flat spotted tires effect on alighnment and wheel balance

[captainluigi]

topic title bout says it all. am having wheel alighnment and then tires balanced on hunter roadforce gsp9700. heres the question. if my tires are flat spotted due to overnite setting will this effect the alignment or ballancing of the wheels and tires?

[elwesso]

if your tires have flat spots they should be taken away once they put it on the balancer.... wont effect alignment, but usually any flatspotting that occurs assuming you have good tire pressure should go away after a few miles of driving.

[captainluigi]

thanx wes, indeed the flatspotting disapears after a mile our two of hiway driving. my concern is will the hunter machine read this flatspotting as an anomalie in the tire? the Q will be at the shop overnite prior to the balancing act.

[Q45tech]

Instructions for balancing any tire REQUIRE that the tire is HOT at operating temperature or the balance will change as the tire warms up.

The fallacy in letting a car sit overnight [or an hour in cold weather] then pulling it into shop and balancing tires.

Michelins are often an order of magnitude LESS SENSITIVE due to their more expensive higher quality materials which take longer to cold set and come out of the unbalanced mose fast............what you pay for.

Tire internally tend to operate 30-50F warmer than ambient after a 15-30 minute warm up.

Measure the tire carcass with an IR gun before starting the balance proceedure.

The 9700 pressure roller heats the tire up some but few run it 15 minutes to warm them up. The machine motor would overheat and fail.

Why some many perfect tires on a machine are far from perfect on the road.

[captainluigi]

thanx dennis, that is what i suspected although i would never have been able to relate that to the mechanics helper. i will print this and tactfully give to the head tech. living and working in a small town assures one must be delicate as not to appear a ''knowitall''. i will seek his opinion already knowing what is correct.

[Q45tech]

Somewhere there is an Infiniti TSB on how to preheat tires prior to doing a radial force balance on the 9700 machine...........but it takes time and dealerships may not be located where it is easy to get on off an interstate.

Are you willing to pay half an hour for the tech to warm up drive and rush into dealershio put on lift remove tires while they cool to 70F.

Perfection is expensive............teams of techs with hair dryers trying to keep tire warm waiting their turn on machine.

I learned long ago to just bite the bullet and buy Michelin.

[captainluigi]

ok, i'll bite. i need new tires i know. which michelin in your opinion would be best suited for the 96Q? no snow or ice driving for me. we do have a significant amount of rainfall and of course many days 90f +. occasional spirited driving. also is oe size always the best replacment?

[Q45tech]

In the oem size Michelin has the [directional] Pilot Exalto A/S H rated for $93 [225 V for $110].

Note the strong braking performance. I run the H rated now and stay below 100 mph.

"The Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S felt the most nimble and responsive of the group, allowing the driver to place the car precisely."

[qship96]

I have the Exalto in 225/60 V 15 for about 21,000 miles now- fantastic tire for the factory 15" wheel- much better than the old xgt v or h.