Tire Balancing?

[Racinfan83]

All good info! If I get a chance between now and Monday I will jack it up and do some checking. The dealer I last went to and am going back to is right off the Interstate - I guess it was my bad for not taking the car out there afterward - but it was late and I took surface streets home. Not sure what kind of machine they have - thing that bothers me is what I said previously - the tire shop is part of an "express service" department in a totally separate building from the main shop. SO those guys could be "Jiffy Lube" quality wearing a GM uniform...?? If I read the date code right the tires are 2010 mfr.

Your Honda experience should have maybe been your education!

Well - in a sense - because it told me that sometimes it may take more then once to get it right - which = reason why I went from one dealer to another just to see if I could get it right in TWO tries... I shoulda jumped on the first dealer when it wasn't right - but I have a tendency to avoid conflict and just avoid the places that screw me... I will see what I can check and I will definitely be out in the shop when they do it Monday...

[WVZR-1]

Originally Posted by Racinfan83

the tire shop is part of an "express service" department in a totally separate building from the main shop. SO those guys could be "Jiffy Lube" quality wearing a GM uniform...?? If I read the date code right the tires are 2010 mfr.

Could be? Might also be very good at what they do! "Jiffy Lube" isn't maybe a very good analogy! Do you have 1st hand experience with a "Jiffy Lube"? Your problem maybe doesn't belong in the tire shop BUT it's certainly the less expensive first attempt at resolution. Their 1/2 OZ comment seems to indicate maybe the first shop maybe didn't do so bad either. If both were done with similar equipment and I'd guess they were.

Originally Posted by Racinfan83

Well - in a sense - because it told me that sometimes it may take more then once to get it right - which = reason why I went from one dealer to another just to see if I could get it right in TWO tries... I shoulda jumped on the first dealer when it wasn't right - but I have a tendency to avoid conflict and just avoid the places that screw me... I will see what I can check and I will definitely be out in the shop when they do it Monday...

I believe I'd have had a conversation with the "first" dealer - he might have just taken you for "a ride" and known then the issue you were interested in addressing. The second dealers 1/2 OZ comment again seems to indicate maybe it wasn't a bad balance job. Just sayin'

Are there any other ZR-1 owners in your area? Any C4 owners in your area? Drive their car and it that satisfies you "at speed" swap the wheel/tire combination and see what your car "tells you"!! You mention that you feel it's just the rears so you could maybe just try the rears first.

[BigJohn]

You ever think of having your tires cut??

[WVZR-1]

Originally Posted by BigJohn

You ever think of having your tires cut??

Finding someone that "trues tires" might be difficult these days and I believe the width of the tires in question might make that an impossibility. I certainly don't know though. The truing machines that I've seen I don't believe had a table that would do those widths. It's a thought!

If the tires were new and a machine would accommodate the width it's certainly an option but tires at 36 months minimum and maybe closer to 48 with 10% or more tread depth gone?

Tire truing and on car spin balance was part of a "complete alignment" years ago for those that insisted they had problems! I recall time was excessive for these. It's not a "while you wait" and could be cost prohibitive these days.

Truing doesn't correct balance!

[Racinfan83]

Yeah I will check some of this out myself and then see what happens with the dealer on Monday. Guess I'm partly at fault for thinking that tire balancing was easy with today's machines and taking that for granted.
I need to relook at how to read the date codes on the tires - I did look at them a couple weeks ago and the last numbers were 10. So either that's right or I need to look up how to do it for sure.
As to the "jiffy lube" comments - I used that as a general reference. Here in this area those quik lube places hire kids who have little to no mechanical experience. The dealers here are going to the same thing it appears. For example, when I took the Z to the dealer express service last week for the balance - nobody in that entire building - including the "service manager" could even figure out how to get the e-brake off. They had to come ask me. My comments were based on that lack of experience. I think a 20+ year mechanic would have the knowledge to properly balance tires and diagnose a vibration over a 20yr old kid makin $10 an hour and who knows only one way to run the balance machine.?
That may not be the case here - but I have no reason to think otherwise. I saw the guys who did the work at both dealers and neither one was over 23 I bet.
This may end up being something totally different - but I don't have much confidence in these dealers. We shall see what happens I guess......

[taximan]

I had the same problem. Tried everything. Finally broke down and paid the $200+ to have a top of the line dynamic road force balancing done. That cured the problem. If youve eliminated everything else, sounds like thats what you need.

A good sized dealer will have the right machine.

[batchman]

I'm with Jagdpanzer. Road force balance is called for, you'll have to call around. I am sure neither of your dealers did that.

With that mileage that car sat a lot, maybe on those tires. That can make them "square" but usually that works out in the first mile or two. If not it could be a shifted belt, which will balance just fine. Run your hand flat around the perimeter of all 4 tires, you might feel a bubble. Roll the car a little then do it again.

A bent rim will also balance just fine. Can you get it on a lift and spin the wheels?

A road force balance should show up either of those problems.

Good luck,
- Jeff

[WVZR-1]

Judging from the snapshot of the car it has 5-spokes of some branding added, if those are OE/GM wheels there's a good likely hood that the "road force" can get a "wheel pass" - if they're after-market wheels the "road-force" may or may not get a "pass" - the problem with the car could actually be just the way the tire/wheel is bolted to the car, wheel center-bore and the hardware used can certainly contribute. Would a dynamic balance accomplish the task if the wheel/tire is bolted to an adapter rather than just a cone used? Maybe?

The "road-force" will certainly diagnose the wheel/tire compatibility.

You might want to check by zip code and see if the dealer your using actually has the Hunter equipment and if they don't show it here just place a casual call and see if they do "road force" mounting.

http://www.gsp9700.com/search/findgsp9700.cfm

[WARP TEN]

I will second the advice offered by several on a Hunter Road Force balance. You can simply Google "Road Force Balancer" to find a shop near you with one. I did this last spring in Bowling Green after my first long trip in the 95 showed a vibration. First Jim Van Dorn kindly offered to balance them but he did not have the right weights to do if completely. Then I went to S&R Tire Center just off Scottsdale Road which has a Road Force balancer and an experienced tech. They had to spin a couple of tires on the rims to make them balance out properly and also found one tire that was sufficiently out of spec that it could not be fully corrected. I have stock A-molds and Sumitomos that are fairly new. The Road Force work significantly improved the situation and resolved about 90% of the vibration issue. -Bob

[Racinfan83]

I searched that link - and the dealer I took it to has one... hmmmmm...
I wonder if they use that one normally or a different one? Guess I will find out Monday. Gonna try to put her up on stands when I get home from work and check u-joints, half shafts, and all that. Will also spin the wheels to see if anything obvious strikes me. I believe the wheels are factory GM Amolds that someone had black chromed. If not - please tell me - you guys know better then I do!