50-60 mph shimmy

[540i6sp1995]

The wheel shakes on my e34 540i between 50-60 mph. bmwe34.net says its the thrust arms. Is that always what it is or could it be something else? Maybe i only need to replace the bushings that go with the thrust arms and i can leave the old ones there? Help me out.

[SC David]

On my car it was a combo of old tires, slight misalignment, and the thrust arm bushings. Once those three things were fixed/replaced the car rode perfectly at any speed. Yes, even at 329mph.

[thejlevie]

On my car it was a combo of old tires, slight misalignment, and the thrust arm bushings. Once those three things were fixed/replaced the car rode perfectly at any speed. Yes, even at 329mph.
It can be any of those, a combination of them, or even other front suspension components. You don't say what the mileage is, so it is hard to suggest the most likely candidates.

[Hypr5]

On my car it was a combo of old tires, slight misalignment, and the thrust arm bushings. Once those three things were fixed/replaced the car rode perfectly at any speed. Yes, even at 329mph.
You have an m20... you mean 3.29 mph? :stickoutt

[LJSE34]

What's the mileage? Check the complete front suspension for wear, lol, don't be shocked...

[SC David]

You have an m20... you mean 3.29 mph? :stickoutt
Haha yeah, that's the speed my car tops out at. I better fix that typo.

[CobaltFire]

I have the same shimmy, and I have an E39 6cyl. Is it the same issue? I am getting ready to replace the wheels and tires, anything else I should look for? Maybe get a full alignment?

[gsibble]

I have the same problem in my '99 540 along with a nasty tranny vibration. The dealer and a mechanic both insist that it's my damn wheels even though they were just balanced and they can't find any bent rim or anything.

-G

[stuntride]

bad quality rims dont help, but for the most part it is usually suspension, check all the bushings

[CRZYBM]

mine used to shimmy and shake beacause of the rims. ive got e39 17's on my e34, and i had to get hub rings so it centres the wheel. e34 and 39 are slightly diff.

[abakos]

Be careful when replacing items up front, worn components create a domino effect that will keep thrashing the entire suspension until they're replaced. I went through a couple sets of upper arms, but my shocks were bad and I think the eccessive front end travel kept killing the bushings.

It's usually the thrust arms, but if you can do it I'd replace the lower arms at the same time. The thrust arm bushings take the brunt of the braking force...so it's no surprise that they get weak faster than the lower arms.

[amr]

I have a similar problem...

I bought my E39 with poor tires and it shimmied when I first bought it. I drove it that way for about 3k miles and then went to an 18" setup with Pirelli P-Zero tires thinking that this would cure the problem. Well, it didn't... I still have a vibration at almost any speed. Already had the car aligned and the tires balanced twice. Rims are brand new and so are the tires, so there is nothing wrong with the hardware. The issue is that I had poor tires to begin with and so I have never driven the car where it didn't shimmy.

I'm thinking it's time to look at the suspension.

[TireFryer]

Be careful when replacing items up front, worn components create a domino effect that will keep thrashing the entire suspension until they're replaced. I went through a couple sets of upper arms, but my shocks were bad and I think the eccessive front end travel kept killing the bushings.

It's usually the thrust arms, but if you can do it I'd replace the lower arms at the same time. The thrust arm bushings take the brunt of the braking force...so it's no surprise that they get weak faster than the lower arms.


this is very true of these cars. the front end suspension components are very sensitive to wear and if you don't replace all the concerned components, just pick and choose which ones to do, the problem will come back and your parts will fail prematurely. I had the same issues, and after going through 2 sets of pads/rotors, I replaced rims, tires, rotors, struts, upper and lower control arms w/ the HD bushings, and now smooth as butter! :) go the extra miles and do it right the first time!

[sdwhitney]

I have had the shimmy since I bought the car last Nov.

From stock wheels to the M-pars. Replaced everything recommended:

Upper w/750i Bushings
Lower
Sway Links
Tie Rods
Center Drag Link
Brembo Rotors
Also, M5T and M5 Sway bars with new hardware, Sachs Kit.


