so many of you have seen my new rims i put on today. and now i think there might be a problem. at around 40 mph, it feels like it shakes a little. i haven't been able to go much past 60, but i feel it then too, just enough to be annoying.

i don't know if this is the problem, but on one of my new rims, they used a STRIP of balance weights in a line. i'd say about 5 or 6 1/4 oz weights. i honestly don't know jack about balancing, but it seems to me that putting them all in a line like that would only unbalance things further, rather than maybe a couple heavier weights.

is this normal for new rims/rubbers? am i just feeling the road more on the low profile tires? somebody let me know what's up, please.

i'll post pics of the weight strip tomorrow after work.

 

not everybody at once now.

 

my rims have strips of the weights as well... I have no balance problems or any such thing. It does sound like you have an out of balance wheel somewhere. But it should only be really present at one or two speeds and much less at other speeds... otherwise you have some other problem than balance...

Did you tighten the lugs down alternating with the car jacked up? Some people tighten the lugs down the rest of the way or what not when the wheels are loaded or tighten each one down all the way... those are both VERY bad practices as they can warp the wheel, your rotors, and cause all sorts of nasty vibration...

let me know if that helps or whatever else!

Later,

Steve

 

They are usually put in a line like that because they may be so off balance that they don't make a weight that big to fit just one instead of 2. I would say go get them balanced again, usually when feeling vibration it because their unbalanced. Just my .02

 

i tightened the lugs down 90% while jacked up, then a bit more once on the ground. i'm sure i didn't over tighten, because you can't get much leverage with the OEM tire iron. i know this because i couldn't use the little thing to get the lugs off in the first place.

so if the vibration is just at a certain speed, say, 40-50 mph, this is normal?

 

no it is not normal...i had that happen to me...u should go get them balanced again...

? were they balanced when u first put them on??

 

if it is only vibrating at say 40-50 mph then yes it is somewhat normal in that it is just a wheel out of balance. But not acceptable for "normal" driving, it is something you should get fixed. Usually doesn't cost that much to get done.

 

well, i had them "re-balanced" today. they said something about larger rims being hard to balance, and needing to buy hub centering braces or something like that. they didn't try to sell them to me, said i'd have to go through the manufacturer. guess i'll just drive unbalanced till whenever...

 

Mine weren't balanced from wheelmax...if thats where you got yours. I had to get them re-balanced. Damn wheel max. They have good prices if you are looking for a deal, but ****, they do a half *** job balancing and filling the tires. Check your psi.....mine were off. It sucks to spend all that cash on rims and get a half *** job in return

 

Here is the scoop from a Tire Dealer.
No one uses tap on weights on newer wheels. We all use tape weights. They do the same thing. As for the amount of weight on the wheel, you said you had 5 or 6, that is nothing. only an 1.25 -1.50oz no worries. As for how they were balanced, you don't need any special wheel centering device. That guy is doens't know what he's talking about.

I'm sure all they did was a "static" balance, that is where you just put a strip of weights in one place. Am I right? Since you can't do a regualr "dynamic balance," the kind with tap weights, you need to go to a place that "knows" about the "mag" setting on their spin balancer. since your wheel is smooth all across the backside, you can use the "mag 3 setting" You will have two wieghts put on the rim. One on the extreme inside (near the spokes, not in front of the spokes) & one on the extreme outside, (right on the edge of the rim near the bead) This should fix your problem.

One last note, not to pour salt in the wound, but if you check the vendor classifeds my company, Frisby Performane Tire is offering wheel packages including expert balancing , free lug nuts and a choice of wheels and tires for about what you will pay from the other company. This is equal to nearly $100 of FREE service to you. Hope this helps.

 

as i've been driving on them now, it doesn't seem quite as bad as before. its only a very slight shimmy around 50, and even then, i'm not convinced anymore its the rims. i just think its the crappy roads here, which i know feel EVERY nook and cranny in.

thanks for all the help and info. i do know one thing. after taking it down my favorite back road, it doesn't shake at all over 80mph. (the road leads to a nuclear plant which no one is on at night and has brand new straight paving). highway travel should be fine.

 

If it's a tad "bumpy", it's probably just the tires. Barnd new tires tend to be a tad bumpy, and the difference between 60 profile and 45 (or whatever you have) is a large difference. But if you're desribing it as a "shimmy", I worry about balance and maybe alignment.

 

maybe its a rotor or something, or something brake related. who knows. i'm gonna have it checked out at the dealer soon for the 15K tuneup.

 

Find a shop that uses this, even more important should the wheels be lugcentric and not hubcentric, make sure that the tire shop actually has the correct adapter to secure the wheel on the balancer. If they don't the wheel will never balance correctly.

This is the only balancer out there that actually puts force against a wheel tire combo to find the relative high and low spots of the combo. The machine will tell the tech which direction to rotate the tire on the rim to minimize runout.

If you've got finicky wheels / tires for balancing, this may be the ticket.

Hunter GSP9700 Road Force Balancer