Hey guys,
2009 / Automatic / Sport. I have a vibration when the temp is cold outside so I thought it was the tires. I have new wheels and tires on it so I change back to the factory set and it is still there but was slightly less. I did find that 1 new rim was bearly bent from a pretty big pothole and I will replace that rim later. I'm still running the factory rims and tires and I have changed parts to reduce the vibration but it is still there. I started changing out parts, 1 because there are cheap and 2 because in 6 months I will be giving the Fit to my 16-year-old daughter. It has 250,000 miles on it and runs great and she loves it so it is a win/win. This is what I have done so far:

1st- All wheels and tires balanced down to almost "0" according to the guy at the tire shop. He knew I wanted it well within spec. so he went the extra mile.
2nd- New CV shafts ... seemed to help but could have been in my head.
3rd- New front wheel bearings....no slack in the old ones but the new ones felt smoother.
4th- New Moog lower A-arms with ball joints and new inner and outer tie rods. The old ones didn't have slack but the new ones were tighter.
5th- Realized the rear shoes were dragging slightly as the wheel rotated. Loosened them a couple of notches just to see if it helped. Didn't help.
6th- New rear bearing/hub assemblies. The old ones seemed fine but I thought "why not".
7th- Changed out the lower motor snubber. Read that it could cause issues but didn't make any difference.
8th- Changed the rear shocks. The driver's side was a little wet so figured it was time.

So, on a cold morning, the vibration is more pronounced but, I can bearly feel any vibration on a nice warm day. The more I drive it the less I feel it but it is still there.
Warm or cold, I feel it most when I get to the bottom of a hill and the suspension loads up and when I go around a curve pretty hard.
I'm out of things to change.
Although changing all of this stuff lessoned the vibration it did not fix it. I don't mind changing parts because I believe that my daughter should have years of trouble-free driving but it is killing me that I haven't fixed the slight vibration yet. I'm OCD and someone else may not even feel the vibration but I do.
Any suggestions?

 

Your list is pretty solid (and almost identical to what I've done )! Honestly I kinda feel like kicking myself for each OEM part I replaced with aftermarket. The OE stuff just lasts forever and seems to be actually worth the extra $.

Anyways, as I had just posted in another thread, most of this car's problems are spark plugs and valves. In your case I'd recommend adjusting valves unless you really believe this is more of a wheels on the ground issue.

If it's wheel business, I'd mention verifying alignment (those inspections can be free if no adjustment is done) and checking rotors up front for warping. I'm not quite clear on when yours is vibrating. It sounds inertia based, and if it's truly presenting like, at the bottom of a hill (in motion) when suspension may be compressed, that compression could be highlighting alignment. The remark on temps makes me think valves, but that's a totally separate situation where the engine is running a little worse..

You prolly addressed that when replacing tie rods and such, but I mean.. I've certainly come back from an align shop with an outer tie rod having a nut that was way backed off.

Also, if you really wanna nail wheel assembly vibration or are worried about it, you may consider getting a "road force balance" where they measure and run the wheel on a hunter brand balancer and mark its heavy spot, then line that up with the light spot on the tire. The road force balance only has to be done once, typically when you get a new set of tires. Since the tires don't move on the rim, you'll only need to get regular balances after until your next set.

 

Pyts, Thanks for the insight and reply. I just adjusted the valves about 10,000 miles ago and checked/tightened the spark plugs about 20,000 miles ago. If I hadn't just replaced the wheel bearings, I would think that it was the front wheel bearings but they seem fine. I'm trying to get an appointment for another alignment but I have been working a lot lately.

 

You've been putting a lot of work into the car, too!
I still don't grasp the fault well. More pronounced in the cold, is amplified by a high inertia environment, driving longer lessens the issue, but it takes a while and doesn't resolve completely..

In an effort to rule out engine stuff:
Well, the engine gets hot pretty quick, then it plateaus.

• Does your fault change in any way within the timeline of the engine reaching operating temp? Also, any engine noise or behavior?
• Does RPM correlate in any way with vibration?
• Do any specific gears affect vibration?
• Do shift points affect vibration?

With all the work that's been done I'm inclined to consider that services rendered could have created the problem.
Did vibration precede all of the services rendered?
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Edit: removed info about bent wheels because the set that includes a bent assembly isn't installed on the vehicle

 

I was worried that the vibration was coming from the transmission that has 250,000 miles on it but it shifts really smooth and has no issues that I can tell. This seems to be speed-related and doesn't change with RPM or gear changes. It seems to get better as the car heats up but I consider that to be bearing and tire-related.
Got another alignment and the vibration is less than before. The steering feels more solid now. I still have a slight vibration at 80 mph. I'm going to install the aftermarket wheels and tires again and see how it goes. I am also going to install new spark plugs.

 

aftermarket’s mounts I heard are trash but doesn’t make sense to me sense I’ve been useing those on ek civics and they’re fine.

 

the only thing that vibration at high speed makes me think of is wheels, unless a suspension component is bad.. It could be a fault within front strut/s.
I've never taken one apart but according to info from KYB's educational videos, valving within a strut can fail in a way that affects only minimal compression dampening (think regular road irregularities/textures). They don't even have to leak to fail.

i can't recall whether you said the suspension was preloaded before torquing or if I assumed it and that the job was done professionally. That's important.. but the align shop likely would have mentioned if it was wrong (like the front sat slightly higher than the rear) because their business is all about up-selling.

Everything that moves fast in or on an engine does so as it works through gearing, which isn't relevant to actual vehicle speed. That leaves cv shafts, wheels, brake rotors, shocks/struts, anti-roll bar end links (I guess), springs, transmission (since it's engaging an upper gear), engine mounts (I suppose), steering linkage..

After you swap wheels again you should know if it's wheel related. If not, front struts would be my next move. At the given mileage they should be trash anyways.

 

Thanks, Pyts, The only thing I haven't changed is the struts because they looked pretty new when I got the car. They have just been put "next" on my list of things to change. I put the new wheels and tires back on today but haven't driven it enough to tell if it made a difference. I am only 6 minutes from work on 2-lane back roads. I'll get it out on the highway by the weekend.