It went away after all that work, then after my engine was replaced it reappeared....

Just have no idea what it could be....

[bman10]

Yeah i just recently had the same problem, so i looked at the suspension components and my sway bar end links were bad, so i replaced those. Made it go away for like a day then i started having shimming at 50-60 and really bad when i braked. Checked out my brakes everything looked fine, so i bought upper thrust arms with the bushings already pressed in. Had my mechanic put them in and BAM!!! i am good as gold now!!! car rides smooth now!!!! :redspot

94 525i

[amr]

Update...

Just had the tires balanced for the THIRD time and...

No luck! The damn thing still shimmies at 50-60 so badly that I can see the headrest on the passenger seat vibrating along with both sunvisors in the down position! This is obviously not a tire problem.

I made an appointment to take it to the dealership for a diagnosis on Tuesday.

I will be sure to login and post what they told me and I hope that I can be of some help.

Hope everyone has a rockin Labor Day weekend. :drummer

[sdwhitney]

There should really be a sticky on this issue, since it is one E34's and E39's as well.

[Kdog2112]

have the same issue - it started when I just redid my brakes with cross drilled front and rear with axxis ultimate pads - what place is best to buy the new upper thrust arms with 750i bushings? Im goign to do whole new suspension set up on car as well - so Im going to do it all at once and right the first time so i dont have to continually re do it along with full alignment

[gsibble]

Good lord we all have shaking cars......sticky time! We have to find out the solution first....

-G

[scyrusurcys]

Add me to this list. I have a '95 e34 with this same problem. When I hit 55-60mph, the whole front end shakes so hard i can barely retain a grip on the steering wheel. The only way to stop the shaking is to either speed up without slowing down around 60mph or hitting the brakes as soon as it starts. Help us!!!

[scyrusurcys]

Ok, I replaced my left front tire the other day, and it's helped the shaking quite a bit. It will still shimmy around 55-60mph, but it only gets to a certain intensity, then it quits. The guy at my local auto repair shop told me it was my tires - that the outer edges were worn down to the point of almost ripping open. :devillook - Check your tires. Make sure they balance them right if you end up replacing them.

[sdwhitney]

Ok, I replaced my left front tire the other day, and it's helped the shaking quite a bit. It will still shimmy around 55-60mph, but it only gets to a certain intensity, then it quits. The guy at my local auto repair shop told me it was my tires - that the outer edges were worn down to the point of almost ripping open. :devillook - Check your tires. Make sure they balance them right if you end up replacing them.

But mine does the same thing.

I had my tires checked last week, and the shimmy almost vanished, but now it is back.

Update us in a week and let us know if yours is back too....

[TireFryer]

as has been noted in the thread above and in other threads, this is the dreaded 50-60mph shimmy and there is a cure for it. Replace your upper thrust arms and make sure you replace them with the HD 750 bushings. This WILL cure your car of this disease.

for UPPER THRUST ARM info:
http://www.bmwe34.net/E34main/Maintenance/Suspension/Upper_arm.htm

for LOWER CONTROL ARM info:
http://www.bmwe34.net/E34main/Maintenance/Suspension/Lower_arm.htm

I have a pair of the OEM upper thrust and lower control arms which I removed from my car for sale. All you'd have to do is buy some HD 750 bushings (BMW 750i bushings PN: 31 12 1 136 607) for the upper thrust arms and regular bushing for the lower control arms and have them pressed in. save you a bunch of money. If interested, please email me and I can even get pics for you. I forget which pair it is (upper or lower) but one of them is lightweight aluminum! :)

[sdwhitney]

as has been noted in the thread above and in other threads, this is the dreaded 50-60mph shimmy and there is a cure for it. Replace your upper thrust arms and make sure you replace them with the HD 750 bushings. This WILL cure your car of this disease.

for UPPER THRUST ARM info:
http://www.bmwe34.net/E34main/Maintenance/Suspension/Upper_arm.htm

for LOWER CONTROL ARM info:
http://www.bmwe34.net/E34main/Maintenance/Suspension/Lower_arm.htm

