997 GTS Centre Lock Wheels

[JW1]

Hi All,
Has anyone experienced problems getting these wheels balanced? Just had four new tyres fitted and have now got steering wheel wobble, re-visited the company to get them to try again but still have the annoying problem, prior to tyres being fitted no wheel wobble. Will Porsche main dealers have better equipment than a local independent tyre dealer? Can anyone suggest a company in the Croydon-Crawley area which may have better wheel balancing facilities?
Thanks,
James.

[m33ufo]

Have they been properly torqued?

[JW1]

A good question?

[m33ufo]

If you want to PM me I'll email you back some fitting info.

[m33ufo]

There's a specific process to follow. Also, you should check that they haven't removed the Optimol TA paste?

Personally, I'd take it to your local OPC and ask them to remove and refit the wheels. I don't imagine it would be incorrect balancing although your OPC could check this also.

[JW1]

Thank you for your advice, from what you have said it could be quite feasible that there is an issue with the fitting of the wheels. I have two local well established Porsche independents that I will contact next week, otherwise I will need to travel further to the nearest main dealer.

[m33ufo]

It's straightforward. I've removed and fitted my own in the past. But there's a specific procedure.

Also, take your centre cap off and make sure the locking mechanism has engaged?

Good luck.

[JW1]

Visited a respected independent Porsche garage who balanced the wheels and mentioned that they were a fair bit out. Sadly the problem still exists so returning to the garage tomorrow. This will potentially be the fourth lot of balancing. Has anyone else had difficulty getting the centre lock wheels balanced? I wonder if OPC's have more advanced wheel balancing equipment? As this is a pain in the a..e and is spoiling the fun of the car.

[c4sman]

JW1 said:

Visited a respected independent Porsche garage who balanced the wheels and mentioned that they were a fair bit out. Sadly the problem still exists so returning to the garage tomorrow. This will potentially be the fourth lot of balancing. Has anyone else had difficulty getting the centre lock wheels balanced? I wonder if OPC's have more advanced wheel balancing equipment? As this is a pain in the a..e and is spoiling the fun of the car.

When I first picked up my GTS the balance was out. Took it back to the OPC and they said a weight had fallen off and re-balanced the wheels. since then they have been fine and that was 12 months ago. Are you certain that it is wheel balancing that is the issue. Are the wheels straight and true and or could you have some other suspension issue. seems off as CLs should be not different to any other wheel (in fact possible that inherently their design should make them easier as not odd number of stud cut outs)

[cd1957]

Hi just had a car in with new tyres and balance problems, turned out one tyre was out of true, replaced tyre and all fine.

Chris

[JW1]

I returned to my local independent Porsche garage, they test drove the car and agreed there is noticeable wobble coming through the steering wheel then checked for play in the track rod ends. No play was found so they suggested balancing all four wheels, which they did and guess what I still have steering wheel wobble. The car is fine up to 50mph and at its worst circa 75-80mph. So I now don't have a clue where to go with this, all I know is the car was fine before new tyres were fitted. I guess I will need to try an OPC to see if their equipment is going to be better able to balance CLW. Out of Tonbridge and Mid Sussex OPC are there any recommendations?

[chrisABP]

Balancing CL's is no different at all to 5-stud wheels as the wheel centres on the balancer via the central hole in all cases.

Provided the balancer is accurate and calibrated and the wheels haven't been counter-balanced (weights positioned in more than one place on the inside or outside) there should be no problem.

A wheel balance issue only usually occurs for a maximum of 10mph (70-80, 50-60 for instance) and if it happens for a wider mph range its more likely a fault with a tyre or wheel. In your case it was fine before so that eliminates the wheel.

So dependent on the range it could be a fault with a new tyre....

Chris

[JW1]

Thanks Chris. I have never experienced a problem with tyres, is this possible on Michelins? How can I establish for certain if a tyre is faulty? Surely if there was a tyre issue I would detect wobble below 50MPH? The Porsche garage indicated that centre lock wheels are more difficult to balance than normal wheels and made it sound like it wasn't a straight forward job. I didn't realise that wheel wobble is effectively detected in 10MPH bands.

[Magic919]

Look for someone local with a road force balancing machine.

[JW1]

Hi Magic,
What the b....y hell is a road force balancing machine?
J.

[Magic919]

Have a read http://www.balancemycar.co.uk/wheel-balancing-all-...

I've heard of brand new tyres being rejected after a spin on one of these.

[JW1]

Thanks Magic.

[c4sman]

JW1 said:

I returned to my local independent Porsche garage, they test drove the car and agreed there is noticeable wobble coming through the steering wheel then checked for play in the track rod ends. No play was found so they suggested balancing all four wheels, which they did and guess what I still have steering wheel wobble. The car is fine up to 50mph and at its worst circa 75-80mph. So I now don't have a clue where to go with this, all I know is the car was fine before new tyres were fitted. I guess I will need to try an OPC to see if their equipment is going to be better able to balance CLW. Out of Tonbridge and Mid Sussex OPC are there any recommendations?

Mid Sussex sorted mine while I waited.

[JW1]

Thanks C4Sman