HELP!

I'm about going off my nut by what is becoming a bit of a sad joke with my two new front tyres.

I got them a few weeks back. I noticed that there was a very slight vibration at high speed and the car had a slight tendancy to pull off to the left.

Went back to tyre fitters last week but they were closed, so went to another nearby tyre fitter who said they would check things out for free. Turned out tracking was okay, but wheel balance was well out. One tyre had a 'high spot', and was 10g out on one side. They said the other wheel was out by 70/90g and I should go back to the original tyre fitter to get this sorted.

Went back there yesterday and they checked the tyres again, they definately done some adjustments but I don't know what weight differences they made. Problem was the vibrations were now ALOT worse, totally unbearable and noticable at 40 and 60mph onwards wheras before it was only slight at higher speeds.

I took a note of the weights on each wheel and went back there today. They said well thats odd they balanced out okay yesterday. As a solution they offered to swap the front and rear wheels (which I perhaps unwisely agreed to). I notice they have taken the factory fitted weights off the rear wheels as they moved them to the front. I have also noticed they have not correctly rotated them diaganolly as your supposed to when you swap back and fronts, I presume this is to save them having to change the rotational tyres.

The weights on the two new tyres (now at the back) have not been changed, and from what I seen they didn't put these on the balancing machine.

Now I don't know very much about the black art of balancing wheels but I'm sure somethings dodgy!

Having just been for a test run the vibrations are nowhere near as bad, and the car goes in a straight line when I point it that way...which always helps! However, although there arent so much vibrations through the steering wheel, it still feels like I'm going over a bumpy road all the time. Is this possibly because the rear wheels aren't balanced? Or could it be because I was driving on them for a while with the balance out, causing a high spot? And will this eventually sort itself out, or if they havent balanced them right in the first place am I due a new set of tyres?

I've attached a before / after diagram for the work they done today, this might show things a bit better than I descibe.

Does anyone know enough about wheel balancing to advise on this one? I just want the shakeyness to go away and not have to feel paranoid that my cars running on badly balanced wheels.

Cheers

Ross M

What make of tyres are they? If one has a high spot (and tread run out by the sounds of the pulling) no amount of balancing wil cure it 100%. Also 70g is a lot of weigh to be out. Also check the wheel nuts / studs are torqued up correctly as this can cause a wheel vibration.

Goodyear Eagle F1s.

I'm away to get a bit of independant advice on it again today. There might be a possibility one of the wheels is buckled as well so I'm going to look for this high spot. If it is on the tyre, I'll go back looking for replacements.

Normally, the balancing process using the proper balancing machine should sort out the wobble. I think a buckling should be looked in to, but is there much chance of that? Have you hit something hard recently?

I've known these things drag on for months, as it's very hard sometimes to diagnose which axle the vibrations are coming from never mind the cause.

Wheels won't be swapped diagonally if they're directional tyres or they'd be facing backwards!

Most cars will pull to the left a little so don't worry unduly about that. If it started as soon as a new tyre was put on and not before, there is a distinct possibility that the actual tyre case is faulty and needs replacing.

Many tyre fitters are a bit hit and miss with wheel balancing and many 'operators' don't actually know how to use the equipment properly.

You really need to find a specialist who knows how to use his equipment, ask your local dealer who they use, assuming they don't have the stuff in their workshops already.

Good Luck!

...Just an update on the above!

The wheels had been relatively okay, no vibrations, well not until I went high high speed and the whole car starting making a whirring noise and shaking about quite badly.

Been back to the kwikfitters today and told them vibrations now coming from back of car at higher speeds since they moved the wheels from front to back.

They had the car for a while, when I went back to collect it they said there had been no problem, but they balanced all four tyres again.

On inspection tonights, I see that there are no longer any weights on any tyres, inside or out. You can see from my attached diagram above how it was after last I had visited them, so I have no idea why the weighting has changed so much, after only about 750 miles.

