High speed tire balance

[bullittandy]

Just got my tires "high speed" balanced at Butler Tire. They check the wheels and tires and index the tires to the wheels if need be, then balance them normally off the car.

The high speed part comes from a machine that they roll up against the tire and then spins the tire on the car-they say up to 120MPH. Took a couple of hours and cost $140 but removed every bit of vibration that was left-even with three bent wheels (G35's that I just bought).

The guy said that they see a significant number of bent wheels but that the tires balanced very well.

Now I'm scared to take the wheels off the car!!

[jamesmost]

the hunter road force balancer does it off the car with a roller against the tire.My dad always told me there was a machine that did it on the car but i thought it was urban myth

[qship96]

just use a grease pencil to mark /match wheel/ lug stud so it is returned to same exact position it was balanced to.can not rotate tires and maintain balance with this method- but it does balance extremely well,as it factors in rotors,hubs,studs,etc

[Q45tech]

The on car machine.

[xerexabante]

i have my q balanced at the dealer. it was well worth it. i believe they call it " supper balance". thhey spinn the tires un mounted at about 90 mph. no vibration at any speed. before i used to have it balaced at dicount tire and have vibrations at about 45-50mph. will only get mine balanced at the dealer. costs more but well worth the $.

[ceningolmo]

Nope... it's true. It's the only way my dad can get the tires on his motorhome properly balanced.

[Q45tech]

The usual cost effective solution to tire vibration is to ONLY USE MICHELIN TIRES......................the extra cost of the tires is easily offset by not having to jump thru hoops to get the tires to perfection.

Unfortunately tires cannot fix out of spec wheels or rotors.

[bullittandy]

I had a choice-pay $140 for a high speed balance or pay $450 to repair three bent wheels to probably only have them bend again on terrible Atlanta roads.

Drove the Q to work today balsted from 65 to 95 MPH and was smooth as silk!!

[Q45tech]

Proper OEM sized wheels don't usually bend. In driving 310,000 miles about 65% of which was around ATL................I have only bent 1 oem wheel and that one was only out 21 grams [vs 5 grams oem standard].

In my younger and stupider days of Q ownership I kept trying to get exotic tires to work........I must have had on car balancing done 12 times on Dunlop and Yoks and others then I finally went back to Michelin and never looked back. I pass by Butler Tire twice a day and never have the urge to turn in anylonger [about 8 years since I've been there].

As to bent wheels you can balance just the wheels and permanently afix weights just for the wheels [weld or glue]............poor mans straightening.