shaking steering wheel

[brien4787]

i know i have read something like this before but:

is it normal for my steering wheel to shake a little when i push down on the breaks when i am moving like 50 mph??

this doesnt mean my rotors r fed does it?

[mikester318]

Mine does the same thing... cept I don't think I "fed" anything to my rotors heh, I think yours are warped tho.

[brien4787]

urs do too? are yours warped?

is it okay to be driving on warped rotors?

it only shakes at higher speeds, not lower.

and by fed, i mean fucked

[skawful]

ya get that fixed before it screws more shit up... oh ya and maybe you could upgrade the rotors?

[mikester318]

I know that warped rotors are common in these cars... why is this problem common among BMW's? I think it's crazy that BMW's have warped rotors yet a Ford truck wouldn't... hmm.

[brien4787]

is warped rotors just a guess? or for sure i probably have warped rotors?
what causes warped rotors?
what will happen if i keep driving like this?

[brien4787]

also, what are some nice ones to get? and how much are they to buy and have installed?

i was thinking about getting new shocks and springs, and possibly wheels by the end of summer....


?

[Cary328is]

Warped rotors are caused by the specific driving conditions. If there is a lot of stop and go traffic, where brakes are heavily used, then your brakes are constantly putting a lot of changing pressure and heat to your rotors. If the heat that is generated by braking is not properly dissipated, the rotor may cool at an uneven rate. If a rotor does not cool down evenly it will lose its flat round shape.
If you wanna shell out and invest in a good braking system, get a Brembo brake kit with cross drilled rotors. Those slots or holes you see in high performance rotors dissipate gases and heat better than stock. Good luck!

[brien4787]

how about just plain old eom rotors?there is no point in getting a crazy braking system for a 318

[Kevin325i]

Another thing that helps to speed the warping process is when your rotors are getting worn down. Just like what Cary said, they get hot spots and cool unevenly. But with worn rotors there's even less mass to dissapate the heat so they heat up and cool more quickly and unevenly.

Kevin

P.S. My rotors are warping because they're getting to the end of their lives. I also have another vibration from my quibo going bad.

[brien4787]

when i am idle, i notice that my shift knob is vibrating too... this is okay right?

[Kevin325i]

It just means your transmission mounts are wearing out. When you need a new guibo replace the tranny mounts too.

Kevin

[bimmerboy328i]

I had this problem too. I just had my rotors re-aligned and my steering whell hasn't shook since.

[brien4787]

dude, new tranny mounts? my car is seriously a money eating bitch.
so much crap is going to crap ever since last year when my parents gave it to m e.

i seriously am going to m ake a "wat isnt wrong with my car" post when i get back from SF next week adn ill show pictures.

damn this, i need to get a raise and start working more so i can get a new car