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Vibrations

aloha_from_bradley

Autocross Champion
Location
AZ
Update - Talked to the shop that installed the new tires. I asked if it was possible that one of the tires was causing the issue even though they all road forced quite well. The answer was basically no, but they stepped up to the plate and are going to replace all 4 tires.

I'm having them installed tomorrow. I'll report back if it solves the issue. If not, I know there is a potential problem somewhere else.
 

aloha_from_bradley

Autocross Champion
Location
AZ
Update:

New tires installed. Brought the wheels in myself again to prevent scratches etc. Torqued them myself as well. Test drove on the highway after install and the vibrations are definitely reduced. I need more time to hit some different road types - smooth vs. not etc., but for the most part it feels improved. Thinking this may have been a balance issue after all.

I also went up a size on the tires - 245/35/19 on the pretorias. The Indy 500s are a slim tire. Wasn't even able to lay the wheel down without it touching the ground with the 235/35s installed. The stock Contis allowed me to lay the wheel down when I wanted to without risking damaging them for cleaning purposes. I like the look and feel of a bit more tire, even on the 19s. If i was to get the Michelin PSS or PS4S I would have stuck with the 235/35 as they run a size large.

So, for anyone wondering if you can run a size bigger on the stock prets, the answer is yes. No rubbing lock to lock, more compliant ride, better overall look IMO. Here are some pictures.
 

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ice raptor

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
WI
Update:

New tires installed. Brought the wheels in myself again to prevent scratches etc. Torqued them myself as well. Test drove on the highway after install and the vibrations are definitely reduced. I need more time to hit some different road types - smooth vs. not etc., but for the most part it feels improved. Thinking this may have been a balance issue after all.

I also went up a size on the tires - 245/35/19 on the pretorias. The Indy 500s are a slim tire. Wasn't even able to lay the wheel down without it touching the ground with the 235/35s installed. The stock Contis allowed me to lay the wheel down when I wanted to without risking damaging them for cleaning purposes. I like to look and feel of a bit more tire, even on the 19s. If i was to get the Michelin PSS or PS4S I would have stuck with the 235/35 as they run a size large.

So, for anyone wondering if you can run a size bigger on the stock prets, the answer is yes. No rubbing lock to lock, more compliant ride, look to fit the wheel better IMO. Here are some pictures.
One more thing that i can think of...Have you messed with any of the computer settings with VCDS or OBD11? Once i turned off the starting vibration reduction i did notice the car had more shake/vibration while driving. Just my .02
 

aloha_from_bradley

Autocross Champion
Location
AZ
Another Update:

Vibrations are still there. I'm on my third set of tires as I found one of the wheels had some much weight on it I was confused. Brought the car back to the tire shop and they slapped another... yes, another set of tires on the car. This time I went back with the 235/35s.

I made sure they reindexed the tires on the wheel during the road force this time around instead of just adding a bunch of weights. Amazing how you have to babysit the techs to do anything right. Brought the car home and made sure to retorque everything to exact specs. I'm still getting light vibs at high speeds. My passegner seat vibrates back and forth, the sun visors wiggle up and down if I have them open... it's the most annoying shit ever. I've got a car with 13k on it that shakes.

I called the dealership back that worked on the car and they basically told me there was nothing they could do except throw parts at it. I'm thinking there is something wrong with the drive axle on the side where I hit the pothole. There may be some play / looseness there. Like I said, the wheel bearings seem fine. Also, since my vibrations are speed dependent it must be something that moves. Axle, bearing, wheel, etc.

There is a company here in town that can come out to your location and check each wheel to make sure they aren't out of round at all. This is my next move. I'm not sure how they do it mobile, what tools they use, or how much it costs but I'll hopefully be able to rule out wheel issues.
 

sterkrazzy

Autocross Champion
Location
United States
Car(s)
Turbo. Blue.
Aren't prets known to be a fairly soft wheel? I wouldn't be that surprised if they got a little egg shape to them now.
 

aloha_from_bradley

Autocross Champion
Location
AZ
Reviving my own thread here. Still dealing with vibrations. Hoping to finally get this resolved and help anyone else out there that may be encountering the same. I'm reading thread after thread on multiple VW generations with similar vibration issues.

Since my last post here:

- New Wheels, new tires
- Two separate road force balances (at different shops)
- Visit to local dealership
- Visit to dealership where I purchased the vehicle
- Visit to a friend's dealership (got the car back last night)

The first two dealerships didn't take me seriously. Both told me they would "have to throw parts at the car" in order to fix it, and it wouldn't be worth their time. A buddy of mine works at the dealership I picked the car up from last night. VW engineers are now back out at the dealerships (previously limited due to Covid), so they called one out to look at the car. I was without the car for almost 2 weeks, and the engineer's guidance was to have both front wheel bearings replaced.

Drive home last night - steering wheel vibrations / steering feel is better and "tighter" feeling. I think one of the bearings was part of the problem. I'm now getting a pulsating vibration that feels like it's coming from the front of the car, rolling into the floorboard and pedals, and then rolling back out. It's happens with rhythm about every 10 seconds or so and is very consistent. This only happens at speeds of about 75+ mph.

I've got a scheduled test drive with the service manager on Saturday morning to point the issue out. It's definitely something mechanical, thinking one of the axles is out of balance, but I'm not sure. Seriously considering selling the car at this point.
 
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The Dude

Autocross Champion
Location
PNW
Car(s)
MK7 GTI S
Most people would've just traded it in at this point. I suppose because it's from a pot hole you can't have it lemon lawed, can you?
 
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