TR7 Steering Wheel wobble at 65-70mph

[TReslaV8]

Hello, I have a wobble felt through the steering wheel when cruising at 65-70mph. It disappears at 75 or 60, but is present when braking from 70 with a firm press of the brakes (not emergency stop but say slowing for a roundabout)and is noticeable from 70 down to about 30 during the braking.  Having had the front wheels balanced, the fitter drew my attention to some movement in the wheel- aah! Wheel bearings going, but no, it was the OSF shock absorber rattling in its casing. So both front shocks changed.  No noticeable play in the front wheel so issue should have been solved. Unfortunately not, whilst slightly better there is still the steering wheel wobble between 65 and 70 and during the braking.  I’ve had a good look with wheels off and no obvious play or worn rubber in the joints in either wheel assembly, or anything obvious in the tyres (2 year old Uniroyals) so I am mystified. I shall probably get the tracking checked but has anyone got any ideas on anything else I should check?

[drofgum]

TReslaV8,

Try swapping the tyres front to rear. That will show if the wheel/tyre assemblies are the source of the wobble.

Regards,

Paul

[Howard]

A wheel wobble around 60mph is a common issue on many TR7's which I understand is due to the need to balance the wheel on the car & not separately, as done by all modern tyre shops.

Both my 7's had MGF wheels fitted after I acquired them and with them the vibration almost entirely vanishes to the point its unnoticeable. Probably the wheels themselves with the more modern tires are better balanced to start with. You should be able to pick up a set of 15" wheels complete with tires for under  £100 - at that price the tires will be old but should be OK for a short test run to check the problem has gone.

You will also need the MGF nuts since the standard Triumph wheel nuts are not suitable.

On my original 2L 7 I didn't fit spacers but simply installed them directly in place of the original wheels. The only issue that I had with this was that the front wheel caps clips had to be trimmed off and then stuck in place.

 

 

[TReslaV8]

Many thanks both. I will try the wheel swap first (cheapest option🙃) and then have a look at replacement wheels. I had a TR7 V8 with MGF wheels in the past but changed to a smaller diameter as the ride was a tad harsh with the low profile. However the wobble is sufficiently irritating that I might give it a go. I also have some spare standard rims so might try those.  But most helpful replies, as ever, thank you.

 

David

[65redspit]

Not sure if this is relevant, as Howard mentioned it earlier, but I ran TR7 alloys on my spitfire for a while and they really do need to be balanced on the car...

One other thought however, have you had your caster and camber checked recently as these can cause it, especially under braking...

 

[TReslaV8]

So after much searching i finally found a place that could do on car wheel balancing (Lancia specialist!) and hey presto, the wobble is all but cured. It might need a tweak on the weights (A advised by the garage) but it is significantly better. So thank you for everyone’s responses, it looks like a more comfortable C2C is now possible!