Cannot get tires to balance

[kenlweb]

Had my tires rotated and balance a few weeks ago and now cannot get rid of a shake that feels like they are out of balance. Have had them rebalanced three times by two different shops from a national chain and it does not help. I am running Michelin LT285/70R17's Load Range "D". They were very smooth before the rotate. I also pull a 7000lb travel trailer. Just looked at my window sticker and the stock Michelins were rate E's. When pulling my trailer the shake is barely noticeable only ad when running empty. I also like to run 50 pounds front and 40 back to improve the ride and that does not seem have any negative effect on how the tires wear or handling. ? Had a BFG go bad and this is starting to feel the same way which is why I am beginning to suspect the tire. I have three questions. Could I have a bad tire that I could not feel before the rotate, should I be running "E" rated tires and will a Road Force Balance detect a bad tire

 

[DAN V]

Have you had your wheels checked to see if they are bent or out of round? Stand next to the machine when they are balancing them and look at the wheel itself. I had this happen to me in the past on one rig in the past. I think it was because I had just bought new wheels and had to have one replaced. Good luck with your situation.

 

[Newt]

Sounds like you may be getting a tread separation. Run your hand gently around the tread. Sometimes you can feel a separation. Be careful, there may be part of the steel belt sticking out.

Newt

 

[TFucili]

Friend just had similar problem with Goodyears. Turned out that two tires had "slipped a belt"

 

[BIGNASTY]

Pretty hard to find a place that can do it anymore but see if you can find a shop that spin balances them ON THE TRUCK!!! the entire spinning weight mass is then balanced

 

[kenlweb]

Thanks for the responses. I can use that information when I go back to the tire store to make sure they are covering all the bases.

 

[GCroyle]

kenlweb,

Look for a Hunter Road Force at http://www.gsp9700.com/search/findgsp9700.cfm they should be able to figure something out. Got a really good bud running the same wheel and size? See if you could swap for a test run if you have a lot of sweat equity you're willing to invest.

 

[Regcabguy]

Get some e-rated Toyos. Simple to balance.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Get some e-rated Toyos. Simple to balance.

I agree, the worst thing I ever did to a Dodge truck was install a set of D's.

 

[seafish]

Get some e-rated Toyos. Simple to balance.

I agree--the two sets of Toyo Open COuntry AT 285/75/17 E tires that I used on my truck before I swapped to 19.5 wheels always balanced with LESS then 4 oz/tire.

 

[Regcabguy]

I agree, the worst thing I ever did to a Dodge truck was install a set of D's.

I had some easy to balance D rated Bridgestones once. Flats,squirm and finally a blowout causing $3300 damage.
The popup's always on so the e's are the way to go for me.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Ken, it may not be the tires. I have been chasing a vibe at 41 and 75 MPH for several years and I know for sure it's not tires (three sets) or wheels (two sets of stock rims). I've replaced everything that spins under there so I know it can be a tough thing to diagnose.
At this point I atually suspect I have a slightly bent front axle from driving in deep snow..

 

[Regcabguy]

Ken, it may not be the tires. I have been chasing a vibe at 41 and 75 MPH for several years and I know for sure it's not tires (three sets) or wheels (two sets of stock rims). I've replaced everything that spins under there so I know it can be a tough thing to diagnose.
At this point I atually suspect I have a slightly bent front axle from driving in deep snow..

Might be a good time for a freespin Prairie Dog. I wish I could scrape up the gold to do it.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Might be a good time for a freespin Prairie Dog. I wish I could scrape up the gold to do it.

Me too - if just for the 2WD low operation!

I don't know if it would help though. We've run my truck on the lift and you can't see or feel anything shake.

 

[kenlweb]

Thanks for all the responses. Was able to get a road force balance done at my local Discount Tire store in Arlington, WA. and this did not help. The store gave a great credit towards 4 new tires and this fixed the problem. My truck is smooth as glass again.

 

[seafish]

Glad you got it figured and taken care of...

It's NOT often at all that new Michelins come off the line THAT won't balance

...it kinda makes me wonder what was wrong with them??

 

[BillDriscoll]

Could a going bad harmonic balancer cause this problem?

 

[seafish]

Could a going bad harmonic balancer cause this problem?

NOT if new tires fixed it!!

That being said, the older trucks with NV5600 often developed bad driving vibrations caused by the failure of torsional damper that was mounted on the driveshaft right behind the transmission, but new tires did not fix that either..lol

 

[buzzinghalfdozen24]

Well, I'm sure there's a real cause for the problem. But I've heard good things about the bead balance system that some tire shops uses. Always conforms to the tire and always balances perfect. Gravity and laws of physics are always constant.

 

[GCroyle]

kenlweb,

Did the Road Force Balancer determine that the tires were bad? What did they find?

Gary