Alright HT gurus, I need some help. Long story ahead.

01 Civic EX with 221K on the clock. Was due for a new set of rotors/pads and opted for Centric and Stop-Tech, respectively. Install was a bit of a pain; slide pins were seized into place, and I eventually had to torch the bracket/pin to remove the old pins. Had to use auto part store (Advance) pins and rubber boots for a quick fix due to my other car being in winter storage. Come to find out that the lower pins on both driver/passenger brackets initially don't slide into place (boots were torn and the old lubricant/dirt had created a concrete like paste). I decide to use a 1/4 inch drill bit to shave off the layer of rust and grit that accumulated on the inside of the slide bracket before thoroughly cleaning the brackets with brake cleaner and cotton swabs. With the brackets squared away, and new boots and properly lubricated pins installed, as well as the new pads, rotors, and rotor/hub mounting screws, I threw everything back together and took it for a drive.

After bedding the brakes following StopTechs procedure, I go for a spirited run on some nearby back roads. I made a major rookie mistake: when I lowered the car, I failed to fully retighten the lug nuts. After I bed the brakes, I hear the wobble and immediately pull over to tighten the nuts. I do this as quick as possible (< 30 seconds); fearing that being stationary could damage the rotor from constant contact with the super heated pads even if the brakes aren't applied. Maybe I damaged my rotors? Anyway, up until 50-55 mph, the car is smooth and braking power is consistent and firm w/ good feedback. After that speed range, it's as if someone flipped a switch and wrecked my tire balance, causing noticeable and annoying vibration in the steering wheel. This lasts up until at least 75 mph. I reason that, since braking doesn't seem to have any effect on the vibration, it is a balance issue. Yesterday morning, I took the car in for a balance, and unfortunately the wheel is still vibrating at those speeds. I take the car home and start poking around the brakes. I noticed a few things:

-With the car in neutral, spinning the axle on the passenger side is noticeably more difficult than on the drivers side. Thinking the caliper or pins may be stuck, I remove the pin that initially wouldn't seat, reshave the inside of the bracket, push back the caliper, reinstall everything, pump the brake to reseat the pads, and try again. Easier to spin this time, but still more resistance than the driver side. Not sure if this matters.
-The screws that hold the rotor to the hub had come loose. Tightened these back down. Rotor appears to be mounted properly, but I did not remove to verify.
-Reinstalling the wheel onto the axle hub was a pain. It simply would not easily line up with the center of the hub. I believe it was mounted properly, but I might pull the wheels again, lightly scrub to remove surface rust, then reinstall to ensure it's completely flush.
-Rotors don't seem to be damaged. Of course, this is visual only. I don't have a micrometer to check for run out.

I did clean up the surface where the wheel meets the rotor; it was covered in rust and corrosion from many years of use. Everything (calipers, caliper bracket, wheels) are torqued to spec, and as mentioned above the screws were properly tightened. This seemed to help a little, but experience tells me that this is all in my head.

I'm assuming the issue lies with either the brakes or the wheels, since the problem arose after these were worked on. However, I did inspect all boots (tie rod, CV, ball joint) and manually checked for play (attempting to move wheel up and down/side to side when mounted) and didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Most recent suspension work was ~15K miles ago; new LCAs w/ bushings. I doubt it's related, but the more data the better.

Anyway, I hope someone can provide some insight. What is really boggling is the sudden onset of vibration. It's important to mention again that braking does not seem to have any effect on the intensity of vibration.

Any help is appreciated.

 

I would look at the simplest solution first, perhaps a missing wheel balancing weight.

 

As mentioned, all four wheels were professionally balanced after the brake work was completed, and when I pulled the wheels off to inspect everything I noticed weights present on all four. Additionally, I would think that the vibration would be present at all speeds if a weight had gone missing.

 

Ya I agree wheels. Unless the car has a bent driveline item like a cv or half shaft. If my car had vibrations I'd go back to the pros that did the wheel balancing. Have them drive the car. Shouldn't cost anything and they may discover they messed up or that a weight got bumped or damaged. A glob of tar or rocks in the tire even? The place you got the tires should do basic stuff for free. At least the first time you come back with wheel issue. They should be able to tell you what the reason is at least.

 

I have the same issue. Get above 50 and the steering wheel shakes from side to side. Taking it to my alignment guy Friday. He drove it and thinks a tire may be out of balance.

 

Interesting. Have you had any recent work done on it? Keep us posted.

 

No. Just bought it last week. But it has two brand new tires up front.

 

I have a 91 Accord with the similar vibration from about 50-70 mph. I checked brakes, tires, and upper and lower ball joints manually and it wasn't until I went to experienced mechanic who showed me I wasn't being sensitive enough. He thought of ball joints immediately when hearing symptoms. Decided he was right on feeling the play I couldn't previously feel. Trying to do upper and lower ball now. Got upper done pretty quick. I'm stuck on rusted on axle nut for lower. Broke a breaker bar with cheater pipe. Used MAPP torch then about 7 foot pipe on bigger breaker bar. Stood on pipe and thought the axle nut moved 1/5000th of a degree, but my vision is getting a little worse with age. I could be off. Haven't been back to axle nut in the garage since last year after pricing impact wrenches. So I don't know yet if he's right, but he sounded right. I'm such a rookie though.

 

Probably best if I post an update: I took it back to the shop who did the balance and asked them to check the wheels/tires and brakes. Said brakes are all squared away, and the tires had somehow become slightly unbalanced again. Problem solved.

I feel your pain with stuck bolts. For better or for worse, 7th gen Civics use Macpherson struts which only have one ball joint on each side, and mine are holding up. For now. With that being said, you might want to post this in the proper section for your year/model. However, a general recommendation I have for anyone with stuck bolts is to buy a product called Kroil by Kano Labs. Not exaggerating when I say that WD-40 (which is lousy as a penetrant anyway) and PB blaster are useless compared to this product. The downside is that it is unavailable in stores but can be easily purchased on Amazon. Good luck.

 

I ordered a new steel rim from Rock Auto today.