Rear rotors warp just the same way front's do. They can make the entire car shake as well. If you didn't replace the rears then I would start there.

 

Keith

Sorry, my bad I read RS and was thinking RX.

 

-Jeff

I did not replace the rear rotors. I assumed it was front being that my dash shakes violently and I do not feel anything in the seat to suggest anything from the rear.

 

Wouldn't a bad strut give me issues in suspension when going down the road, not just in braking? I have zero noise from there if I hit a bump.

Wouldn't a bad strut give me issues in suspension when going down the road, not just in braking? I have zero noise from there if I hit a bump.

sometimes, but not always.

 

some testing and looking around should show you.

 

get some little mirrors or whatever you can use to look at your struts without removing them. jack up the tire so they extend down and look for leakage.

 

i'm not sure why they can do that (vibrate with no other symptoms), but they can. maybe a suspension goob can explain that.

Pinning down the source of a chassis vibration can sometimes be difficult, since seemingly unrelated problems can be the cause. The following links might be helpful:

http://endwrench.com/images/pdfs/ChaseEWAug06.pdf

 

http://www.aa1car.com/library/vibrations.htm

 

http://www.aa1car.com/library/tires2.htm

If you haven't already, try rotating your tires from front to back. It could be tires or maybe even a bent wheel.

on the struts, if you pull up the dust boot and see that its wet then the struts are blown, but i DOUBT that will cause this issue.

 

if you dont feel the vibration in the steering wheel then i doubt its int he front end.

 

if you feel it in the dash and in your arse then its something to do with the back of the car, rear rotors and such.

 

it could be ball joints and or tie rods.

 

i recommend you take it to a reputable alignment shop and have them check it over, notice i didn't say les shawb, someone you know and trust to tell you the truth and not try to just sell you parts and service.

YOU can check and see if the struts are blown by pushing down on the corner you think is blown.

 

 

Push once hard and it should only bonce back up once if it continues to bounce up and down. Usually this means a blown strut because just the coil is rebounding up and down

Thanks for the advice guys. I will try and pay more attention to what its doing here in a few when I leave work.

check your axle boots and make sure they arent torn/ have a bad joint...Ive seen some weird problems resulting from a torn outer CV boot...but you would usually hear that also...

Did you try just lifting each wheel at a time, and checking for play just by shaking the wheel in and out and all around? That can give you idea where to look. Could be as simple as a balljoint, but I have balljoints with alot of play and do not experience any vibration. I like the idea of rotating the wheels, could be broken belts.