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Okay, you just noticed that your car vibrates at certain speeds, and you’re bothered about what could be the cause?
Apparently, when one or two components of your car start to rot or fail due to aging or improper maintenance, you’d start noticing different unusual symptoms.
For your car to vibrate when you hit 40 mph, 60 mph, or higher speeds, it signifies that something is wrong with the tires, wheels, or braking system.
Regardless, there are other things that could cause the vibration. When you start noticing the vibration, the best thing to do is to stop driving and have a mechanic diagnose your car.
However, before we talk about how to stop your car from vibrating when you reach top speeds, let’s discuss the causes of this (vibration) problem.
Why Car Vibrates at Certain Speeds
Generally, the vibration can be linked to faulty components in the wheel area, engine, axle, brakes, or steering.
1. Engine Problems
The engine is like the powerhouse of any automobile. Once something is wrong with the engine, a lot of other components would be affected; thus, resulting in various unusual occurrences.
Particularly, regarding car vibration at certain speeds, the engine could be the culprit here if the spark plugs, air/fuel filter, and hoses are not in good condition (faulty or broken).
There are a lot of minor components that help the engine to function properly; if any of these components gets broken, clogged, or damaged, unusual scenarios such as car vibrating at high speeds are likely to occur.
That said, one of the first places to check if you encounter this situation is your engine.
2. Unbalanced or Worn Tires
Yes, your tires could be the culprit here. Some drivers don’t pay serious attention to their car tires; as long as the tire looks good, they are not really bothered about the threads.
Well, uneven tire tread wear can cause vibration at certain speeds – but this only happens in rare scenarios.
It is also important to say that if your tires are not well aligned, that could cause vibration too. Unbalanced tires or underinflated tires are all possible causes of car vibration at top speeds.
Also, if you’re using the right rims for your car tires, that could cause vibration. In the same way, defective tires can also be the culprit here.
Generally, when your tires are not in good condition, your car is liable to vibrate or go out of balance when you drive at certain speeds.
If your tires are the cause, you need to change them as soon as possible, get them inflated with the right amount of air, and ensure there are no defects.
3. Issues With Your Car’s Axle
When last did you check the axle? Actually, a broken axle can cause vibration at high-speed levels.
The axle plays a vital role in causing your car to move; if it is bent, or the drive shaft is damaged, chances are that you’d definitely notice a vibration as you drive and hit certain speeds.
Furthermore, worn-out Constant Velocity (CV) joints can also cause vibrations; the CV joints are all part of the axle.
4. Wheel and Suspension
Your wheels or suspension could be the reason for the vibration. When your wheels are not properly aligned or your car’s suspension components are loose, you are likely to experience vibrations as you drive.
Damaged wheel bearings, bent wheels, and unbalanced wheels are all possible causes of this issue.
What to do? Firstly, you need to ensure that your wheels are aligned properly, then you can check for faulty suspension components and get them fixed as soon as possible.
5. Your Car Steering
Lack of power steering oil could be the cause of the vibration. If your power steering fluid leaks away, you will find it difficult to drive, and it could also cause vibration at certain speeds.
Always endeavor to refill the power steering reservoir and tighten any loose steering component.
6. The Brakes
The calipers, brake discs, rotors, and other components make up the braking system. If any of these components should go bad or get damaged, apparently your car will frequently shift to one side or vibrate constantly as you drive.
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Conclusion
Now, next time when your car vibrates at certain speeds, you can check out these places mentioned above and try to fix the situation as soon as possible.
You may need to get a mechanic to perform the fixing instead of trying out some DIY practices you just learned over the internet.
It is not advisable to keep driving if the vibration is frequent and intense. Generally, loose components are the cause, and if they continue to shake off gradually as the car vibrates, they’d eventually fall off, which can cause an accident or costlier damage.
In summary, you should be proactive in fixing unusual signs and symptoms you may notice while driving.