Shakes on the highway...

[Brannigan03]

My gen 2 neon shakes like crazy on the highway at around 70. I had a 4 wheel alignment done and I also had the wheels balanced. It shakes so bad that I can see my arm shake while I'm holding the wheel. Any ideas on what might cause this besides it being a gen 2?

[scottrachel01]

2 gens aren't made to go over 60....lol. It could be a broken belt in the tire or even your squeak and shakes could be related. I would take it to a Midas or something like that to have the front end checked,maybe a strut.I would get it there pretty quick so it doesn't turn into a safety problem!! Also check to see if the lugs nuts are tight sounds silly but I've had it happen to me.

[HoodooGuru]

2 gens weren't meant to go over 60? lol Huh!
Lower control arm bushes sound like they are gone. Go to a suspension place and get them to check them. I bet thats what ur trouble is. Cheap and easy fix.

[rice_eater]

If a belt was broken in the tire the tire *shouldnt* balance out, and usually they check for that sort of thing. (I currently work in a tire shop)

Check ball joints, tie rod ends (not likely, shouldve been checked with alignment), lower control arm bushings, etc...

[Brannigan03]

Shake has been going on for a while now. Same shake with stock and aftermarket wheels and tires. Lower control arms were changed before I had the alignment done. Front end was also checked when I last had the brakes checked. No one found anything wrong.

[95moparracer]

is ur car lowered? if so it could be the axels... ur car could be to low and bind up the axels... this is a problem in srt-4s so i thought id throw it out there.

[Brannigan03]

It's not lowered. Just aftermarket wheels (215/45 r17) but it did the same thing with the factory wheels.

[95moparracer]

2 gens aren't made to go over 60....lol. It could be a broken belt in the tire or even your squeak and shakes could be related. I would take it to a Midas or something like that to have the front end checked,maybe a strut.I would get it there pretty quick so it doesn't turn into a safety problem!! Also check to see if the lugs nuts are tight sounds silly but I've had it happen to me.


if thats wat u really think come visit me for a weekend... i'll show u just how fast a 2nd gen can hit 60....im still chirping the tires at 60... thats driving normal and laying into it... my new waterinjection nozzel made a huge diff! but atm im saving up... stock turbo is to slow for me... i shoulda never went back to it. but now im goin hahn 20g set up from hahn or modernperformance and hahn portfueler... simple swap... less tunning... and enough hp to make me happy... im hoping 350 w/out w/i or n2o.. then im selling my w/i and getting n2o :p direct port... ( well actually im getting it first at income tax )

[cloner1979]

Had a prob on my frist gen with 17's like that. Couldnt figure it out either but after changing motor mounts to polly and energy controll arm bushings, it stopped. Try getting your tires ballanced at a good tire shop to a very tight spec. Most shops only ballance it so much i think...to something like a 1/16 of an oz.

With a first gen, controll arm bushing were a major prob...in my eyes. I still have yet to see a used neon on a lot with good all around bushing that all the rubber is in tack. Im not sure about second gens though

Another thing is to use a torque wrench on your A/M rims. I find that if you tighten them with a 4 way or have your mechanic do it with an impact gun, this'll throw them out a bit too. Give it a shot and tighten them to spec.

Just my 2 cents

[Brannigan03]

I had the same problem with the factory wheels on too. The lower control arms were changed by the dealership shortly before I decided to go with the 17's. After I put the new wheels on I had them balanced and had a 4 wheel alignment done. I'll give the lugs a try though. Do you happen to know what the torque specs are on an '05?

[cloner1979]

Im not too sure bud. I cant even remember mine. Im not sure how true this is but I was told, where I bough my rims, that the A/M rims bend ever so slightly when you over torque them. It does make since if you think about it. Id like to see a rim being dial indicated with 5 lugs being torqued down just to see if its true.

Try looking in your owners manual or if you have a Hayne manual, it'll tell ya for sure. Good luck

[rice_eater]

Doubt over-torquing them would bend them... unless you're over-torquing by 100ft/lbs or something. Considering there is no counter pressure on the outside of the rim or anything, you're just squashing the rim harder against the hub. I personally use the German torque spec "Gutten-tight" when I do mine. ;)

Torque specs for all neons are 100ft/lbs, 19mm lugs. I work in a tire shop. Most cars call for 100ft/lbs, save some of the bigger trucks, and weird imports like Hyundai and Kia. Chevy Tracker's are oddball too.

[cloner1979]

i dissagree. I work as a machinist and have personally seen how much a single bolt or nut can manipulate a piece of steel. Espeacialluy alluminum, considerind how easy a rim can bend, it wouldnt suprise me if it could happen. Not saying it does though...I see where your coming from though, rice

[rice_eater]

I could see it easily bending the rim if the pressure was offset, but since the hub is directly behind the lug, the rim is under compression but the forces are not twisting or bending anything. just my opinion.

[Turboduck23]

Check the suspension arms .. and the bushing. try to drive slow and start feeling how it starts shaking. but still, most of the time is the suspension arms, or the bushing at the very least.

[Brannigan03]

Thanks for the advice. Lower control arms were changed by the dealership a while back. Then I had the tires balanced and a 4 wheel alignment done. But I finally took it to my mechanic the other day and he said that I have a bad inner tie rod on the driver's side. Going to start there, get it aligned again and see where it takes me.