[RANT] whenever I've bought tyres I've always had to go back at least twice to get balancing sorted. I has the wheels rotated this week, apparently now wheels 'have' to be balanced if they're off the car (whatever) and now perfectly well balanced wheels are wobbly. FFS!

[/RANT]

You are so right, tyre shops are crap at balancing and wheel alignment, considering that's all they fu#€?>¥ do that's pretty sh!+. I dread driving off with new tyres knowing my cars going to wobble worse than a 1970s circus clowns car!

You must be very unlucky in where you go and who you use.

It is tyre fitting and then balancing and if they are incompetent at the job they do day in day out you are risking lives using them.

 

Why would rotating the wheels require rebalancing unless someone removes the weights that were on as the wheels were fitted.

If the wheels are wobbly when rotated it is because they are not on correctly, 

but more likely the tyres are now not suitable for the new position because of wear and having now reshaped or what ever.

You must be very unlucky in where you go and who you use.

It is tyre fitting and then balancing and if they are incompetent at the job they do day in day out you are risking lives using them.

 

Why would rotating the wheels require rebalancing unless someone removes the weights that were on as the wheels were fitted.

If the wheels are wobbly when rotated it is because they are not on correctly, 

but more likely the tyres are now not suitable for the new position because of wear and having now reshaped or what ever.

 

When moving wheels front to back they should be rotated side to side not corner to corner as the tyres are then running the other way, ie backwards. Modern tyres get into a wear pattern. 

I think you're just going to the wrong places OP, I've been to at least 10 around here and never had a problem as well as used to do holiday cover work for a mate at one

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Interesting; I've actually never been back to the same place twice in 20 years of motoring. And ALWAYS have had a problem. The worst case was a Saxo VTR, with centerless wheels I'll cut them some slack but on one occasion it took 7 goes to get them right.

Edited 19 September, 201510 yr by pearce_jj

I tend to use local indep tyre places, for "in use" rebalancing and punctures, it is weird that you have always been having problems - the industry standard machinery is meant to be fool proof because cheap places pay peanuts in wages!

I have never had to go back in over 40 years of motoring.  During that time I will of course used many different places so I am guessing you are not naturally a lucky person.

Steering & Suspension and general behaviour of Mk2 Fabia vRS and Monte Carlo on 205/40 R 15 Tyres,

with Directional tyres or not are very easily upset be different brands and also by tyre pressures.

205/40 R 17 Pirelli Zero Nero can have a well handling car go all skittery and the steering feeling light.

& hides Pulling to the Left on cars that had that Fundamental Issue.

(215/40 R 17 in the same tyres can feel planted IME)

 

Used Tyres/wheels moved from front to rear are often OK.

Rear tyres moved to the front can often be noticeable as in how crap they then behave.

 

Checking and setting your own tyre pressures is important unless the Tyre Centre Operative is setting them to your instructions.

 

The Fabia Mk2 vRS / Monte Carlo on 17" wheels really is one of the cars where i am most aware of where the correct tyres and correct pressures being so easy to feel the difference with.

I've not had any problem with balancing at any of the tyre places I have used, either major chains or indys. You are just unlucky methinks.

goneeoffski, I don't mean to be rude but you clearly don't understand much about wheels and tyres. They can't use the same weights every time you have new tyres fitted, different tyres weigh different as indeed do the wheels. The weights are only very light and make up the difference that naturally occurs in different tyres and all wheels. It's the skill of the tyre shops who take the time to accurately sort this process. This also extends to wheel alighnment anyone can do it, but it takes someone who gives a dam to get it exact. You are often asked to come back to check after having it done to make sure it's set up correctly, how many people do?

I agree 100% about tyre fitters being nigh on useless. I would have thought that the machines they use should be pretty much foolproof. A while back when I had four new tyres fitted and the wheels allegedly balanced my steering suffered violent vibration at about 65 MPH. I took the car back twice and they never managed to resolve the problem. I eventually went elsewhere, paid for balancing (which I watched) and the problem went away. Sadly, tyre fitters are no better that most "mechanics".

 

As to the suggestion that you should regularly check and set your own tyre pressures - this presupposes that you can rely absolutely on the accuracy of your local garage's tyre pressure gauge - or your Taiwanese jobbie from Halfords

I've had mixed results on balancing of wheels in the past, I now use a friend who works at a Honda dealership and the guy that balances wheels there is awesome, the machines maybe be full proof but it is still down to a human hand to apply the correct amount of weight to the wheel and in the right place and then ideally re-run another balance test on the machine to check his work.

As for tyre pressure's, here is a link to what I use to set my tyres http://www.tarkracing.com/en/e-pood/vega-tyres/vega-tyre-pressure-gauge-detail

Edited 20 September, 201510 yr by wrightcnc2009

Nels # post 11,  read again the OP.

 

He had the wheels rotated, post#1.  

no mention of changing tyres, no 'new tyres were fitted'

& i fully understand balancing a wheel when you fit tyres 'new' or 'used;.

I have fitted quite a few, and balanced them.  It was something i did to earn a crust.

Nels # post 11,  read again the OP.

 

He had the wheels rotated, post#1.  

no mention of changing tyres, no 'new tyres were fitted'

& i fully understand balancing a wheel when you fit tyres 'new' or 'used;.

I have fitted quite a few, and balanced them.  It was something i did to earn a crust.

I'm not doubting your ability or knowledge, I agree that if the wheels/tyres have simply been removed to replace on a different corner then re-balancing should NOT be required. We are assuming that they were not turned around on the rim though.

Well then they would need rebalanced.

 

But that the problem with the rant.

and the 'apparently they have to be rebalanced'.  

Some fitters might suspect weights have been lost off a rim and advise balancing, and when it is the old weights on the outside rim, not stick on in the inside of the rim, they were easily and often lost.

 

Sometimes / some places they knew the weights were off, because when the customer was not looking they whipped them off. (up selling the old skool way.)