2001 Ford Escort SHIMMY

Hi thecjake. Welcome to the forum. A bald tire will not cause a shimmy, but the cause of the shimmy could also be the cause for the tire becoming bald. You have to look at the history of the vehicle and the other tire. If only one is bald and they both are the same age and mileage, suspect an alignment issue. If both are bald, it still could be an alignment issue or they might just be worn out from mileage. Keep in mind that on most Ford front-wheel-drive cars, only one of the three alignment angles is adjustable. For the other two, what you have is what you get. Continually rotating the tires will extend the life of them a little bit.

A broken belt is also possible although that will usually be felt at lower speeds too. When you only feel it at higher speeds, it could be nothing more than an out-of-balance tire. The steering and suspension systems should be inspected by a specialist to rule out loose or worn parts that could separate and lead to a crash. They will also "read" the tire wear patterns and give their recommendations.

caradiodoc

I had a shimmy also . It was a bent rim on the inside of the tire.

Happy to hear it was a simple fix.

caradiodoc