Thai
Elite Member
Hey all,
While going thru the net looking up info on the new Range Rover, i came across a possible source of the infamous steering vibration at highway speed. For RR owners, there are two different type of steering vibration (see below). What do you guys think??
Vibration at Highway Speeds
Problem:
Various owners have reported steering wheel vibration anywhere from 50mph (80kph) to 100 mph (160 kph). It was initially thought the problem may originate from the Goodyear Wrangler 255/55R19 tire that is standard equipment. Land Rover initially recommended a force thrust balance on a Hunter 9700 machine to determine the problem. This is apparently the only machine capable of doing a proper balancing job on this wheel and tire combination. However for any warranty claims from Goodyear you must apparently go to a Goodyear company owned store -- although stores with equipment to balance a 19 " wheel are scarce in some areas.
Solution:
3/22/03: One owner reported the problem finally identified and solved on his vehicle, after 7200 miles and 6 attempts at balancing the tires, including replacement of the front ones. It emerged emerged that the problem has nothing to do with the tires -- it is caused by a valve in the steering rack that controls the amount of fluid to the variable speed steering. Owners with the vibration problem reported that if you accelerated slowly from a dead stop, the vibration did not occur. If you floored it, vibration every time. It appears that the valve could not keep up with a rapid change and malfunctioned (55 mph is where it is programmed to make a major adjustment in steering tension). The defective steering would then shake the car out of balance explaining why it would drive well for about a week after balancing, then vibrate again. The fix was a replacement part for the defective valve in the steering box. However, the fix took a while to percolate through the dealership system, going by the reports I continued to receive (below).
Later updates:
4/5/03: Philippe Geerts of Belgium felt vibration in the steering wheel, starting at 100 km/h (62 mph) and stopping at about 160 km/h (100 mph). At low speed there were no vibrations. The garage balanced the wheels again and everything was ok for a few weeks. But then it started all over again. Thanks to the information posted above about the valve, he planned to have it replaced. Filip Mottie of Belgium had the same problem on his 3.0 TD Vogue, but reported that Land Rover Belgium said they had no solution as yet (4/8/03).
6/5/03: Another reader reports experiencing the steering wheel vibration beginning at approximately 50 mph on his '03, with the original 19" wheels as well as the the 22" Momo/Pirelli replacements. Keep an eye out to see if there is a recall related to this issue!
7/4/03: Another reader confirms that Land Rover now has a fix for the problem with a replacement part.
10/23/03: An owner in New Zealand reports a vibration in the drivetrain -- this may be a separate problem (see drivetrain vibration section above).
10/30/03: Mark Scheberies has a 2004 model and reports a different cause for the vibration in his steering: "At highway speeds there was a distinct vibration in the steering wheel. It felt like an out of balance tire. With less than 500 miles on the car, I took it back to the dealer. It was discovered that one of the bearings in the left front hub would not seat properly, and that one of the bolts that holds the hub on the car had already broken. The dealer replaced the left front hub assembly". A month later the fix still seemed to be working.
12/2/03: Ralph, a potential buyer, reports: "I was about to purchase a 2004 Range Rover when I learned that there is a vibration problem in the wheels at 50 mph that Rover knows about, but can't fix....The dealer says there hasn't been a recall because they don't know how to fix the vibration."
12/8/03: I was informed by a Land Rover dealer tech that the "official" cause of this steering wheel shimmy at highway speeds is improper roadforce balance of the wheels/tires. The resolution is to re-roadforce all 4 wheels. There is a bulletin from LRNA and it was sent to all dealers in the US.
While going thru the net looking up info on the new Range Rover, i came across a possible source of the infamous steering vibration at highway speed. For RR owners, there are two different type of steering vibration (see below). What do you guys think??
Vibration at Highway Speeds
Problem:
Various owners have reported steering wheel vibration anywhere from 50mph (80kph) to 100 mph (160 kph). It was initially thought the problem may originate from the Goodyear Wrangler 255/55R19 tire that is standard equipment. Land Rover initially recommended a force thrust balance on a Hunter 9700 machine to determine the problem. This is apparently the only machine capable of doing a proper balancing job on this wheel and tire combination. However for any warranty claims from Goodyear you must apparently go to a Goodyear company owned store -- although stores with equipment to balance a 19 " wheel are scarce in some areas.
Solution:
3/22/03: One owner reported the problem finally identified and solved on his vehicle, after 7200 miles and 6 attempts at balancing the tires, including replacement of the front ones. It emerged emerged that the problem has nothing to do with the tires -- it is caused by a valve in the steering rack that controls the amount of fluid to the variable speed steering. Owners with the vibration problem reported that if you accelerated slowly from a dead stop, the vibration did not occur. If you floored it, vibration every time. It appears that the valve could not keep up with a rapid change and malfunctioned (55 mph is where it is programmed to make a major adjustment in steering tension). The defective steering would then shake the car out of balance explaining why it would drive well for about a week after balancing, then vibrate again. The fix was a replacement part for the defective valve in the steering box. However, the fix took a while to percolate through the dealership system, going by the reports I continued to receive (below).
Later updates:
4/5/03: Philippe Geerts of Belgium felt vibration in the steering wheel, starting at 100 km/h (62 mph) and stopping at about 160 km/h (100 mph). At low speed there were no vibrations. The garage balanced the wheels again and everything was ok for a few weeks. But then it started all over again. Thanks to the information posted above about the valve, he planned to have it replaced. Filip Mottie of Belgium had the same problem on his 3.0 TD Vogue, but reported that Land Rover Belgium said they had no solution as yet (4/8/03).
6/5/03: Another reader reports experiencing the steering wheel vibration beginning at approximately 50 mph on his '03, with the original 19" wheels as well as the the 22" Momo/Pirelli replacements. Keep an eye out to see if there is a recall related to this issue!
7/4/03: Another reader confirms that Land Rover now has a fix for the problem with a replacement part.
10/23/03: An owner in New Zealand reports a vibration in the drivetrain -- this may be a separate problem (see drivetrain vibration section above).
10/30/03: Mark Scheberies has a 2004 model and reports a different cause for the vibration in his steering: "At highway speeds there was a distinct vibration in the steering wheel. It felt like an out of balance tire. With less than 500 miles on the car, I took it back to the dealer. It was discovered that one of the bearings in the left front hub would not seat properly, and that one of the bolts that holds the hub on the car had already broken. The dealer replaced the left front hub assembly". A month later the fix still seemed to be working.
12/2/03: Ralph, a potential buyer, reports: "I was about to purchase a 2004 Range Rover when I learned that there is a vibration problem in the wheels at 50 mph that Rover knows about, but can't fix....The dealer says there hasn't been a recall because they don't know how to fix the vibration."
12/8/03: I was informed by a Land Rover dealer tech that the "official" cause of this steering wheel shimmy at highway speeds is improper roadforce balance of the wheels/tires. The resolution is to re-roadforce all 4 wheels. There is a bulletin from LRNA and it was sent to all dealers in the US.
