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Steering wheel shimmy - the usual culprit is a wheel out of balance. I have aftermarket rims (American Racing - they came with the truck). I have had them balanced multiple times and each time the tech tells me they were out of balance. I had two different businesses (Sam's Club and Sears Auto Center) tell me that aftermarket rims can be very difficult to successfully balance. Has anyone heard this before? The rims are in good condition (no flat spots, etc). Is my only recourse, in order to get rid of steering wheels shimmy (it only happens between 45 and 55 mph), to get OEM wheels?

To note, I've just replaced the steering stabilizer (MOOG Super Trail Boss) and that helped a little. Also replaced my OEM shocks with a set of heavy duty Bilsteins (I love them, wow). All other steering and suspension components are okay.

So, do American Racing wheels not balance well and I need OEM replacements or am I being fed a line?


Wheel shimmy can be caused by a number of things. First, the wheels can be 1) out of round, 2) out of concentric, 3) out of balance, 4) bent. The tires may be out of round. You can balance a tire the shape of a football perfectly on a spin balancer... but obviously it won't go down the road smoothly. Any good tire shop should be able to identify if there is a problem with the tire or the rim. Shimmy is often caused by large tires on stock front steering systems, but you say you've got that taken care of.
Gnarls.