deznium

Just wondering if anyone here has experienced some vibration on the steering wheel of their TSX and also on the driver's seat and in general inside the cockpit? For me, the vibration seems to be more when I start the car and decreases as I drive but is definitely noticeable through the steering wheel when you hold it or touch it.

Is this due to wheel alignment? anyone had this issue and got it resolved?

jlukja

A little more info would help us troubleshoot. Is it speed dependent? Is it RPM dependent? Does it only happen when you apply brakes? Only when the engine is cold?

deznium

It's present all the time but I think it's more high when the engine is cold, i.e. when I start the car first thing in the morning. The vibration can vary at times... sometimes it's more, sometimes it's less... I've noticed the vibration both when I stop and while I drive as well, though it seems to be more when you stop the car because when the car is moving you also feel the road on the steering wheel and feels like the vibration is actually less but I think it's still there when you drive most of the time. And of course, after driving for sometime the vibration decreases..

And I think when you go faster, it seems to be less then when you go slower..

TommySalami

It does it sometimes when I'm at a stop (5AT)

JimHolloman

I would have the wheels checked for balance and run out (out of round). If that doesn't do it, I would have the CV joints checked. I would recommend having a tire company or a dealer's shop determine the cause.

If you have the means to safely jack up one corner (and, the jack that came with the car is NOT a safe means), run it with one wheel off the ground, and then the other side, to see if it can be isolated to one side. Keep speed no higher than 30 MPH (your wheel is turning twice that speed). And, be careful. Cars can come off of jacks.

SERVICEADVISOR

QUOTE FROM ACURA SERVICE NEWS UPDATE:
Steering wheel vibration is rarely caused by out-of-balance front wheels. If the steering wheel vibrates at
TQI or with very low mileage, it’s most likely caused by cold flat-spotting, which can happen if you park
a vehicle with warm tires for an extended period. As the tires cool, they take a set and develop temporary
flat spots.
To check for cold flat-spotting, warm up the tires by driving for about 15 to 20 minutes at highway speeds.
If cold flat-spotting is the culprit, the steering wheel vibration will lessen as the tires warm up. If, however,
there’s no change in the vibration level, then use the Hunter GSP 9700 and check for high road force.

SERVICEADVISOR

PART 2:
Cold Start Vibrations
Temperature/Time-Related Flat Spots
When you park a vehicle overnight in cold temperatures or park it for a few days, weeks, or months, the
tires can form what are commonly called flat spots. These flat spots can cause a noticeable vibration when
traveling at low speeds that goes away after just a few miles of driving.
Due to their construction and materials, many heavy-duty and high-performance tires have a memory—
meaning they continue to remember the position in which they were last parked when you begin driving
again. Unfortunately, that memory can become a problem when the tires go through wide swings in
ambient temperature, or they’ve been sitting overnight in cold temperatures or for a long period of time.
When a tire is suspended in the air (there’s no load on it), each of the sidewall cords has the same tension.
As the tire rolls on the ground, each of those sidewall cords goes from a relaxed state to a loaded state for
every rotation. And this happens about 800 times every mile. This constant deflection generates heat,
which makes the tires more flexible. But once you park the vehicle and those tires start to cool, the spot
that’s touching the ground (the tire’s footprint) flattens and the cords around that spot relax as the tire
presses down from the weight of the vehicle. The cords at the top of the tire, however, are held at their
maximum tension. If it’s cold overnight or you don’t drive the vehicle for a while, the tire will remember its
position, forming a flat spot. After a cold start, the axle rises and falls in response to that flat spot, causing
a noticeable vibration. But as tire warms up, it softens, and normally rounds out. With the axle now riding
steady, the vibration goes away.
A flat spot can be just temporary, where the tire rounds out after it warms up. But sometimes it can also be
permanent in which the tire’s memory effectively destroys its ride quality. A flat spot’s severity often
depends on the tire’s size, its construction, the load it’s under, the ambient temperature, and how long it’s
been sitting and at what temperature. If the tire has a temporary flat spot, don’t replace the tire just
because of it. Of course, if that flat spot is permanent, the only real cure is tire replacement.
Abrasion-Related Flat Spots
Tires can also develop flat spots if the brakes lock up causing them to skid. This is more likely to happen in
vehicles without ABS or VSA or if you misuse the parking brake. Since these flat spots are obviously
permanent, the only real cure is tire replacement.
Constant Vibrations
A badly mounted tire bead can cause vibrations that you can feel right through the seat, the floor, and the
steering column while driving. The steering wheel can also shimmy. In rare cases, more than one tire can
be the culprit. If the tire looks new—and you suspect a badly mounted bead—you need to measure the
tire/rim runout if you’ve got access to a Hunter GSP 9700 wheel balancer. If you don’t have access to one,
you need to mount a known-good stock tire and rim and test-drive your client’s vehicle under the same
conditions that are listed on your RO. We’ll be discussing exactly how to do this in future articles of this

