vibration w/ new tires

[Qfactor]

hey guys

I just got my new tires installed. Hankook RS-2 205/50/15.

Now the problem:
I get a bad steering wheel/dash vibration @ 40->45mph.
then it goes away, then @ 65->80 it comes back, but only in the steering wheel.

I have had Direct tire (peabody) install the tires on my 15x7. They have had to do the balancing twice already. It's still not right, only getting worst.

could it be anything unrelated to balancing/alignment?

any help would be cool at this point.

Q

[pogi]

check your tie rods.raise the front wheels try to shake it sideways,if there is a play,your tie rods needs replacement.change the inner and outer rods and get it aligned.

[oversquare]

Did you watch them balance them? Maybe they did a shady job, just to get more customers through in less time. Have any of the weights fallen off? This isn't related to braking, is it? (EG: vibrates only when you're on the brakes)...?

Yeah, and what pogi said about tie rods

[Qfactor]

checked the tierods....everything is tight.

weights are there. I did see them balance but I cannot prove that they did a bad job, not after the second balance.

the shaking actually gets a bit better off throttle and when braking. but still there.


keep em coming.

Q

[BMWJNKY]

Well if it didn't shake before you put the tires on I would suspect that they are out of balance. There are 2 possibalities of why it is still shaking though. One, you had a slightly bent wheel on the rear and now it is on the front since the tires were changed, or two, you have a tire that isn't perfectly round. I worked at a tire shop for 2 years and now at a BMW shop for almost 3. Whenever we get a coustomer that brings a car back more than once after we balance the tires we show them the suspect wheel/tire. When there is a wheel and/or tire that isn't perfectly round we explain it like this to the coustomer, you can spin balance a triangle but it still wont roll smooth on a road. So, basicly on the balancing macing you can make it zero out even if it is out of round, but it still isn't going to ride smooth when put back on the car.

So if I were in your shoes I'd take my car back and ask to see all the wheels spin on the balancer. If you got a bad tire you can try and get it exchanged. If you have a bad wheel you can either get it fixed or have them balance it the best they can and then put it on the rear of the vehicle so the vibration is less noticable.

[Qfactor]

OK, I think I narrowed it down thanks to BMWJNKY;

I do have 2 rims with a slight bend in the inside lip. but they are both in the back already.

Could that be the cause for the steering wheel vibration?

I purchased the tires at a different place than the installer. All 4 were brand new.

Are Borbet rims hubcentric to bmw? I remember that when I was mounting them last, they fit on nice and tight, so I am guessing they must be.

I am gonna go back and discuss this with the manager at the tire place.

Q <-bummed out.

[ScentOfGasoline]

If there was no shake before, then I'd venture to say at least one of the new tires is bad and can't be balabced.
I experienced all of it, shake from bad tires, wheel spacers and bent wheels.
The whole car shook (the dash, the seats, steering) from rear unbalance (spacers in my case) at 70.
Steering mostly shook from front end unbalance (bad tire, was new too) at 60-70.
Suspension problems usually crop up as shake during braking or cornering and driving on rough road.

[Qfactor]

what is the correct way of figuring out whether or not a tire is "bad"?

what kinda of suspension problems are you referring to?

thanks

Q

[TennesseeBMW]

You can also take your tires and get them trued, many shops do not do it anymore, but new tires are not always complete round, truing them corrects that.

ask local tire shops where can you get the tires trued at.

[mbonder]

Did they just balance them or did they road force them also? Road forcing them will match the lower spots in the tire with the higher spots on the wheel thus allowing any tiny discrepencies to be taken out. Most places like STS and the like won't do this, they'll just slap more wheel weights on and call it a day. Usually private shops have the higher technology of a road force machine to handle this task.

Matt

[turningermanese]

Road force balancing machines are pretty incredible as far as what they can do to eliminate certain vibrations. Almost every vibration up to if the tire is just absolutely bad (from a messed up alignment, flat spots, etc...). I would venture to guess that if a tire is so bad that it causes a huge vibration like Q is describing, it wouldn't have passed quality checks on the way out of the factory. Sounds like you have a balance issue or an actual wheel mounting issue. Make sure all of the hub mating surfaces are clean. If you're using spacers, make sure they're clean/flat as well. Do you have a set of stock wheels? If so, throw those on and see what happens.