front end shimmy

[loneinventor]

i haven't had my 05' limited to long so i'm really just getting to know it .
i noticed a slight shimmy / vibration in the front end when i hit about 50+ mph...
it started getting worse, tonight finally pulled the front wheels off. found alot of corrosion and rust between the back of the aluminum wheel and the mounting surface of the rotor.
i took a da sander the back of the wheel and wire brushed and sanded the mounting surface of the rotor, blew off the dust and then sprayed the back of the wheel with t-9 ...
mounted the wheels back on and torqued the wheels to 100 ft/lbs..
does anybody know the actuall torque specs ???? couldn't find them ...
any way, took ex out for a spin, seems to have fixed the problem..
the wheels i have are the aluminum ones with the chrome cladding , ( permanent hub cap ). they look nice from a distance but they are junk !!!!!!
seems between the chrome cladding and the actuall aluminum wheel , the aluminum is oxidizing that much it is buckling the chrome cladding...
does anybody else have similar problem ???????

the sucky thing is my wifes 03' 100th anniversary ex has almost the same identical wheel, but hers are a chrome plated aluminum wheel.. the real deel. thought i was getting the same thing.....

 

[jrford]

sounds like you may have hit on something. . .

this post is talking about something very similar.
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=272028

 

[rr38690]

you sure it wasn't just ice stuck in your wheel, that will do it too

 

[ShakesAllDay]

About three weeks ago, I put a set of Summit Trail Climbers (low cost AT tires, OEM specs) on my 2005 Explorer XLT (4wd 4.0L). This last weekend, our family took a trip to visit the my in-laws and we noticed a pretty good shimmy from about 60mph and faster. It seemed to be coming from the front passenger side. And, it would come and go, but was apparent most of the time. No issues going at lower speeds.

I just called the tire shop and they said it sounds like I could have thrown a weight, so they are going to re-balance the wheels in the morning. I'll report back and see if that helps.

 

[ShakesAllDay]

About three weeks ago, I put a set of Summit Trail Climbers (low cost AT tires, OEM specs) on my 2005 Explorer XLT (4wd 4.0L). This last weekend, our family took a trip to visit the my in-laws and we noticed a pretty good shimmy from about 60mph and faster. It seemed to be coming from the front passenger side. And, it would come and go, but was apparent most of the time. No issues going at lower speeds.

I just called the tire shop and they said it sounds like I could have thrown a weight, so they are going to re-balance the wheels in the morning. I'll report back and see if that helps.

Just got the X back from the shop. They said that all 4 tires were off. They were unsure how, maybe their machine's calibration was off when they put on my tires. So, they didn't charge me for the re-balance. Had the alignment checked and needed some toe adjustments (FL, RR). I'll take it out on the highway after work and let you guys know if the shimmy is still there.

 

[ShakesAllDay]

Just got the X back from the shop. They said that all 4 tires were off. They were unsure how, maybe their machine's calibration was off when they put on my tires. So, they didn't charge me for the re-balance. Had the alignment checked and needed some toe adjustments (FL, RR). I'll take it out on the highway after work and let you guys know if the shimmy is still there.

Drives smooth as silk and straight as an arrow.