20" wheel balancing problems

20" wheel balancing problems

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SkinnyPete

Original Poster:

1,420 posts

150 months

Monday 18th September 2017
quotequote all
Has anyone had any problems with balancing 20" Porsche wheels? Specifically 981/991?

I did my first tyre change recently (from factory pitted Pirellis) and despite being an awful tyre the car was as smooth as silk.

I had Goodyear Asymmetric 2 N rated fitted and the wheel wobble on the motorway as awful, the garage was apologetic, they re calibrated their machine and tried again but no luck. I tried another garage who were better but again the steering wheel was shaking annoyingly at 60mph.

In the end I drove to the other side of the country to use a friends tyre balancing machine which he has in his garage at home. We examined each wheel and tyre for damage or runout etc., and everything seemed perfect.

We calibrated his machine and re-balanced the wheels as accurately as we could, it's an improvement by 99% but the car isn't as smooth as it was. I can live with it but it got me wondering if anyone else has had a similar problem?

The only thing I can think of is the tyres have a minor defect that the wheel balance machine isn't picking up? I could either try a newer more accurate wheel balancer or try road force balancing (they balance the tyre and wheel separately).

SkinnyPete

Original Poster:

1,420 posts

150 months

Monday 18th September 2017
quotequote all
While I appreciate not all tyre garages are equal I doubt they will be able to better balance the wheels than what they are now, unless they have significantly superior equipment (and training).

I am going to leave them how they are but it would be nice to know if other people have had similar experiences. It would not be the first time that I have bought a set of Goodyear Asymmetric tyres that have been defective/questionable build quality.

SkinnyPete

Original Poster:

1,420 posts

150 months

Monday 18th September 2017
quotequote all
AW10 said:
Sorry of these sound like noddy questions but...

At the start of subsequent balance sessions were the wheels checked to see if they were out of balance or were the weights just stripped off and a fresh start was made?

And I'm guessing/hoping that when the last weight was put on the wheels were checked once more and it was confirmed that the last weight put in place resulted in a fully balance wheel?

Does the problem get worse over time?

And unlikely if the tyres haven't been removed since first installed but have they moved on the rims?

Have you tried contacting Goodyear?
When I balanced the wheels myself I checked the existing balance, they were out significantly (e.g. 100g a wheel), I then removed the weights and checked again, 3 of the wheels balanced better with no weights at all.

After I had added the weights I checked them once again and always got the remaining weight down to 1-5g. I have not refitted the tyres and they haven't moved on the rim either, I know this because the coloured dot markings are aligned with the valve stem.

I don't think the problem gets worse over time although the problem is so subtle that its unnoticeable on certain surfaces. I haven't contacted goodyear.


SkinnyPete

Original Poster:

1,420 posts

150 months

Wednesday 20th September 2017
quotequote all
Well you might not be wrong, but if I call Goodyear they are going to want me to buy 4 new tyres, send the old ones back and maybe get back to me in a few months with their "findings".

The warranty/returns process for tyres is a joke.

SkinnyPete

Original Poster:

1,420 posts

150 months

Wednesday 20th September 2017
quotequote all
Thanks!

Shame their website doesn't allow you to search for locations in UK though.

SkinnyPete

Original Poster:

1,420 posts

150 months

Wednesday 20th September 2017
quotequote all
Cheers guys. So would you say the Hunter machine is a fail safe way to get the balance spot on?

Closest place to me wants £30 a wheel which seems reasonable given the annoyance it will solve, in future I will just pay the extra!