Steering wheel shake when braking while going downhill

[jja]

Now that's a weird one.

Pads and rotors are new and I have checked ball joints and tie rod ends for play and there is none. I also rotated the tires to exclude that possibility, too.

So when driving at highway speeds up to 90 mph braking is as smooth as it gets. No vibrations to the steering wheel or the brake pedal whatsoever. If I am going downhill on a mountain road, though, and try braking there's pretty violent shake of the steering wheel. That happens in the 40-60 mph speed range.

I am pretty clueless what might cause this. I tend to blame it on the ****** Ironman front shock absorbers but I am not really sure they can cause this. Any ideas anybody?

 

[JasonJ]

You say you checked tie rod ends, just the outers, or inner as well?

Since it's only downhill, I am wondering if something with the weight of the vehicle pressing forward is exposing a worn component to exhibiting this behavior...

Control arm bushings in good shape?

 

[LibertyTC]

X2^
Rotors can also be hit & miss.
Run out dial indicator can be used, to double check for true rotors.
When was the last time you had an alignment?

The worst braking wobble I ever had, was when the wheel balance was out to lunch, caused by rim packed with snow!
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That also was in the 40-60mph category.

 

[tommudd]

Worn front end parts, tie rod ends etc
Warped rotors , downhill even more pressure is put on the fronts

 

[John3seventeen]

Mine would do it off and on not necessarily on the downhill. When I replaced the brake hoses it went away.

 

[jja]

Checked inner and outer tie rod ends but haven't checked bushings. Will do.

Still I am really surprised this doesn't happen at highway speeds at all.

 

[jja]

Mine would do it off and on not necessarily on the downhill. When I replaced the brake hoses it went away.

Brake fluid was never replaced AFAIK. Maybe I can do that. Did you replace front brake hoses?

 

[HoosierJeeper]

I'm thinking the brakes still. The extra heat going down hill might be causing some weird stuff.

 

[tjkj2002]

Loose wheel bearings or excessive lateral runout of the hub can cause brake vibs.Not cleaning any of the corrosion off the hubs before installing new rotors can also cause a brake vib.Just because the rotors are "new" does not mean they are not "warped" out of the box.I have yet seen a rotor or drum from autozone that has not been at max lateral runout or beyond right out of the box.

It's in the front end and rotates or attached to the knuckle at least to cause a vib under braking.

 

[jja]

Loose wheel bearings or excessive lateral runout of the hub can cause brake vibs.Not cleaning any of the corrosion off the hubs before installing new rotors can also cause a brake vib.Just because the rotors are "new" does not mean they are not "warped" out of the box.I have yet seen a rotor or drum from autozone that has not been at max lateral runout or beyond right out of the box.

It's in the front end and rotates or attached to the knuckle at least to cause a vib under braking.

I installed the rotors and wire brushed the hub's beforehand. The bearings are definitely an option though and I have to check that.

What really surprises me is nothing happens at highway speed. That's really really weird.

 

[JasonJ]

I installed the rotors and wire brushed the hub's beforehand. The bearings are definitely an option though and I have to check that.

What really surprises me is nothing happens at highway speed. That's really really weird.

More shocking is that it doesn't do it at highway speeds PLUS 20MPH!

90mph is a bit much, especially in a Jeep... I'd think any alignment issues would be evident at that speed as well.

 

[jja]

More shocking is that it doesn't do it at highway speeds PLUS 20MPH!

90mph is a bit much, especially in a Jeep... I'd think any alignment issues would be evident at that speed as well.

Ah that's the legal limit on highways in some European countries. I happen to enjoy that limit, too. The Jeep holds pretty well at that speed. Has plenty of power for takeovers, too.

Still stopping at that speed is as smooth as it gets.