08/12/02

I am the proud owner of a ’97 850R wagon that my wife and I got for our Dalmatian (at least that’s what I told my wife). She had no idea what an 850R could do until she took it to work one day, he-he-he...boy was SHE surprised!

I have replaced the tires with a wonderful set of 215/45/17 Sumitomo HTRII Z's from the Tire Rack. After the first tire rotation (7/02), I noticed a greater vibration on the freeway above 50+ mph. I have had the vehicle aligned twice, the tires balanced twice, and STILL had continued vibration issues. To make a long story short, I had a local tire shop run a "load-variance" balancer test on all tires. Esentially, the balancer applies pressure to the axle to simulate the "real-world" environment, and balances the wheel accordingly. This works great for large wheel/slim tire configurations. This is done on a seperate machine. $25/tire. Had to be done.

The results showed that the right-front tire was out-of-balance, but worse yet, the left-rear tire could not be balanced, as was "out-of-round". The manufacturer did not manufacture the tire perfectly round. It was sent back to the tire-rack and replaced under warranty.

I THOUGHT ALL MY PROBLEMS WERE SOLVED.

I had the brake rotors and pads replaced in 04/02. Went with racing concepts rotors (dimpled and slotted - see volvospeed for details), and Textar pads all around (excellent stopping power - smooth - VERY dusty). In 4 short months of moderate driving (no racing), I think the rotors are warped again! DAMN. The pedal feel simulates grip, then drift, grip, then drift...you know what I mean. The vibration is still there, all be it not as bad as before the tire issue, but appears to be getting worse. The wagon shakes at the steering wheel when stopping, and vibrates at all speeds. My $500 investment in a good set of brakes appears to be holding its value as well as the Dow Jones.

I NEED YOUR HELP TO ISOLATE THE PROBLEM.

I love this wagon. I've owned for almost 1 year now, and have experienced more trouble than any car I've owned before. Should I just go for a new set of OEM rotors and OEM pads for $250 and call it a day? Should I consider getting new shocks all around, as the mileage is now at 68K? Am I missing some other underlying problem? Could it be I've been playing too much techno over the CD player? Please advise!!!

- Anton
'97 850R wagon