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Shimmy when i hit the brakes.

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Old Jun 26, 2012 | 08:07 PM
  #1  
kawierider1990's Avatar
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Shimmy when i hit the brakes.

Hey guys I'm new to the forum but I'm a member to quite a few others. So I know how the search bar and all that works but I just couldn't find what I was looking for. I have a 96 z28 that has a pretty good shimmy when I hit the brakes. I replaced the brakes and checked out the rotors and they seem fine. So I was wondering what else it could be that is giving me a shimmy. This is my first Z btw. Thanks ahead for all the info!
Old Jun 26, 2012 | 08:21 PM
  #2  
parkers Z28's Avatar
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From: north Carolina
Re: Shimmy when i hit the brakes.

are the tires in bad shape that will cause it to shake they have to be pretty slick on the side's
its had to tell if the rotor is bad just by looking at it most likely its the rotor

Last edited by parkers Z28; Jun 26, 2012 at 08:30 PM.
Old Jun 26, 2012 | 09:21 PM
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zmike's Avatar
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Re: Shimmy when i hit the brakes.

I would assume that when you say shimmy that you mean you can feel it in the brake pedal as well. If that is the case, look again at the rotors and have them turned.
Old Jun 26, 2012 | 10:50 PM
  #4  
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Re: Shimmy when i hit the brakes.

Rotors more than likely. I bought new oe ones and they were not that expensive. Don't buy cheap if you can't get them turned or want new.
Old Jun 26, 2012 | 11:08 PM
  #5  
Canadian Z's Avatar
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Re: Shimmy when i hit the brakes.

Control arm bushings can cause this too .....my winter beater is doing this too
Old Jun 28, 2012 | 10:08 PM
  #6  
shoebox's Avatar
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Re: Shimmy when i hit the brakes.

It's almost always warped break rotors (most often the front). You can't tell by eyeing them.
Old Jun 29, 2012 | 03:46 PM
  #7  
kawierider1990's Avatar
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Re: Shimmy when i hit the brakes.

Well I rubbed my fingers across the fronts and the backs and I could barely even feel a ripple on them and I didn't think that would be enough to do anything. Would it? Also could this be my struts causing this? Thought I heard somewhere before that when they are bad they do this. I
Old Jun 29, 2012 | 04:08 PM
  #8  
parkers Z28's Avatar
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From: north Carolina
Re: Shimmy when i hit the brakes.

just because it is smooth doesn't mean its not warped. you can only tell this
when it is spinning. you might see it wobble. but not likely pretty cheap to have them
turned around $25

Last edited by parkers Z28; Jun 29, 2012 at 04:13 PM.
Old Jul 1, 2012 | 01:28 PM
  #9  
kawierider1990's Avatar
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Re: Shimmy when i hit the brakes.

Yeah I can get them turned at work. We have a full fledged machine shop there
Old Jul 1, 2012 | 04:40 PM
  #10  
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Re: Shimmy when i hit the brakes.

Before you starting turning them down, when they chuck the rotors in the lathe, make sure they use a dial indicator to check for runout.... that will tell you if they are warped. It's possible that you have a glaze on the rotors from the pads that is causing the vibration.

If they do decide to cut them, make sure the person doing the cutting is aware of the limitations on minimum rotor thickness. The minimum allowable thickness should be indicated on the rotors.
Old Jul 2, 2012 | 10:27 PM
  #11  
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Re: Shimmy when i hit the brakes.

As one of the other members said check your suspension. Its easy enough to do while the car is on the jack stands anyway. Place the jackstands anywhere but under the control arms when checking the suspension. Grab both sides of the tire i.e. top and bottom and push in and out to check for play, do the same with right and left side of tire.
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