I just purchased my 2009 Mazda 3 2 weeks ago. After having it only a couple of days I noticed vibrations that I could feel throughout the cabin and through the steering wheel when I got up to 55 mph. I took it to have it looked at. I immediately thought it needed the tires balancing or maybe an alignment. The car has only 30,000 miles. They said it needed both. Well it has been a week since I had it done and I do not notice any improvement. It still vibrates at 55-60 mph. The mechanic said my tires were brand new. I was considering taking it back, but after reading your post it might not do any good. Glad to know someone else has experienced the same problem and that I am not imagining it.

 

It sounds like your "new" tires are at fault here.

FWIW, my "old" tires have ~45,000 miles on them and there is no shimmy or shake at any speed. The thing is, I had the crap factory Goodyear Eagle RS-As yanked off of my (then) brand new car after only 714 miles; I replaced them with a set of Michelin Pilot Sport A/Ss, and they've served me well.

 

Here's the latest to the story: So I went back to my local dealer only after speaking to Mazda direct and went for an extended test drive with a mechanic who recognized the slight shimmy as he said at 55 plus, then they asked me to drive another car with the same mileage which I noticed that the shimmy was not present so they swapped the wheels and I went for a test drive not on the highway but on a state road to discover the shimmy had gone however once it was agreed to give me those wheels I went straight on the highway to discover over 60 the shimmy manifested itself differently again! so I decided to go to a reputable tire dealership in NJ who told me the rear drivers tires was off a 1/4 of an ounce, I again went straight on the highway to discover the car was compliant right up to 60 however after that speed the car started to vibrate again.... This has been a tiresome experience and if I had the money I would immediately sell the car and buy something else! Any ideas?

 

Yes, new (and much higher quality) tires.

 

Hi All,

I have a 2008 Mazda 5. I have had a shimmy but at select speeds (80-90km/hr) and (120-130 km/hr). The dealer never did anything to help me. Just kept blaming cheap tires (hello, you sold me the tires when you sold me the car) Anyways, just today I put on new tires and got rid of the stock Continental crappy tires... The shimmy is GONE 100%.

In my case it was actually the tires. (something that should have been replaced on warranty 2 years ago when the problem started, but that is for another thread).

I am just happy that the problem is GONE, the ride is smoother, and the handling appears better. (and the tires look better).

So yes, try different tires... bet it solves the issue...

 

I have the same problem in my 2008 3, and heres what I have gathered. I've been through 3 sets of tires, currently at 70k on the clock, and the shake has always been there.

Talking to a guy I work with, his daughters 3 had the same issue, and ended up finding out that the stock Alum. alloy wheels become warped VERY easily.

So my opinion for what its worth are that the wheels are to blame here, whether they be bent or warped.

I currently have not swaped them, I just deal with it, but its worth a try.

 

Many years ago I bent an aluminum wheel and it did in fact cause a shimmy when driving on the highway, a shimmy which wasn't correctable via balancing. That said, I'm now at 48,000 miles on a set of Michelins, and they are as smooth today as any car I've ever driven. Said another way, no wheel or tire issues in spite of a few nasty potholes encountered along the way.

Which wheels and what size do you have on your car?

 

I've got the 08 Mazda 3 s hatch, so it came with the 17' alum. alloy wheels. I've been through 3 sets of tires as stated and multiple attemps at balancing (both at dealer and local tire shop) with no success at eliminating the shimmy.

Eventually I'll get my wheels swapped out but finances don't completely agree with that at the moment.

The Goodyear RSA only lasted me about 19k and I figured they were to blame. Then on to the Sumitomo HTZ IIII and they were just as bad as the Goodyears, both with wear and shimmy.

I am now on a set of Riken Raptors and the wear is much better, the shimmy is also better but not gone. I am at 30k with these tires now and only about 50% tread loss so far.

 

It sounds like we may have the same 17" Snowflake/"Y"-Spoke wheels on our cars. I've had a few rather hard hits on mine and they're still true, or at least they feel that way.

 

Yup...maybe the guy who made mine was just having a bad day, or had too good of a time the night before.