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Steering wheel shimmy/vibration at higher speeds - looking for a solution (alignment is fine)

drbiggieg

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As it is a known problem and many members on the forum have discussed this being an issue I am wondering if anyone has found a solution to this problem. I had the truck aligned twice at the service center, but it did not affect the steering wheel wobble at all. I even added that tires might need balancing in my service request.

I am actually wondering if it might have something to do with the steering wheel linkage bushings or another suspension component.

Is this likely another aftermarket fix?

I have an R1T with VIN 13XXX, currently 4K miles.
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CommodoreAmiga

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wobble in the steering wheel at speed would likely be a tire balance issue, imo. I'd have an independent and reputable tire shop pull the tires and do a road-force balance. This doesn't require Rivian-specific knowledge, outside of lifting the vehicle to get the wheels off, so I think it's actually best done by a shop OTHER than Rivian, so you can get true expertise in wheel balancing.
 

COdogman

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Agree, it is far more likely to be unbalanced tires or alignment. I would find a good local shop and ask them to check both even though Rivian said it’s fine.
 

ironpig

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It wouldn't be allignment, it would be balancing. You need Road Force Balancing on the tires. If the service center can't get the tires in balance, maybe they need to put a new set of tires on it for you and see if it goes away. It does seem that most people who are having the issues are on the 22s.
 

shrink

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wobble in the steering wheel at speed would likely be a tire balance issue, imo. I'd have an independent and reputable tire shop pull the tires and do a road-force balance. This doesn't require Rivian-specific knowledge, outside of lifting the vehicle to get the wheels off, so I think it's actually best done by a shop OTHER than Rivian, so you can get true expertise in wheel balancing.
Yes! This exactly. I had my wheels powder coated recently and that included a road force balance when reinstalling the wheels. My R1T truly feels much smoother and more precise. Absolutely no vibration at speeds up to 90 mph (haven't gone faster than that) since I got them reinstalled. I remember on my initial drive home after delivery some vibration on the highway around 70 mph.
 

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NY_Rob

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... all god suggestions, and if they fail to alleviate the wobble.. could be somewhat malformed tires right out of the factory. Some have had this issue and gone with aftermarket tires and that completely solved the problem.
 
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drbiggieg

drbiggieg

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Yes! This exactly. I had my wheels powder coated recently and that included a road force balance when reinstalling the wheels. My R1T truly feels much smoother and more precise. Absolutely no vibration at speeds up to 90 mph (haven't gone faster than that) since I got them reinstalled. I remember on my initial drive home after delivery some vibration on the highway around 70 mph.
Thank you for all of the feedback around this issue. Will definitely get a road force balance to see if that's the main issue. Are there specific procedures to this for the R1T if I go to an outside shop?

The only things I can thinking of it putting the suspension in off road. Am I missing other steps?

Thanks!
 
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drbiggieg

drbiggieg

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It wouldn't be allignment, it would be balancing. You need Road Force Balancing on the tires. If the service center can't get the tires in balance, maybe they need to put a new set of tires on it for you and see if it goes away. It does seem that most people who are having the issues are on the 22s.

Are there any shops that would be recommended?

I definitely don't feel comfortable taking it to NTB or Discount Tire.
 

ironpig

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Are there any shops that would be recommended?

I definitely don't feel comfortable taking it to NTB or Discount Tire.
Yeah maybe avoid those big box tire stores. Find out if there are any shops near you that either work on 4x4s or performance cars that have a machine that will "road force balance". I had continuing problems on my 4Runner with BFG KO2s for months before I finally found a good shop to balance them properly and finally got my steering wheel to stop vibrating at highway speed.
 

SACDFJC

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When I had my 20" Pirelli AT's tires installed the shop did road match mounting and road force balancing. After picking up the truck I had some vibration in the steering and in the driver seat. I took the truck back and they took two tires off for being out of spec and sent them back to Pirelli as defective. They installed two new tires and it solved the vibration problem. The tire shop said Pirelli's are notorious for not having balancing issues.
 

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My Pirelli AT's were Road Force balanced and while it improved the wobble, it didn't eliminate it. It's a tire issue. I put on my Cooper AT3 XlT tires and with a standard balance, all vibration is 100% eliminated and this is with a tire with a more aggresive tread pattern.

Balancing is simple. Bring your tire shop Jack Pucks and let them have at it. Highest Off Road Setting, then in Service, TIRE CHANGE switched on. Done deal.
 
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Puttyandnapalm

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It wouldn't be allignment, it would be balancing. You need Road Force Balancing on the tires. If the service center can't get the tires in balance, maybe they need to put a new set of tires on it for you and see if it goes away. It does seem that most people who are having the issues are on the 22s.
Ugh, I just traded my set of 20s for 22s and am now am experiencing a slight shimmy around 65-70 mph.
 
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drbiggieg

drbiggieg

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Ugh, I just traded my set of 20s for 22s and am now am experiencing a slight shimmy around 65-70 mph.
Sorry to hear that. I've tried to search for local shops willing to balance/rotate the R1T tires, but no luck yet. As a member posted above, I will likely end up setting an appointment for tire rotation and balancing with Rivian SC.
 

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As it is a known problem and many members on the forum have discussed this being an issue I am wondering if anyone has found a solution to this problem. I had the truck aligned twice at the service center, but it did not affect the steering wheel wobble at all. I even added that tires might need balancing in my service request.

I am actually wondering if it might have something to do with the steering wheel linkage bushings or another suspension component.

Is this likely another aftermarket fix?

I have an R1T with VIN 13XXX, currently 4K miles.
check the torque on the bolts that hold the steering rack (I've seen them loose on an R1)
 
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drbiggieg

drbiggieg

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My Pirelli AT's were Road Force balanced and while it improved the wobble, it didn't eliminate it. It's a tire issue. I put on my Cooper AT3 XlT tires and with a standard balance, all vibration is 100% eliminated and this is with a tire with a more aggresive tread pattern.

Balancing is simple. Bring your tire shop Jack Pucks and let them have at it. Highest Off Road Setting, then in Service, TIRE CHANGE switched on. Done deal.
Thank you for outlining this. Unfortunately I haven't found a place willing to work on the truck yet.
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