I have an 05 3s and when i brake at high speeds my steering wheel shakes quite a bit. I took my hands off the wheel when i was braking and the car brakes in a staight line like it is suppose to, but i see the steering wheel move side to side quickly. It is not the ABS going off because there is no vibration in the pedal and i don't jam on the brakes. Ive had my tires balanced and aligned and it still persists. What could be causing this?

 

Your front brake rotors may have overheated or wore out. They are probably slightly warped.

You could get them machined or purchase new ones.

 

i dont think the solution is the above suggestion because i am having this same problem with my car...i just had my car aligned and had put on new rear rotors and pads and machined the front rotors and put on new pads...so i know its not these things causing that problem

 

Warped rotors are the first most obvious soloution. If they have been subjected to a lot of heat (either hard braking over a short period, or avearage braking over a long term) that very well could be the case. Another possible cause is improperly lubricated caliper slides. If the caliper isnt sliding correctly it can cause only one of the pads to do all of the braking sometimes resulting in pedal pulsation. Whatever you do I would not recommend turning the rotors. Modern rotors are not generally made of quality metal to begin with and with the high heat associated with todays braking systems they almost always warp shortly after being machined. You may save $40 in the short term but having to do your brakes again in 6 months outweighs the savings in my opinion.

 

Hey Lev,
Where ya' been??
One other possibility, though a low one I know, is a flat spotted or out of round tire. Are your tires getting old/worn? Did you have to lock up the brakes at some point? Have youoverheated the carcass of the tire more than once, or are they showing signs of tread separation? Are they more than 4 yrs old?

This was my experience w/a Honda I owned. When I first drove the car, I thought it was the biggest piece of junk ever. For about 2 yrs I chased brake problems around trying to fix it.Nothing worked.Then I replaced the tires. No more problem. It turned out to be my all-time favorite car, even over my current 3HB but by a slim margin.

 

Thanks for all the input. Virg,I haven't been on because coming on the site has fueledmy urgeto mod up my car with money i don't have, so now I come on if I'm having a problem.
It is a yes to almost all of your questions. My tires are worn and i should get new ones, but once again no money. I have locked up my brakes because of the snow. I was stuck in snow quite a few times and have over heated my tires. The tires are only a year old and i don't know if it has tread separation.If it isthe rotors what price am i looking at?

 

This is the PN# and what they list for on the Advance Auto site.

Product Description Availability * Price Part No.
YH145585 Wearever BRAKE ROTOR BX WREVR Front Warranty: 2YR REPL
Ships in 1 day[/ul] $45.98

 

That's not bad at all. I also wanted to let you know that your dual exhaust looks really nice and suits the car well. How's the difference in performance?

 

No performance value at all unfortunately. Its purely an aesthetic upgrade.

 

That's too bad, but it is worth the great look.