Anyway, on the way home I was unable to make any vibrations, and they did seem a bit better when I drove fast, but havent been to high high speed yet. I'll see how it goes and update you all when I know.

Cheers

Ross M

kwikfitters

Stay away from those type of firms. I had no end of bother from National tyres with balancing. I took it to them 3 times and they couldn't sort it, so I took it to an independent tyre specialist and low and behold it was sorted after a visit to them.

Stay away from those type of firms. I had no end of bother from National tyres with balancing. I took it to them 3 times and they couldn't sort it, so I took it to an independent tyre specialist and low and behold it was sorted after a visit to them.

I used to like kwik-fit, as I've been into them plenty of times with a single wheel needing a tyre changed - they always quoted a good price and did a decent job.

This is the first time I've entrusted the full car to them, and its just one big ****-up!

I think its just down to luck with the bigger companies, depends if you get someone who knows how to work their equipment. ahem.

Smaller places that have had recommendations for me from now on!!

Incidently, National tyres are right close to my local kwik-fit so I took it to them for a second opinion. They were actually dead helpful and seemed pretty knowledgable, took me over to the balancing machine and shown me what the problem was, and even better - didnt charge me. Its all down to luck though.

I hope its all sorted now, I just dont understand why the 45 and 50g weights have been now been removed from the insides of the rear wheels. Surely there either needed or not..??? Anyone got an explanation for this?

Madness I reckon, but if it fixes it then I'm happy.

I used to like kwik-fit' date=' as I've been into them plenty of times with a single wheel needing a tyre changed - they always quoted a good price and did a decent job.

This is the first time I've entrusted the full car to them, and its just one big ****-up!

I think its just down to luck with the bigger companies, depends if you get someone who knows how to work their equipment. ahem.

Smaller places that have had recommendations for me from now on!!

Incidently, National tyres are right close to my local kwik-fit so I took it to them for a second opinion. They were actually dead helpful and seemed pretty knowledgable, took me over to the balancing machine and shown me what the problem was, and even better - didnt charge me. Its all down to luck though.

I hope its all sorted now, I just dont understand why the 45 and 50g weights have been now been removed from the insides of the rear wheels. Surely there either needed or not..??? Anyone got an explanation for this?

Madness I reckon, but if it fixes it then I'm happy.[/quote']

I used Kwikfit for front tyres on an Alfa 156 I used to have & I went back 4 times cos they had not balanced the wheels properly..I had an indepentant company recommended & they sorted it..I did wonder if the fitters at KF did not balance them on purpose so as to f**k up the cars performance..

I need front tyres for the Octy rs & will now only use a independant firm..

charles in 'cynical mood'

i had a problem with one tyre on the front straight after fitting from National Tyres. Unfortuanatly i bought the tyres wholesale do they blamed the tyres and not the balancing. eventually i persuaded them to do something and the turned the offending tyre on the wheel and rebalanced. i was told that the tyres can sometimes need serious balancing (ie more than 80g) and sometimes cannot be balanced. It is possible that they knew this and were just trying to fob you off with a dodgy tyre instead of replacing it.

Trust no-one. Especially big companies.

R.

F1s are directional so they wouldn't swap them diagonally..only front to rear and vice versa.

Seems they have sorted it now.

...but they balanced all four tyres again.

On inspection tonights' date=' I see that there are no longer any weights on any tyres, inside or out.

....Anyway, on the way home I was unable to make any vibrations,

[/quote']

Had exactly the same happen to me a few yrs ago, took my car in to a local fitter for 4 new tyres and watched him hammer loads of BIG :eek: weights all over all 4 wheels. The vibration was unbilievable! after 2 more attempts at balancing i gave up and took the car to my local National Tyre place, who took all the weights off, had a good laugh at the sheer incompetance of the first job, put the odd 5g weight back on here and there and sent me on my way. Car was perfect afterwards.

Used the same place for tyres ever since...