I have had this problem since I owned the car, the car shakes at motorway speed (65-75mph), and it goes away when it reaches 80mph or so I have been told it is rear wheel balancing problem, but I am not very sure about that because I have tried 2 sets of alloys and 3 sets of tyres, the problem is just still here. I would not say it is definitely NOT wheel balancing problem as there is a chance of tyres not balanced well, but with 3 sets of tyres I think it doesn’t sound like the problem to me
If it is not wheel balancing, what problems can it be? I changed my suspension as well, hence not suspension problem New caliper at one side of rear, although doesn’t sound anything to do with the shaking but just FYI
Is it really that hard to get the wheel balancing on a MX5 right? I have tried 3 sets of wheels and tyres but they are still no good[:@]
Where do I get the Hunter 9700 machine in this country? I guess I may need to go to Kwikfit or national tyres?
Not sure about tracking TBH, but I will leave it as one of the last possibilities as I will be doing WIM alignment next year (well, I am out of UK from this Friday till September 2010!) If there is no joy from fixing those quick easy ones I will then move on to harder ones later (next year!)
I notice that you are running Enkei wheels - are they specifically for the MX5? If not, it may be that the bore of the hole in the middle of the wheel is the wrong size and you need spigot rings.
Now that’s a good thought pete. I suppose that if it is not a good fit then the wheels will only be centred by the wheel studs. Will be interesting to read his reply.
I am pretty sure they are for MX5’s as Matrin here got exactly the same one as well, plus they seem to come off a NR-A Japanese domestic model which the white wheels were never properly exported to UK. Although some say they were planned to sell with Angles (or some editions), Mazda UK took them all off. You can still get the same one in silver on mk2.5 special edition, I forgot what it is but seems like Arizona? The wheels are quite a ‘common’ choice on MX5’s and there should be no problem with them
I have had this shaky problem with 2 sets of wheels 1 is original MK1 Eunos wheels which I guess is the very best fit onto a MX5 another one is the white Enkei’s I have at the moment
Also with 3 sets of tyres, Dunlop on Eunos wheels, Yokohama A569 (or some random numbers) and now I have Yokohama Parada they all got same problem at same speed, which is the reason why I suspect the problem doesn’t come from wheel balancing
Had similar problem with a car years ago. Turned out in the end that the propshaft was out of balance. Sometimes the balace weights fall off. Worth getting it and the UJs checked out.
First post - new member! I’ve had my NA for 8yrs and it only comes out in the summer, over those years I’ve tried all suggestions offered to address the dreaded 60/70 mph shimmy; tyres and wheels changed, tracking, specialist wheel balance at F1 tyres, gearbox brace, turret brace, frog arms and so on. The suggestions it’s wheel balance doesn’t seem to add up in my experience, one minute it’s fine and the next it’s there, same road same speed. I can’t believe that no one has found a definitive answer to the problem, just loads of expensive ideas to try out, I’ve no problem with spending money on a fix, but endlessly swapping tyres, wheels and adding more bracing is wearing thin, anyone who’s been there and got the T shirt is welcome to comment, but no pet theory’s please, my bank manager has told me to move on and find a cheaper hobby🥴
The propshaft is a possibility, and check the PPF linking gearbox and diff is properly set up.
My old 1957 Mk2 Zodiac got through propshaft UJs at a ferocious rate, until I noticed the less rusty patches with a couple of scraps of weld where two diff-end balance weights had been. New prop shaft and it did another twenty thousand miles (finally vibration-free) at 80+ on my London-Bristol weekend night-time commutes along the old A4 (before the M4 existed).
Sorry poor explanation, when I say same road same speed, I’m saying the shimmy can happen at the same speed on same road one occasion and not the next, even on the same day doing two trips on that road and same speed
