please advise on my wheel problem

[anthonys2]

Am getting pig sick of my current problem with my 18 inch s8 alloys. current set up is 15mm hub centric spacers and the tyres are 225/40/18 all brand new tyres and everything balanced as it should. now i have shake on the steering wheel and is very bad between 50 to 65 mph wheels all refurbished at SEM alloys in sunderland and also the bolts keep losening up ever so slightly they need regular checking - is this normal on extra long wheel bolts?? am close to going back to my standard 16s but my 18s look excellent - am i doing something wrong here? what tyre pressure should i be running at? also i bought the wheels from andy(s2tornado) and he said they are good wheels so i cant understand this please help!!?

[dest]

It sounds pretty much the same set up as I had.
Are the bolts new? If so, its normal for them to need tightening at first.
Im not sure what else to suggest, apart from if you put the other wheels on does the shake disappear straight away?

[s2_wot]

Question for u? Is the head of the wheel bolt shaped correctly to suit the wheel rim?

[Error404]

Also are you sure the hubcentric spacer is right for the centre bore etc?
What bolt torque are you using?
Is a wheel buckled or flat spotted?

[Jamo]

The main reason I used studs instead of longer bolts, do a stud conversion

also are your spacers hub centric?

[dest]

Yeah he said they are in the first post

[s2_wot]

If the bolt heads are correct for the wheel then I'd look at the spacer. Is is mating 100% flush with the hub and then is it mating 100% with the wheel.

A small error on a surface for the spacer would let you tighten all bolts but they'd never hold.

with Jamo but there's no logical reason why the bolts won't hold torque if everything is correct.

[anthonys2]

bolts are all new and from bainbridge on here so guessing that most people get them from him spacers from him to and again new so i think they ok would tyre pressures have owt to do with it?

[macspring]

You did say you were looking for contributions,

so heres mine, fwiw.

Put each wheel/tyre combination on a tyre fitter's balancing machine and watch it while it spins. Could be a buckled rim or a tyre which is dodgy and has bulge on it that you can't easily when it is on the car, but is still showing up on the car when you drive it?

Saving grace is it's a problem that if you work through the possibilities others have mentioned to date you should get to the bottom of if. Rather than some "invisible" electronic issue.

I presume you have access to a set of "perfect" comparison 16" Avus to try with and without the spacers and / or the longer bolts to help you nail it down.

Do stick with it as Mk 1 S8s do look the dogs on S2s, as you've mentioned.

Good luck and kind regards.



p.s. post up the solution when you nail it.

[anthonys2]

cheers pal am certainly going to persue the matter becasue am pig sick its been at the garage for 3 weeks getting some major work done all the belts full service radiators changed seals changed on the rear diff etc etc total bill £1302!!! so eating for the next month asda smart price beans and bread!!

[Le S2 Audi]

I would put a pound to a dollar that your spacers aren't hubcentric ones or are not fitted properly....

I could be talking bo11acks...

But its just my pennys worth...

Buy a set of proper spacers from Kev (Bambridge) & I bet your issues go away....

[Jamo]

bolts are all new and from bainbridge on here so guessing that most people get them from him spacers from him to and again new so i think they ok would tyre pressures have owt to do with it?

Where are the spacers from? they need to have a 57.1 centre bore

[s2_wot]

Anthony a few more things to check..
Is there any vibration under heavy breaking?
Is the hub bolt (the one in the centre of the wheel) correctly torqued?
Did you tighten the rear wheel bolts with the handbrake off? Might be worth a try.

You say the vibration kicks in at 50 to 65 MPH, is this gear dependant, could this vibration be a propshaft bearing?

[Colesy]

I have a similar issue to this using 15mm hubcentric spacers from bambridge, 65mm studs with 18" lightweight wheels. - I get a vibration at 80, I can feel it through the steering wheel and it can be quite annoying when cruising so I tend to drive a bit faster to make it go away!

I haven't had a chance to investigate it really. So I'll be keeping a close eye on this thread! It's the least of my worries at the moment...

[anthonys2]

i bought the spacers from bainbridge so assuming they'll be fine what am going to do is am taking the car to revolutionary performance in dunston area and am printing this thread out and tell them to investigate!! ive got so much on that if i do it this could go on for a month and to be honest its really spoiling the drive so want it sorted. Anybody used these guys before? and thanks everyone for your help and more advice just keep it coming!! il keep this thread up to date on my findings