71 S bug wheel wobble

Since Ive got new rims my car has wheel balance issues from about 65 to 80kph. Now Ive read about this being acommon problem on 71to73supers.Have others had this problem and did they solve it. My tyre guys and mechanic are unsure as to why.

I understand that there is a typical superbug shimmy that occurs due to bouncing of the arms in the bushes.
As to why that would be caused after new wheels, i'm not sure but possibly coincidence.

heres some light reading on teh subject matter, hope it helps!

http://www.vw-resource.com/wobble.html

heres a good place to start reading
http://www.superbeetlesonly.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=1298
i fixed mine with new bushes and a strut tower brace

check this out too:



sugggested solution is urethane replacements.

Piece of piss to fix, and you live near a resident strut guru, Joel :P

Honestly i have never had the superbug shimmy and we have only owned supers lol. we have had 5 supers in the last 8 years and none expirienced the problem, even with my latlest bug i have swaped lots on the front end but havent had the shimmy, i have only had sweving problems due to very bad wheel allighnment (toe out)

From Dylan

^^^ believe me fella's, when you get a bad one, you know it....😂😂

Marilyn71 wrote:Since Ive got new rims my car has wheel balance issues from about 65 to 80kph. Now Ive read about this being a common problem on 71 to 73supers. Have others had this problem and did they solve it. My tyre guys and mechanic are unsure as to why.

its called the superbug shimmy..

the mcpherson strut front suspension has rubber bushes that wear and cause the front end to vibrate causing the shimmy.

Just replace all the rubber bushes on the front suspension..
and it will be fixed...

its just a wearing problem... the bushes don';t need to look worn out.. the rubber maybe too soft and cracked..

You can get nolathane bushes which are red and very hard
quite different to the rubber originals..

Bushing Replacement will fix the SHIMMY..

I have no idea why it has occurred with new wheels or tyres
maybe a slight difference in tracking???

LEE

It can be more than just the rubbers, play in the balljoints, center drag link and the bushing in the idler arm can also cause it.

Wheel balance can seriously effect it.
An easy thing to try is take one front wheel off at a time and turn it 90 degrees and put it back on, see if it gets better or worse.

aftermarket 14" wheels are shocking for causing shimmys.

Hi Joel
I would have thought that ball joints and the steering arm etc would have been checked for wear when looking for a problem.

cheers

LEE

What is your wheel offset like? If the new wheels are wider and higher offset then they will make it worse. Changing the swaybar bushes fixed mine pretty well.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll have to get the front end checked. The wheel alignment is OK I'm told and so is the wheel balance. Worn rubbers, bushes arms etc would be a good place to start.
I've gone from a 14"globe wheel to a remanufactured 15" based on the standard bug steel rim with deeper off sets. I was hoping that going to a 15" wheel would improve fuel economy and less engine wear. And I agree that the deeper offest may have made the problem worse, but Joel I have heard of this technique of the quarter turn.
I'll start with the bushes and ball joints etc and work my way through and see if things improve. But I am amazed that the tyre guys were so perplexed.

By the way Dylan good to hear from you, hope all goes well for your car etc.

My Lbug was shocking. New bushes made little difference.
Took the 14' globe mags (with the huge offset) off and fitted stock 15' wheels. Problem solved.
The further out the offset the more magnified the feedback into the steering system.

waveman1500 wrote:What is your wheel offset like? If the new wheels are wider and higher offset then they will make it worse. Changing the swaybar bushes fixed mine pretty well.

I'm sorry, but this is isn't entirely true.

I have seven inch wide wheels under my guards and an offset of +30. I have no shimmy whatsoever, and it handles beautifully.

In saying that, when I put the new struts in, I did replace a couple of urethane bushes, but they were just the sway bar ones.

68AutoBug wrote:

Marilyn71 wrote:Since Ive got new rims my car has wheel balance issues from about 65 to 80kph. Now Ive read about this being a common problem on 71 to 73supers. Have others had this problem and did they solve it. My tyre guys and mechanic are unsure as to why.

its called the superbug shimmy..

the mcpherson strut front suspension has rubber bushes that wear and cause the front end to vibrate causing the shimmy.

Just replace all the rubber bushes on the front suspension..
and it will be fixed...

its just a wearing problem... the bushes don';t need to look worn out.. the rubber maybe too soft and cracked..

You can get nolathane bushes which are red and very hard
quite different to the rubber originals..

Bushing Replacement will fix the SHIMMY..

I have no idea why it has occurred with new wheels or tyres
maybe a slight difference in tracking???

LEE

replace all the bushes with superpro poly ones. I can't stress enough how good they are.

noalthane aren't very good. had many dramas with incorrect press fit tolerances and them crumbling.