does this sound like a wheel balance issue

[steveo3002]

got ourselves a mk1 focus , driving in a straight ahead position theres not a hint of wobble at any speed at all , but if you move the steering say an inch its got a fairly savage wobble

needs tyres soon so i will find out anyway...but i cant say ive ever had it with just a bit of lock on and its perfect straight ahead , if you go beyond that inch of turning say on a long sweeping bend it also seems fine

 

[Wendelspanswick]

got ourselves a mk1 focus , driving in a straight ahead position theres not a hint of wobble at any speed at all , but if you move the steering say an inch its got a fairly savage wobble

needs tyres soon so i will find out anyway...but i cant say ive ever had it with just a bit of lock on and its perfect straight ahead , if you go beyond that inch of turning say on a long sweeping bend it also seems fine

Check you haven't got a bulge in the tyre, just on the edge of the tread.

 

[dunk]

wound`nt say its wheel balance, as it would do it in the straight ahead position as well, and usually comes in at a certain speed, perhaps this is due toa power steering fault, a sensor or pump its self, have you checked fluid level or changed it,

 

[steveo3002]

fluid level is good , it did make me wonder if its a fault , if i move the steering back n forth when parked it feels fine /smooth

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Worn wheel bearing? But, it'd need to be very worn to display those symptoms....... , and you'd hear it too.

 

[steveo3002]

yah theres no clonks ,bangs , rattles etc , drives just as it should

 

[mike os]

cv's?

 

[malcolm]

It's not wheel balance or dampers if it is OK in a straight line. I'd go with CV joints. Really bad tracking front could cause issues on some cars just off-center which could be worth a look if the reason it needs tyres is they are badly worn on one edge.

 

[BrokenBiker]

Sounds similar to a problem I had on the Alfa, the near side inner cv on the driveshaft was u/s, the 'cup' that the inner end sat in was worn to the point where the shaft fit like a d@ck in a shirt sleeve, changed the whole shaft and it was fine again (until the other side fell apart...)

 

[DanielW]

To which side? is it one side or both? as been said cv joint?

 

[clift_d]

Not wheel balance - as above that would kick in above a certain speed.

 

[Wozzaaah]

I'll go along with CV joint too, if it was wheel balance you'd also notice it in a straight line, it would start at a certain speed and will often stop once you get past a certain speed.

 

[steveo3002]

hmm cv joint is something to think about , although no noise on full lock etc

tyres have worn perfect and are just worn down , weve known the car sometime so no recent cover ups /bodges

 

[God mode restorations]

How worn are the tyres.....could well be a tyre issue. ..

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

CV Joint, best bet is one of the outer ones.
But also check the strut top mount, some Focus had a "Bearing" what can wear and give similar effects.

 

[steveo3002]

How worn are the tyres.....could well be a tyre issue. ..

between 3-4mm , even wear all over the tread

 

[Barking Mat]

Any play in the steering?

 

[steveo3002]

Any play in the steering?

nothing i can notice , no knocks or bangs

 

[cumbriasteve]

Is it a wobble on the steering wheel or a sort of pulsing, the guys are probably correct with the CV but going back a good few years when power steering became more popular I am sure I remember a similar fault was down to the pump, nothing on the straight or fast cornering but move the wheel just a fraction off centre and it would start to feel as though someone was giving small firm pulls and pushes, did it at all speeds.

 

[steveo3002]

id describe it as a badly balanced wheel or maybe a buckled wheel you can see the steering wheel judder as it does it

you might have a point about the pas ...it seems as bad at low speed as it does at speed

wouldnt have a clue how to diag the steering bits , the belt is recent and no screeching