98 forester shake and shimmy

[I & H Prees]

I have an intermittent shake and shimmy in my 98 Forester (54K miles),
especially at highway speeds. It is a thump thump shake when the throttle is
on, and a side to side shimmy when we are off throttle. It gets pretty bad
sometimes, especially at high speeds, but then goes away (while still at
high speeds). Any ideas? It has nearly new tires on the front, and 3/4 worn
on the back. The shake also occurs at lower speeds, though at any speed, it
doesn't happen all the time.
Thanks for any suggestions....
-Ian

 

[Edward Hayes]

Sure sound like loose wheel lugs or something (rock?) behind the wheel when
it was replaced. You mentioned tire on front new and 3/4 worn on rear is not
good as circumference difference should be less than 1/4 inches maximum.
repost on what you find. eddie

 

[T]

Doesn't the Forester have a problem with wheel bearings wearing out? Jack
the car up and see if the lug nuts are tight, if they are and you can still
wiggle the wheel a bit, it could be the wheel bearings.