I have a pair of the OEM upper thrust and lower control arms which I removed from my car for sale. All you'd have to do is buy some HD 750 bushings (BMW 750i bushings PN: 31 12 1 136 607) for the upper thrust arms and regular bushing for the lower control arms and have them pressed in. save you a bunch of money. If interested, please email me and I can even get pics for you. I forget which pair it is (upper or lower) but one of them is lightweight aluminum! :)

Mine were just replaced in May, and still a shimmy shortly after, here is what I replaced..and upgraded :buttrock

Upper w/750i Bushings
Lower
Sway Links
Tie Rods
Center Drag Link
Brembo Rotors
Also, M5T and M5 Sway bars with new hardware, Sachs Kit.

[SC David]

Once mine were replaced with the 750 bushings the car rode perfectly. Definitely agree with TireFryer on this issue.

[JC540]

as has been noted in the thread above and in other threads, this is the dreaded 50-60mph shimmy and there is a cure for it. Replace your upper thrust arms and make sure you replace them with the HD 750 bushings. This WILL cure your car of this disease.

for UPPER THRUST ARM info:
http://www.bmwe34.net/E34main/Maintenance/Suspension/Upper_arm.htm

for LOWER CONTROL ARM info:
http://www.bmwe34.net/E34main/Maintenance/Suspension/Lower_arm.htm

I have a pair of the OEM upper thrust and lower control arms which I removed from my car for sale. All you'd have to do is buy some HD 750 bushings (BMW 750i bushings PN: 31 12 1 136 607) for the upper thrust arms and regular bushing for the lower control arms and have them pressed in. save you a bunch of money. If interested, please email me and I can even get pics for you. I forget which pair it is (upper or lower) but one of them is lightweight aluminum! :)

Does this mod/upgrade also work for the e39 series?

[scyrusurcys]

Well I replaced my other tire today, but have no luck with the wheel shimmy. :mad

I was so confident that this would fix the whole issue, as replacing one tire helped tremendously. I'm at the point where I really can't spend anymore money on my car, because if I do, it's going to cost me atleast $200+, and being in college does not help this situation.

(Long, depressed sigh. . .) :help

[FORCE FED M3]

There is NOT one answer for all of you. Bimmers front ends are very sensitive. There are many different things that can cause it. My M3 does the shimmy @ 50-60 as well. I got all my tires balanced twice and rotated once. Still does it! :mad So today I went to Les Schwab Tire, there machine not only balances the tires but also tests the tire pressure points to detect bad spots or hard spots in the tire. You can NOT see this visually. It also tests the rims for defects. All my 235/40-18 tires had "bad" spots that could NOT be balanced out! They also measured the tread life, 90% left!! My tires look great, can't visually see anything wrong but the machine tells the story! They aren't very good tires :( , so I am going to buy a set of really good tires $$$. My technician also drove my car w/ the shimmy and told my; he really thinks it is the tires, almost guarantees it! So, once the tires come it, I will let you all know. But I am not saying this could be the cure for all of you, maybe just some of you? And if my new tires don't get rid of it for me, I am going to be hating Les Schwad Tire and their machine! But on the other hand, I would like to be riding on some good performance rubber. What kind of tires do all of you like?? I did a search for tires and this thread was one that came up. Good luck to every one and there shimmy. :confused
Ivan

[sdwhitney]

There is NOT one answer for all of you. Bimmers front ends are very sensitive. There are many different things that can cause it. My M3 does the shimmy @ 50-60 as well. I got all my tires balanced twice and rotated once. Still does it! :mad So today I went to Les Schwab Tire, there machine not only balances the tires but also tests the tire pressure points to detect bad spots or hard spots in the tire. You can NOT see this visually. It also tests the rims for defects. All my 235/40-18 tires had "bad" spots that could NOT be balanced out! They also measured the tread life, 90% left!! My tires look great, can't visually see anything wrong but the machine tells the story! They aren't very good tires :( , so I am going to buy a set of really good tires $$$. My technician also drove my car w/ the shimmy and told my; he really thinks it is the tires, almost guarantees it! So, once the tires come it, I will let you all know. But I am not saying this could be the cure for all of you, maybe just some of you? And if my new tires don't get rid of it for me, I am going to be hating Les Schwad Tire and their machine! But on the other hand, I would like to be riding on some good performance rubber. What kind of tires do all of you like?? I did a search for tires and this thread was one that came up. Good luck to every one and there shimmy. :confused
Ivan

I have done the Les Shwabbe thing as well, since I got my tires from them. No ruck for me. Still got the shimmy

[scyrusurcys]

What kind of tires do all of you like??

