All my rims are out of round?

[johnnyh55]

I just got 4 Nokian Nordman 4 tires intalled last weekend and I notice a vibration but not in the steering wheel, it was mainly coming through the seats. I took the car back to the shop and informed them about my issue and they tooked the car in and then the mechanic came out and said that all 4 of my winter steel rims are out of round. I didn't argue apart from saying how come they didn't notice the first time and he said probably the guy was in a hurry because they were closing.
So I just said do the best you can to balance them and I will see how it feels.

I didn't think of it on the spot but I should of ask the guy to show me the wheel on the balancer. I don't think he unmounted the tire from the rim, so is it possible to see if a rim is out of round without removing the tire from the wheel?

I don't mind buying new steel wheels but what I don't want to happen is after replacing the wheels and they realize ah crap it's the tires, oh well we will just replace them and not tell the customer, then I will have bought rims for nothing.

Last winter my old winter tires were okay they never vibrated. Since I took my car in a second time it seems better but I don't want the tires to wear unevenly because of a balance issue. Any advice on what I should do?

[Aitch]

I just got 4 Nokian Nordman 4 tires intalled last weekend and I notice a vibration but not in the steering wheel, it was mainly coming through the seats. I took the car back to the shop and informed them about my issue and they tooked the car in and then the mechanic came out and said that all 4 of my winter steel rims are out of round. I didn't argue apart from saying how come they didn't notice the first time and he said probably the guy was in a hurry because they were closing.
So I just said do the best you can to balance them and I will see how it feels.

I didn't think of it on the spot but I should of ask the guy to show me the wheel on the balancer. I don't think he unmounted the tire from the rim, so is it possible to see if a rim is out of round without removing the tire from the wheel?

I don't mind buying new steel wheels but what I don't want to happen is after replacing the wheels and they realize ah crap it's the tires, oh well we will just replace them and not tell the customer, then I will have bought rims for nothing.

Last winter my old winter tires were okay they never vibrated. Since I took my car in a second time it seems better but I don't want the tires to wear unevenly because of a balance issue. Any advice on what I should do?

First I'd be very annoyed that they put four unbalanced wheels on your car "because they were closing" and in a rush. The re-balancing better be free.

Second, it is fairly unlikely that all four wheels are "out of round" unless you a) had really cheap wheels, b) ran all four wheels over a curb or something, or c) bought them used. If the re-balancing hasn't solved your issue, at least have them show you how the wheels are bent and prove that it's the wheels not the tires you bought. Otherwise take the wheels somewhere else.

It is possible to see if the wheels are bent without taking the tires off, if it's really bad you can see it on the car but it will also show up spinning the wheel on the balancing machine. Minor bends don't always have a huge effect, one of my summer wheels has a minor bend but I ran it on the rear of the car and never noticed a thing this year.

[kimchisoup]

Either rim or tire is out of round - from what you describe probably radially.
Tire balance will NEVER fix this. Fairly easy to check this yourself.

Jack up each wheel. Setup something very close to rim like a ruler. Spin it. Repeat for tire.
You're looking for 2-3 mm, so watch carefully.

[johnnyh55]

Well 3 months into the winter and I still have a steering wheel vibration. I went back to the tire shop 3 times and still can't get it right. I replaced 2 of the steel rims because I seen one was actually bent. Now the vibration is intermittent, it's werid it doesn't always do it at the same speed. Some times it does it, sometimes I put the cruise control and it stops doing it. I know my brake rotors are warped because the brake pedal vibrates when I brake but could that cause a steering wheel virabtion when not braking? Any suggestions what to check, the tire shop balances the tires 3 times already and they have a hunter balancer but I am not sure if they applied roadforce.

[Aitch]

Does it also vibrate right after the balancing? You can get vibrations from snow and ice buildup as well, so if it happens after a storm that might be a cause.

[SonicBoy]

Get a 2nd opinion at another tire shop.

Try one of the sponsors here.

[johnnyh55]

Ya it vibrates right after balancing. It would be nice to get a second opinion but it will cost me money. I am trying to get this fixed by the original shop. I don't see what the problem could be. Would a bad tire still balance correctly?

[Aitch]

At this point you may have no other choice. Either that shop is incompetent and you have to fix the problem elsewhere (and then maybe go after them for a refund) or the problem isn't with the wheels and tires.

[SonicBoy]

Perhaps the balancer is not correctly calibrated.

I know you are trying to avoid costs but it seems the 2nd opinion might be worth it if the problem is resolved.

If you are out east, try Exclusive wheel and Tire located in Ajax. Keith knows what he is doing and he is also a forum sponsor.

[johnnyh55]

Well i'm glad to day that with winter almost over my issue has now been solved. I went to the same tire shop but talked to a different guy and he had the tech match mount and road force balances the tires and the car rides like new again. I know it takes more time to road force balance and match mount but I don't know why they wouldn't do it the first time the customer comes back. I would say sure balance once normally and if the customer comes back road force balance right away to prevent further come backs.

With that said, why do some tires require road force and some don't, is it because I got a bad batch of tires and these tires had alot more defects in them?

[johnnyh55]

What I meant to say is: I'm glad to say not i'm glad to day


I couldn't figure out how to edit a post.

[Booter22]

i dont think its so much that some tires require road force and some dont. most ive seen usually dont need a road force.. i think its more the Nokian Nordman tires that were an issue. never heard of them before. prolly a cheaper brand when made i would guess. if you went with michelin or bridgestone or something more name brand you may not have had the issue to begin with. so im sticking with the tires as more the issue over the balance and rims. but im sure finding the most out of balance points and setting them up combined with a bunch of weight made it better.

[midnightfxgt]

i think its more the Nokian Nordman tires that were an issue. never heard of them before.

Here you go: http://www.nokiantires.com/tyre?id=195116&group=&name=Nokian+Nordman+4


prolly a cheaper brand when made i would guess.

Bad guess. Nokian has been around something like 80yrs. They are not a cheap, junk tire.


if you went with michelin or bridgestone or something more name brand you may not have had the issue to begin with.

More than likely false. Nokian make hundreds of thousands of tires every year for.... Bridgestone. http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/images/smilies/smiley-wink.png Michelin, and Bridgestone have also produced tires for them, and I want to say they may also own stake in the company.



The issue was likely with the balancer or operator. Never had a tire that couldn't be balanced without Road Force.

-John