Hi All,

　

I have a 2004 Ford Fiesta 1.2 Finnese, it came with steel wheels and i have just upgraded to a set of alloy wheels, the alloys i have bought are the same as the ones shown on the below link:-

　

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/132010458230?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

　

I fitted the alloys on the weekend and noticed that when im driving on the motorway at 60-80mph the wheels and steering wheel are shaking alot!

　

I have taken the wheels to a tyre place and they took all four wheels off, balanced them and refitted them.

　

This doesnt seem to have fixed the problem though, again as soon as i hit 60, 70 the wheels/steering wheel is shaking again.

　

The alloys have the following markings on them.

　

E43.5

5 1/2 JZ14H2

YS61-CA

　

Does anyone know how i can fix this problem or what the problem is - do i need spigot rings even though they are ford alloys?

　

Please note i did not have this problem when the steel wheels were fitted to the car.

　

Thanks,

Matt.

"do i need spigot rings even though they are ford alloys?"   I am not an expert on different ford wheels, but is the hole in the centre a snug fit on the centre of the hub?  if so, then you don't need spigot rings and you would not be able to fit them as there is no gap to fill.

if you spin the wheels is there any sign of them, not running true? particularly on the back of the wheel which is far more likely to dented by potholes as the back is not really braced like the front face of the wheel is.

is there any unevenness in the tyres?

it does typically sound like out of balance but you have checked that. but note that if there is tyre unevenness or wheel rim dented by pot hole, this might affect the car when there is the weight on the tyre/wheel which might not show up on a balance machine as no weight on it then.

you could try changing wheels front to back. front wheel problem will cause more steering shake. back wheel problem might not cause so much steering shake, more of a shudder through the car. doing this might narrow down which one it is.

I will check after work re fitment - I didn't notice anything out the ordinary when I fitted the wheels but Ill double check this later.

The tyres are all in good condition and have approx 6mm of tread and the alloys seem okay with no dints or flat spots (x2 tyre places have checked the alloys for me and said they are fine).

Does anyone know which spigot rings I should buy how do I work out what size to buy as there is hundreds of them on Ebay..

 

 

Most importantly - You havent reused the wheel nuts off your steel wheels have you? They need to be the correct alloy wheel nuts to fit the alloys. There are different types of alloy nuts available too so make sure you get the correct ones. Most common types are either tapered (where it sits against the wheel) or dome shaped.

No I got the alloy wheel nuts together with the alloys so ive used the alloy nuts on the alloy wheels.

Does anyone know re spigot ring size? what size should I get or how do I work out correct size?

 

You dont need spigot rings, they are the same 63.4 centre bore as yours. I reckon those alloys are off a Fiesta circa 1998-2001 and its been the same centre bore from before then until now.

Are you definitely sure you have the right alloy wheel nuts, domed or tapered?

 

As said above, swap both front wheels with the back ones and see if the problem is still there.

Thanks for the above info Wes.  I am going to go back the tyre place today on my lunch and ask them to double check the wheels for any dents/flat spots and see if they can work out what the problem is.

Ill ask them to swop the wheels over as well fronts on back to see if that makes any difference.

I got the wheel nuts together with the alloys when I bought them, as they came with the alloys im sure they are the right ones - they are the domed shaped ones.

  

I found this pic to make sure you know what i mean as Ford nuts are usually tapered not domed where they sit into the alloy wheel.

Hi Wes, The pic doesn't seem to work, might be my phone.

I believe the wheels nuts I used were the same as shown in the below link:-

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FORD-ALLOY-WHEEL-2-SETS-LOCKING-NUTS-FIESTA-ST-FOCUS-MONDEO-KA-ESCORT-COSWORTH-/142200174888?hash=item211bca7928:g:aUMAAOSwo4pYQ0Qh

 

I think the issue has been sorted now, tyre place had a look and one of the wheels is buckled, the buckled wheel was on the front so he swopped and put front wheels onto the back, driving back to work from tyre place and it seemed fine.

Hopefully all sorted, will know for definite tonight after I've been on the motorway.

Thanks for everyone's help!