I run on Bridgestone Potenzas - 235/45/17 RE730 on the front. . .
http://www.club4ag.com/faq%20and%20tech_pages/Tech%20Photos/Tires/bs_re730.jpg

. . .and 255/40/17 S-03 on the rear.
http://www.club4ag.com/faq%20and%20tech_pages/Tech%20Photos/Tires/bs_s03.jpg

Those tires rock my socks.

[FORCE FED M3]

:mad :mad I was going to order my tires tomorrow @ Les Schwab but now that I read that you did what I am planning on doing and you still have the shimmy, I don't know what to do! Did Les Schwab tell you that your tires had bad spots that COULDN'T be balanced or fixed, so you bought new quality performance tires and it shimmied after that?? OR did they say they fixed the tires and you still have the shimmy?? I think I will still try new quality performance tires, but if it still shimmies after that, I will have to put the old tires back on right away, so I don't destroy the new good ones. I will let you all know how it goes.
Ivan

[FORCE FED M3]

NO MORE SHIMMY! :redspot Les Schwab got my new Toyo 225/40/18 tires put on today and I no longer have ANY shimmy. My M3 once again rides GREAT! :D Puting these new tires on was the only thing I did to get rid of the 50-60mph shimmy. I ran my car from 0-120mph (holding it @ different speeds) and there is no more shimmy. I am love'n it! These tires also hold to the ground WAY better, it almost feels like I have more hp because they grip so much better. I cant smoke them AS easy :evil2 Well I hope the rest of you can get rid of your Bimmer shimmy! Good luck,
Ivan

[MontanaRob]

me shimmy too. The speed depends on the type and pressure of tires. I've run several different tires on the front with varying tread depth and pressures and it shimmys from 40-60 depending on which set up. I figure I need new bushings but in the meantime, I like to see if I can hold the speed and get a good harmonic going and double the shimmy to a full on bounce.

[sdwhitney]

NO MORE SHIMMY! :redspot Les Schwab got my new Toyo 225/40/18 tires put on today and I no longer have ANY shimmy. My M3 once again rides GREAT! :D Puting these new tires on was the only thing I did to get rid of the 50-60mph shimmy. I ran my car from 0-120mph (holding it @ different speeds) and there is no more shimmy. I am love'n it! These tires also hold to the ground WAY better, it almost feels like I have more hp because they grip so much better. I cant smoke them AS easy :evil2 Well I hope the rest of you can get rid of your Bimmer shimmy! Good luck,
Ivan

Get back to us in a few weeks or even a month of good driving, and see if you are still shimyless...

[FORCE FED M3]

Well its been almost two months now w/ my new tires, and still no shimmy!:redspot But I don't put a lot of miles on my M3 and I drive it way less in the winter.

[masurati]

I got rid of shimmy just by inflating tires to correct pressure. see my thread
"tire pressure and how I saved lots of money". sometimes it could be just as easy as that.

[hulkster]

I just responded to a thread on this exact subjetc, so heres my cut and paste of that:

Hey, being a high school student, I can answer your question with my background in physics...and this IS the actual scientific reason vbirations happen on all cars....once you hear this, you will better understand vbrations and now how to fix them. heres my attempt at a simple explanation:

Everything in nature has a specific sound frequency...(a glass has a frequency of 15Hz lets say...thats why when a person sings with that frequency, the glass may shatter or shake)...

when going certain speeds on the road, your car tires, depending on the (inflation, tread type, wear, etc....) will vibrate at their maximum potential (their specific frequency). Since the tires are connected to the rest of the car, everything starts to vibrate, and these vibrations can be multiplied by lose parts in the car (muffler, tranny, whatever) and turn out to be quite significant.

