Shimmy at 45? Is this normal???

[Beetle4me]

When driving in my 72' Super my front end starts to shimmy around 45 - 50, then smooths out around 50+. I'm hearing/reading conflicting information... a friend said, shimmy's are normal in these years, a book says look to the suspension for a possible fix. Is there a natural shimmy in the 7x' Super Beetle?

Thanks,
Brent Bishop

[79SuperVert]

My '79 does the very same thing. There's old posts in this forum talking about what to do. Look back, they're still there. Basically the wisdom is, it shouldn't do that, VW would have never allowed it on the market with that flaw, it's a function of normal wear, there are ways to fix it. I started with the cheapest thing, re-balancing the front tires, but I've been working on changing the *#@!*@$ master cylinder for four weeks and haven't brought the car down from its stands to see if that cured the problem.

[Jeff H]

Hey Brent;
Yes, unfortunately the Super Beeltes, with the McPherson Struts, were prone to that wobble. Starts at about 40mph and smooths out at about 50mph.
The obvious things to do are make sure your tires are balanced, you have nothing loose in your steering assembly.
The other (and usually right) thing to do is replace the steering damper. It's like s shock absorber, and costs about $20.00. If everything else is okay, that really should take care of your problem.

[keifernet]

Go back 1 page on this column... there is a thread "front end shakes" There is a good bit of info on there... If you need anything else then just shout...

[Beetle4me]

Thanks a bunch. I looked over the forum, and found the article. Thanks again. Looks to be some great info. I appreciate your help guys.

Brent

[[email protected]]

I've heard it is a typical problem. Mine did the same thing, only very badly, from 38 to 45. For me the steering damper did jack; it was the suspention. I would suggest using a pry bar to check the ball joints. I had to have my ball joints and tie rods replaced. It's a pretty big deal. You don't want your joints to break while you're driving, so check that out.

[79SuperVert]

I rebalanced my front wheels but it didn't work. Then I thought, well, replacing the steering damper isn't such a big deal until I found out Supers after 74 don't have one. So now on to the next step. Or stay under 50 mph.

[keifernet]

Well Joe, you have to eliminate the small stuff first anyway. Did you ask the tires guy's to look close at your rims and see if they were straight? I know you have the tools ect. jack it up and spin them yourself and look for any wobble and or curb damage. Most of the time the tire busting guy's don't even give a rats ass and juat slap a "balance" on anything remotely round...

How large of weights did they hang on there? Anything totaling over 1.5 total inside or out (IMHO) is too much and the rim and or tire has issues.

Since yours has the rack and pinion and no dampner I would look at the lower strut (ball) joints and the control arm/ sway bar bushings next. And just old weak blown out strut cartridges themselves will cause the dreaded shakes....

It's a crap shoot, process of elimination, and just because you change one thing (ie dampner) and it "goes away" doesn't mean it's gone to stay. If it comes back pretty quick, then ther is more than just the dampner bad...

Each component relies on the other, "the weakest link" rule is definantly true on the SB front end.....

[79SuperVert]

Thanks, keifer. By the way, I finally put in the new master cylinder and now these brakes are FIRM! Feels real good. Thanks for your advice.

[keifernet]

No Problem at all. I'm glad you got it done and did it yourself... way to go. I know it will help stop the rust that would develop from the brake fluid leak...
I hope I can also help you get to the bottom of your front end shimmies and get you "More Power Scotty!" AYE Capitain! out of your engine... it does sound sluggish...! later....