Buckled wheel vibration
Discussion
i recently purchased a Q7 with 30mm wheel spacers , driving home i noticed a vibration and wheel wobble at 70mph, the front tyres were newly fitted and made the assumption the stupid wheel spacers where the cause so i removed them , which made no difference .
when removing the spacer i noticed that although the rear tyres were almost new tread wise they were perishing and had radial splits at the base of the tread so i had them replaced
the vibration and wheel wobble still evident i took the vehicle for 4 wheel laser alignment and wheel balancing , the technician said only required minor adjustment to both nothing serious
There Was an improvement in wobble but still evident and really noticeable vibration.
so i have taken the vehicle to another garage who have diagnosed the vibration as a buckled rear wheel and warped disks (not sure about the disks) ....i can only assume when the alignment garage took the wheels off to balance the buckled wheel was put on the back which improved the wobble but still gave me the vibration.
to cut a long story short just wondering why the buckle wasn't picked up when balancing?
Balancing machines spin the wheel to check weight distribution, not the true roundness of the rim. A buckle can still balance okay if the weight is even around the wheel, but once on the car, the hop or side-to-side wobble will cause vibration. It’s easy to miss if the tech isn’t specifically looking for rim runout.
A buckled wheel is a distortion in the wheel shape; while balancing might improve it to an extent, it's intended to offset weight imbalances in the wheel and tyre.
A good technician will spot a buckled wheel when they watch it go around on the balancing machine but only if they watch it going round without the cover on. If possible I like to watch the wheel go around so I can check for any buckles or flat spots.
The only system that will pick up a buckle properly is a Hunter Road Force rig.
Tyres can cause vibrations, as can worn suspension components.
A good technician will spot a buckled wheel when they watch it go around on the balancing machine but only if they watch it going round without the cover on. If possible I like to watch the wheel go around so I can check for any buckles or flat spots.
The only system that will pick up a buckle properly is a Hunter Road Force rig.
Tyres can cause vibrations, as can worn suspension components.
Edited by Robertb on Wednesday 27th May 13:51
IIRC a standard balancing machine won't show a buckle, it'll just advise what weights it thinks are needed to balance the wheel.
If you get them road force balanced (different machine and costs a bit more) it'll show you buckles on the wheel as well as high/low spots on the tyre. You can also put the wheel without the tyre on a standard balancing machine and have it spin while you watch the rim for movement - showing you if it's out of shape.
Most standard tyre places will just balance it and not check/look for a buckle unless you specifically ask them to as the machine doesn't tell them. Had it on a previous car where they initially said it was the tyre, changed the tyre, still the same. Had the wheel checked for buckles, none. Eventually had it road force balanced and it was a high spot on the tyre, presumably the first one was the same. Changed the tyre again and it was fine.
I'd get the buckle looked at before you go buying rear discs as that could sort it on its own for a lot less £££.
If you get them road force balanced (different machine and costs a bit more) it'll show you buckles on the wheel as well as high/low spots on the tyre. You can also put the wheel without the tyre on a standard balancing machine and have it spin while you watch the rim for movement - showing you if it's out of shape.
Most standard tyre places will just balance it and not check/look for a buckle unless you specifically ask them to as the machine doesn't tell them. Had it on a previous car where they initially said it was the tyre, changed the tyre, still the same. Had the wheel checked for buckles, none. Eventually had it road force balanced and it was a high spot on the tyre, presumably the first one was the same. Changed the tyre again and it was fine.
I'd get the buckle looked at before you go buying rear discs as that could sort it on its own for a lot less £££.
Edited by Hammy98 on Wednesday 27th May 14:40
What he said (arrow up). Vibrations can be caused by imbalance or by variation in force caused by the wheel or tyre being out of round, or even by the tyre being different stiffnesses as it rolls.
If you get an appointment to get the tyres checked on a road force measurement capable balancer, like the Hunter “Road Force Elite” machine, shoot another message on here and I will give you a couple of important tips. I sound a bit like a know-it-all, I know… but I have also done this task a few times… and I get good results.
If you get an appointment to get the tyres checked on a road force measurement capable balancer, like the Hunter “Road Force Elite” machine, shoot another message on here and I will give you a couple of important tips. I sound a bit like a know-it-all, I know… but I have also done this task a few times… and I get good results.
I had similar thing chasing a wheel vibration, turned out it was a mis-shaped tyre from walloping a pot hole, I had it balanced twice but the unfortunate thing for me was the vibration caused the suspension shock absorber pinch bolt loose & the shock went through the hub destroying a tyre in the process
dmlsrh said:
i recently purchased a Q7 with 30mm wheel spacers , driving home i noticed a vibration and wheel wobble at 70mph, the front tyres were newly fitted and made the assumption the stupid wheel spacers where the cause so i removed them , which made no difference .
when removing the spacer i noticed that although the rear tyres were almost new tread wise they were perishing and had radial splits at the base of the tread so i had them replaced
the vibration and wheel wobble still evident i took the vehicle for 4 wheel laser alignment and wheel balancing , the technician said only required minor adjustment to both nothing serious
There Was an improvement in wobble but still evident and really noticeable vibration.
so i have taken the vehicle to another garage who have diagnosed the vibration as a buckled rear wheel and warped disks (not sure about the disks) ....i can only assume when the alignment garage took the wheels off to balance the buckled wheel was put on the back which improved the wobble but still gave me the vibration.
to cut a long story short just wondering why the buckle wasn't picked up when balancing?
Discs on road cars do not warp, they may suffer a build up of brake dust residue causing vibration.when removing the spacer i noticed that although the rear tyres were almost new tread wise they were perishing and had radial splits at the base of the tread so i had them replaced
the vibration and wheel wobble still evident i took the vehicle for 4 wheel laser alignment and wheel balancing , the technician said only required minor adjustment to both nothing serious
There Was an improvement in wobble but still evident and really noticeable vibration.
so i have taken the vehicle to another garage who have diagnosed the vibration as a buckled rear wheel and warped disks (not sure about the disks) ....i can only assume when the alignment garage took the wheels off to balance the buckled wheel was put on the back which improved the wobble but still gave me the vibration.
to cut a long story short just wondering why the buckle wasn't picked up when balancing?
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