I have a shimmy in the front end of my 69 Camaro and it seems to be most apparent at lower speeds (`20 - 45 mph) although I am a little reluctant to drive it very fast...

I have 15" wheels and tires on this car and had to put wheel spacers on the front to add some clearance on the frame when turning tight.

I checked the idler arm by grabbing onto it and trying to wiggle it but it is pretty tight.

Could this be a seperated ply in one of the fron tires or something else?
I was considering rotating the tires to see if it improves but I am not sure that it would help...

How might I isolate this problem?

Thanks

whens the last time your tires were balanced? Also, is it pwr steering or manual?

I put the (used but good shape) tires on a couple of years ago and had them balanced at the time, but haven't driven the car for more than 100 miles in the past few years. I had to put tubes in them because the stock steel rally wheels developed a slow leak around the beads.

The car does has power steering and the front end componenets were replaced by the previous owner and the car hasn't seen much mileage since. (rides like a dream for a 36 year old car)

The tires are Goodyear Eagle GA (P225 70R/15)... They look nice but sometimes rub the frame at tight corners so I added the wheel spacers on the front last Spring which helps. They seem to have a very low profile too, not sure if that matters too much.

On another note...
Is there a different size 15" tire that might fit the front better without rubbing and wheel spacers?

That may be more than you wanted to know.

Thanks for your help!

Be sure your A-arm bushings and ball joints are in good health. Those can be a bit hard to diagnose with the springs and shocks in place, but you might be able to see wear marks on the frame if they are flopping around.

Its also possible that because the tires have sat for so long that they are out of round. I had a set that did that on an eclipse once. Not much you can do about that though.

Let me throw a couple quick things at you. At first glance it sounds like a tire/wheel issue.

Where do you feel the vibration, the seat of your pants or the steering wheel? Steering wheel = front wheels. Has it been smooth with the spacers in the past? I never liked spacers. Vibration issues. A bent wheel or out of round or flat spotted tire will also cause problems. You might be able to jack and spin each wheel up to check. These things are easier to see on a dynamic (spinning) balancer. Loose hubs/bad bearings could be at fault too. I would not really expect bad suspension components to cause a shimmy, but it could. I would more expect bad parts to cause improper tire wear that would than cause a shimmy (symptom vs. disease).

BTW, a tube in a tubeless tire is a no-no. It can cause undo friction and heating issues and cause blowouts. Bead leaks can be handled in different ways. If the wheel is pitted rusted, try fixing that first. There is bead sealer that can be applied. Sometimes the tire is the culprit (usually a ripped bead surface). If the problem cannot be corrected, the problem part needs to be replaced. Skimping on tires and wheels is bad safety.

With the rubbing/size question, that seems like a tall tire but not overly wide for a 1st gen Camaro. Where was it rubbing? I am still trying to decide on tire sizes for my 67. What I do is look at other peoples’ cars (that look good to me) and see what they are running. I think a 235/60/15 (215/65/15 should be about the same height) looks good.

Let us know how you make out.

Thanks for the response...

The car has been sitting for awhile so I could have a flat spot and I do have tubes in the tires as the stock ralleye wheels didn't seal at the bead all that well and I had some slow leaks.

The vibration is felt in the steering wheel and I also suspect tires or wheels.
The P225 70R/15 looks good but were rubbing on the frame at tight corners at the rear of the tire.

With the spacers on I can sometimes hear them rub on the fenders near the front of the tire when I first start out (before the tire warms up from road contact)

Can't afford to buy new tires right now due to my budget but if I could, what size would I put on these 15" rims to eliminate the need for wheel spacers with the stock ralley rims?

Also is the bead sealer that you mentioned readily available at the tire shops?
I am not sure why they suggested tubes if they are so unsafe...

Thanks

Don't forget about brakes..........They could be causing a shimmy.... does it go away with "light" braking..........or does it get worse ?