rayasaurus

I have steering wheel/body vibration too, but it might not be the same problem that may or may not come from your tires? On my 2004 TSX it vibrates very slightly when I am stopped at a light. It's not that noticeable but I would not want to press my forehead against the steering wheel either.

Sometimes it feels like it's different whether or not the A/C is on, but I don't know :-/

JimHolloman

If the vibration is not speed related, then it is not a tire, wheel or CV joint. It could be a motor mount that has failed -- or is going bad. Another possibility is a serpentine belt that has developed cracks. Or, a spark plug that is misfiring.

JimHolloman

What make tires do you have? How many miles do you have on them?

It is very rare, but I have seen, on two different occasions, where the tread pattern on the front tires would cause a vibration. These were new tires. During nothing other than switching the wheels from one side to the other (they were bi-directional tires) eliminated the vibration. Another rare occasion is when tires get cupped (usually from bad shocks or from being out of balance) sufficiently to cause a vibration. These are usually well worn tires.

I recently had a front tire that was out out-of-balance by 2.75 oz. (thanks to the Acura dealer). It didn't cause a vibration in the steering wheel but produced a slight vibration in the body of the car. But, what told me that the tires needed to be checked was a thump-thump-thump sound on very smooth asphalt. Naturally, the noise varied with speed. I got the tires balanced and can detect a noticeable improvement in cornering. The balancing machine was amazing. It could match a tire to a wheel and tell you where to mount the tire on the wheel to minimize the amount of weight that was needed. Naturally, it would tell you how much weight was needed on the inside (stick on) and on the outside (clip on). I was told, at one time, that my Acura dealer used only the clip on weights (I believe they cost less). I have seen at least one technician, at a dealership, balance tires without removing the old weights. There are a lot of clowns out there that don't know what they are doing.

ck123

normal for a 4 cylinder engine. all 4 cylinders ive sat in does this unless is it a manual or in neutral. the tsx handles the vibration very well if you asked me, other 4 cylinder engines ive sat/drove in has a much more noticeable vibration

deznium

Thanks everyone.. I just got my car checked at the Acura dealer and they say that this is normal is all Acura TSX's... it's just a 4-cylinder thing. A V6 makes the engine smoother with virtually no vibration but you sacrifice MPG... Just like one of the dude mentioned, the vibration in the TSX is very well controlled and according to the dealer as the engine breaks down it'll be less noticeable since the engine will start to become even more smoother...

hope that helps and thanks again for chip-ing in your opinions on this.

deznium

Thanks everyone.. I just got my car checked at the Acura dealer and they say that this is normal is all Acura TSX's... it's just a 4-cylinder thing. A V6 makes the engine smoother with virtually no vibration but you sacrifice MPG... Just like one of the dude mentioned, the vibration in the TSX is very well controlled and according to the dealer as the engine breaks down it'll be less noticeable since the engine will start to become even more smoother...

hope that helps and thanks again for chip-ing in your opinions on this.