So thats why you should balance your tires, check the pressure, wear, and any loose parts within or under the car. if your tires need a rotation, try to get one done.

So theres your science related explanation for vibrating cars.

hulkster

[abakos]

Hulkster...I appreciate the physics lesson, but you might want to rethink using 15Hz for an example.

E34's seem to hit a harmonic at 55-60 mph that is just brutal if anything is worn out up front, that along with that damned orange water pump (in the latter 525i's) have been my biggest complaints.

E39's seem to be very sensitive to tire pressure, no idea why. When I trade up some day perhaps I'll take the time to figure it out ;)

[hulkster]

ya i was just picking a random number i dont know the specifics but thats the principal

[baz535 sport]

i change it all still shakes at 55mph

[baz535 sport]

shake in steering
I have a BMW 535 sport 1991E34 car was off road for 10 months when put back on road car shook violently from front. Here is a list of the things i have replaced, four wheels, tyres, BMW fitment, front dics, pads, front springs, front shocks, top strut mountains, front anti roll bar links, steering box, steering idler, track rod ends, rear gear box mountains, prop shaft bearing, rear shocks, rear springs, rear top strut mountains, rear wheel bearing, rear dics, rear pads, hand brake shoes, rear anti roll bar links, and the car still shakes at 55mph, please help

[bilal]

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=768031
check my answer out here... hopefully this will eliminate all of this tire crap.

[ViolinARC]

You know guys, I had the same issue on my sorely missed 750iL and no matter what I did, it was shake city shortly after all attempts at subduction (another Bushism...LOL). Had a similar but more violent shake in braking, which would disappear after replacing the rotors but would return after a couple hundred miles. Yes...I know it's a heavy ride and yes...I replaced EVERYTHING in the front-end after I bought her but the problem was persistent. I STILL loved the ride and power though. The shop quoted me $11 GRAND for the work a professional mechanic friend and I accomplished for about $1800 and yes...I had the work checked and approved by BMW specialists (even let them do some work later to see if there was any difference...nope, just expensive). Please let me know if any of you who have a persistent shake have any luck subduing the *#@$%! thing for more than a couple hundred miles (just curious). I'm now looking at a 2000 M5 screamer (in what appears to be primo condition) with 82k on the OD for about $26k. The guy says he's already had the brakes taken care of, thrust arms replaced and installed the Dinan chip (no LIMITER...woo hoo 180mph top speed). Any comments or suggestions regarding problems or issues with this highly rated...ummm, car just isn't the right word...perhaps rocket? Peace...

[shekky]

Fixed mine in March and it is still fine. About 3000 miles of driving. When I bought the car six moths ago, it had a terrible vibration and rattling at 50-60. Car felt like it was gonna shake itself apart, but only at that speed. Also going over bumps, I noticed the front end would rock up and down for a little while. Started by replacing the front struts with Bilstein HDs. The struts in the car were really worn out and leaking fluid. Also got new front strut mounts put in. The driveshaft needed a new center bearing and flex joint, also machine shopped to straighten it out. That took care of the most of the shimmy and rattle, but at 50-60 I could still feel it. Had the wheels rotated, aligned and balanced. Got 2 new tires upfront, got the wheels realigned, rebalanced. Still no luck. Took the car to a suspension specialist. All the bushings and control arms were in good shape. Nothing wrong found with the suspension. So I went to a rim repair place. Even though the rims passed the computer balancer and looked fine, they were all found to have tiny bends on the inside. Got them all straightened. Also there was a tiny gap between the wheel and the hub, on the fronts only. The gap was small enough that a couple of layers of masking tape were enough to make the wheel fit snugly. That solved the issue and now four monts later car runs as smoothly as the day it was fixed.

[jasha]

hi do those bushes fit the 2000 540, ps running correct tyre psi does wonders as well ive discoverd.