Vibration starts at 35 mph (2013 CX-5 AWD)

[Mazzydude]

I have a 2013 cx5, 190000 miles, AWD. I replaced the struts at 185000 due to hearing a clunk in the front end. Clunk did not go away. Lower control arms with ball joints were replaced today and clunk has gone away. New tires were installed 3 weeks ago and a slight vibration was noticed. Now, after 3 weeks, vibration is worse. Vibration starts at 35 mph and gets worse when increasing speeds. Decelerating also caused vibration, then goes away at 35 mph. All 4 tires were balanced today during the control arm replacement. 3 of the 4 tires were not balanced properly. The car still vibrates starting at 35 mph.

Questions/thoughts

 

[paris1]

Low speed vibration is usually caused by improper alignment.

 

[Mazzydude]

Low speed vibration is usually caused by improper alignment.

The car is actually very smooth at low speeds, no vibration, but starting around 35 mph the vibrations start, and gets worse as speed increases.

 

[RedBaron]

This could mean a faulty tire, where the bands have separated inside. It's rare but even new tires have been known to have this.

 

[paris1]

The car is actually very smooth at low speeds, no vibration, but starting around 35 mph the vibrations start, and gets worse as speed increases.

35 mph is low speed. Does the vibration subside at a higher speed or just keep getting worse?

 

[Mazzydude]

It gets worse at faster speeds with the exception being around 52, with no acceleration, then around 55-57 gets worse and continues to get worse at higher speeds. Decelerating has vibration that peaks around 45, then goes away at around 35 mph

 

[200955]

I have a 2013 cx5, 190000 miles, AWD. I replaced the struts at 185000 due to hearing a clunk in the front end. Clunk did not go away. Lower control arms with ball joints were replaced today and clunk has gone away. New tires were installed 3 weeks ago and a slight vibration was noticed. Now, after 3 weeks, vibration is worse. Vibration starts at 35 mph and gets worse when increasing speeds. Decelerating also caused vibration, then goes away at 35 mph. All 4 tires were balanced today during the control arm replacement. 3 of the 4 tires were not balanced properly. The car still vibrates starting at 35 mph.

Questions/thoughts

If you didn't have this situation before the tire change then you know it happened after the tire change. I'd say a trip back to the tire shop that installed them is in order.

 

[paris1]

Well that's not alignment. Sounds like something more mechanical. What does the shop doing the work say?

 

[Mazzydude]

Quick update, I purchased the car in February of 2024 from a small dealer. They put new tires on the front and left the worn old tires on the rear. 3 weeks ago, I bought 2 new tires to have a matching set, especially wanting new tires all around before winter. The new new tires went on the front, the old new tires went to the rear. Vibrations started happening after the new new tires were installed on the front. Tonight I am planning to put the old new tires back on the front, and move the new new tires to the rear and see what happens. I will post an update later this evening after I swap the tires.

 

[vrsick]

I'll bet the tires are not properly spin balance. My son's car had the same issue. From all the vibration, he had to get all 4 tires balanced and wheel alignment. Hope your able to resolve this without spending too much money.

 

[200955]

Here's the rule of thumb from the days of the dinosaurs: "If you feel it in the steering wheel the problems in the front, if you feel it in your a$$ the problems in the rear!" I once had a set of new tires installed and had a similar issue. Turns out that the bead wasn't completely seated on the rim by about 1/8 inch. On another occasion, the installer forgot to remove all old weights before balancing the tires and putting on new weights. I had over 4 oz on one tire and that's absurd. If it is the tire(s) a good tire shop will show you conclusively the problem and a visit would be in your best interest. Tires are the only things between you and the road.

 

[Mazdiod2]

I hope the tires are round! Vibration issues really suck as it can be a number of things causing the problem. Even a combination of things, I would guess.

 

[ceric]

My suggestion is to find another reputed shop to rebalance the tires.

 

[dunhillmc]

Go to a shop that does road force balancing

 

[Mazzydude]

Update. I relocated the new new tires to the rear, and put the new old tires on the front and took the car for a road test. Results: vibration starts at about 41 mph, increased vibration up to 56, vibration less at 57+. My max speed on this test was 61, no change from 57 mph to 61 mph. Much less vibration felt in the steering wheel after relocating the tires, and the steering wheel did not shake at all. Much more vibration in my seat and noticeably more vibration in the back seat/rear of the car as a result of moving the tires front to back. At 60 mph, I put the car in neutral and no change in vibration, vibration stayed the same. Upon decelerating the car stopped vibrating now at about 41-43 mph, a change from 35 mph before relocating the tires.

 

[Moonlighter]

One of the tyres on the back either are badly out of balance or my have a broken steel belt.

Jack the back wheels up again and spin them, watching the tread as the wheel spins, looking for any irregularities in tread height We had a similar vibration some years ago and thats what it was. This is a safety issue as the tyre may blow out if it has a broken steel belt

 

[Mazzydude]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I’m taking the car back to the tire shop this Sunday afternoon for further analysis.

 

[Mazdiod2]

I've had some issues with bad tires. On at least one of them I could see the variation in the tread when I spun the rear wheel by hand, but it was a small deviation, so not easy to see.

I guess they have a gauge you can hold against the tread to measure it.

 

[Mazzydude]

I have another update. I had all 4 tires replaced today by a respectable tire shop, and purchased a better brand of tire, not a high end tire but an upgrade from what was on the car before. I drove the car home and noticed the vibrations were much less and didn’t start until around 45-48 mph. The vibration got worse after the car warmed up and was driven for 10-15 minutes. The vibrations did not get any worse after the warm up period. Another issue is at low speeds, turning left, the car makes a squealing sound from the front left wheel. The squealing occurs after a warm up period also. I don’t know if the vibration intensity and squealing are connected.

 

[Moonlighter]

I have another update. I had all 4 tires replaced today by a respectable tire shop, and purchased a better brand of tire, not a high end tire but an upgrade from what was on the car before. I drove the car home and noticed the vibrations were much less and didn’t start until around 45-48 mph. The vibration got worse after the car warmed up and was driven for 10-15 minutes. The vibrations did not get any worse after the warm up period. Another issue is at low speeds, turning left, the car makes a squealing sound from the front left wheel. The squealing occurs after a warm up period also. I don’t know if the vibration intensity and squealing are connected.

Sounds like its time to get a suspension specialist or expert mechanic to assess whats going on with front left, and also the vibration issues.

Possibilities now that you addressed the tyre issues could include CV’s and drive shafts.

IMO its well past the time for internet guesses because something that is not good is going on and it needs to be properly identified by an expert inspection and to then get fixed.