What can cause a car to seem to shake and strain at higher speeds?

Question

Ok, so a few months ago we went for a drive on a bit of unsealed road and ever since the car has sort of vibrated a bit if we try to go anything over about 60MPH.

We had the wheel's re-aligned (I assumed alignment is the cause) and new tires put on, but still it seems to struggle to go over 60 and it just gets more and more shaky the faster we go. 

Now, I know we have a bent tie rod that needs fixing, but would this cause a shake straight after the wheels were aligned?

Could this be engine related?

I have no idea about mechanics so any ideas would be helpful.

israel g · Accepted Answer

could also be your drive shaft...might wanna check into it.  the drive shaft has a weight on it that might have came off or your universal joints might need replacing....good luck.

Huba · Answer

The tie rod is your problem. Alignments and tire balancing are done with the car sitting still and do not take into account the changes in configuration that the tie rod makes while driving.

It is important to get this fixed.

slapoutz · Answer

not a good engine =p its working harder as you go faster it happens on old cars but ur car wont fall apart unless u have loose bolts so dont belive the d/a's

+ what the guy above said i dont know what a tie rod is though =p are they the same as struts?
if there struts you better go 2 mph whenever you turn your wheel =p so get it replaced if it means struts

LastCall · Answer

Yes a tie rod end could be the issue. It should be replaced ASAP your life depends on it.

wolfcraft2007nh · Answer

sounds like you might have lost a wheel weight or maybe you need a wheel alignment

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What can cause a car to seem to shake and strain at higher speeds?

5 Answers