I have an 02 A6 Quattro 3.0l with about 78k miles on it. I REALLY like the car but am frustrated with the shudder/vibration I get at certain speeds. When I bought the car this spring it shuttered at speeds above 50mph and at 75 was bouncing pretty good and could feel it alot in the wheel. Since then I"ve had a 4 wheel alignment, tire rotation, tire balance, and had tires checked to see if they were out of round. Those changes lessened the shudder and now I only get one from 45-60mph. It really annoys me.... What else should I try next? New wheels? CV Joints?

 

has it got OEM wheels? if not it might need centering rings/spigot rings for the hub and alloys to make a snug fit ( without them you could balance the wheels forever with no difference ) simply because you cant center the wheels on the car

 

It does have Audi 16" wheels. I bought the car used, I'd gather they are the original wheels but don't know for certain other than they do have an Audi logo on them. Are these centering rings built into the Audi wheels or are they an extra piece? Just wondering if maybe the tire place I used to have them rotated didn't know what that piece was for and tossed it out??

 

I have a similiar problem, i have a 98 a6 and when i get past 55mph the wheel shudders a lot. again, a lot has been done to the car and it has gotten significantly better but it's still there. i don't know what the deal is.

 

its a separate part so they might have been lost or not put back on

http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl...ings&gbv=2

 

I am willing to spend the money and put different wheels on the car but hesitant if I can't figure out if the wheels alone are the issue. I wondered if maybe the wheels (or one of them) might be slightly damaged/bent and possibly causing the issue. The tires on this thing have about 9k miles on them and while I"d like to go to a larger wheel I am to cheap to buy new tires too. Will any wheel w/ the right hole pattern and spacing work on an Audi (provided I buy centering rings too?)

Any chance the shutter could be CV joints?

I'd consider the vibration in the wheel more of a wobbly/side to side movement on the steering wheel than an up and down feeling (like a tire being out of balance)

Thanks so much for the info and advice thus far.

 

if the wheels were balanced by a fitter on the correct machine the the wheel its self will be true but if you fit the wheel without the spigot ring it throws the center out so it will be out of center while on the car,

a good example link
http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?im...3D10%26hl%3Den

 

I have stock 16" wheels on my A6 too. But i really dont think that I have centering ringson them. I just had my tires done and I watched the dude take all the wheels off and everything and I didnt see them. Are the stock wheels supposed to have them??

 

so I am attempting to diagnose the problem and noticed this morning that it takes some time before the wobble actually starts. So I think it's a part getting hot (either a CV joint or possibly tires/wheels needing to heat up before becoming an issue) What do you guys think?

 

Your tires are shot! As they get warm they change shape. Been there, done that. New tires with a road force balance on your stock wheels and all will be good again, for about 20,000 miles anyway, then you will have the same thing again.