Car Shakes When Braking at High Speeds

[x13alle12x]

How can I differentiate between that being a rotor issue or something else. I have drilled and slotted rotors. I have not changed any suspension parts.

[mattmartindrift]

how long has it been going on?

have you made any attempts to re-bed the pads?

[x13alle12x]

No rebed has been attempted. It has been going on for awhile. At this point I'm not sure if I should just swap out new pads/rotors. I hear it could be the wheel bearing or tie rod? Is this true?

[mattmartindrift]

No rebed has been attempted. It has been going on for awhile. At this point I'm not sure if I should just swap out new pads/rotors. I hear it could be the wheel bearing or tie rod? Is this true?

it could be a number of different things. if it started when you put the rotors on, that's an obvious red flag.

the easiest thing to do would be to re-bed the pads - it's "free" and you don't have to do anything but drive the car [in a certain fashion]. if that doesn't work, get your thinking cap on and start diagnosing.

[x13alle12x]

Also, let me correct myself by saying the shaking is coming mostly from the steering wheel.

[mattmartindrift]

have you inspected any parts for wear/failure? that's typically a good place to start.

[FknNice]

Also, let me correct myself by saying the shaking is coming mostly from the steering wheel.

Then its your front tie rods most likely. The same thing was happening on my vehicle and it was because my front tie rods were gone. Replaced them and it was all good from there.

[E39 GaGaN]

Hey I had the same exact problem on my E39 about 3 months back. I just replaced the front rotors and the problem got fixed!! I would say 90 percent chance u will have the shaking gone If u replace the rotor's Also drilled and slotted rotors not sure how long u been driving on those.

[FknNice]

Hey I had the same exact problem on my E39 about 3 months back. I just replaced the front rotors and the problem got fixed!! I would say 90 percent chance u will have the shaking gone If u replace the rotor's Also drilled and slotted rotors not sure how long u been driving on those.

To add on to what GaGa said - check for damage on the rotors + tie rods. Those would be the two main culprits. Another would be the wheels themselves - albeit you would feel it when you accelerate too.

[Firebird400]

Best thing to do is put it up on a lift or jack stands and have a look underneath. Check the ball joints on the tie rod end, thrust arm and control arm. The ball joints shouldn't move much when you try to wiggle the suspension arms. Also check for thrust arm bushing wear, again by wiggling the arm and seeing how much it moves. If those pieces have never been replaced, it is likely they are worn.

I had the same problem about a month ago. After replacing the suspension arms and tie rod ends (all new ball joints/bushings) the steering wheel shake was gone.

[Bryan@Jlevi SW]

Best thing to do is put it up on a lift or jack stands and have a look underneath. Check the ball joints on the tie rod end, thrust arm and control arm. The ball joints shouldn't move much when you try to wiggle the suspension arms. Also check for thrust arm bushing wear, again by wiggling the arm and seeing how much it moves. If those pieces have never been replaced, it is likely they are worn.

I had the same problem about a month ago. After replacing the suspension arms and tie rod ends (all new ball joints/bushings) the steering wheel shake was gone.

+1. My vote goes for Thrust Arm Bushings. Many E39ers exhibit Brake Shimmy at speed when these need replacing.

[m5hoot]

Just curious how many feel that if very careful and take accurate measurements or thread-count, whether one can replace tie rods without the need for re-alignment? My alignment has been great and I really don't want to have it messed with since having front and back done,but feel tie rods are beginning to get a tad loose and I would be thrilled if it could be done properly without align? If I could get back to the Chicago alignment shop that did my last align I would spend the money and get 'er done, but it is way out of the way and I hear a lotta horror stories about idiots that do not know what they are doing.

[FknNice]

Just curious how many feel that if very careful and take accurate measurements or thread-count, whether one can replace tie rods without the need for re-alignment? My alignment has been great and I really don't want to have it messed with since having front and back done,but feel tie rods are beginning to get a tad loose and I would be thrilled if it could be done properly without align? If I could get back to the Chicago alignment shop that did my last align I would spend the money and get 'er done, but it is way out of the way and I hear a lotta horror stories about idiots that do not know what they are doing.

You probably can, and maybe it can be done - but chances are that it won't be 100% the same...

[Aintfirsturlast]

Just curious how many feel that if very careful and take accurate measurements or thread-count, whether one can replace tie rods without the need for re-alignment? My alignment has been great and I really don't want to have it messed with since having front and back done,but feel tie rods are beginning to get a tad loose and I would be thrilled if it could be done properly without align? If I could get back to the Chicago alignment shop that did my last align I would spend the money and get 'er done, but it is way out of the way and I hear a lotta horror stories about idiots that do not know what they are doing.

When I did my full front and rear overhaul, I took an accurate measurement of threads, and screwed them exactly the same. The new parts(left/right/center tie rods) were oem, and indentical to what I took off. The car tracked true and straight for about 500 miles, and still felt perfect, but I thought for $100, I might as well get an alignment just in case. When we looked at the spec sheet together, he explained to me the principles of toe, camber, and castor.

Anyway, despite the fact that I measured accurately, my front end was way off. I would reccomend just laying out the $80-$100.