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I have a '99 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS that has a terrible vibration problem that occurs at all speeds, with it being very bad on the highway. During turns, it gets worse then better, as if both front wheels are bent and they go in and out of phase with each other. Everything seems to be okay suspension/hub wise.. but I tried running the car in gear on jackstands and the front wheels (driven wheels) are not round!

Could it be bent wheels?

Should I bite the bullet and buy new ones or find a company that will repair them? They're the OZ Racing wheels that I suppose were an option on the car back in '99, as seen on this car (not mine):

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    are you sure it is the wheels and not the tires?
    – mikes
    Mar 25, 2015 at 21:42
  • @mikes No, I really can't tell.. but I don't see how the tires could be in that bad of shape.. and I know for a fact I hit some gigantic potholes.. Any ideas to figure out for sure what the issue is?
    – Jimmio92
    Mar 26, 2015 at 0:20
  • I'm currently waiting on a new jack to be delivered.. (should be Friday).. I can record it then.
    – Jimmio92
    Mar 26, 2015 at 1:27
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    An easy way to diagnose this is to perform a tire rotation. If you rotate the tires (and wheels, of course), but the behavior doesn't move with them, you've got other problems...
    – Lathejockey81
    Mar 26, 2015 at 3:08
  • The car has been sitting a while now, and I just took it for a spin again. The problem seems much less pronounced then how I recall it. I'm thinking I'll put new tires on, balance them, and see how that does.. as they're old and probably won't pass inspection anyway.
    – Jimmio92
    Mar 27, 2015 at 4:17

2 Answers 2

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More than likely, if you don't see cracks or deformations in your rims, the tires are out of balance and creating the shaking/vibration that you are experiencing.

I would procure new tires or get the wheels balanced before shotgun troubleshooting the issue with new rims.

OP Comment:

The car has been sitting a while now, and I just took it for a spin again. The problem seems much less pronounced then how I recall it. I'm thinking I'll put new tires on, balance them, and see how that does.. as they're old and probably won't pass inspection anyway. – Jimmio92 Mar 27 '15 at 4:17

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If the car's been sitting for a while, the tires will have a flat spot. Driving for a while sometimes resolves this, but if the car's been sitting for to long the tire deformation can be permanent. So take a drive (gently, don't put yourself in a situation where you need to explore the limits of grip), see if the vibration subsides.

Check how old the tires are, if they're older than 5 years I recommend replacing them.

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