Brakes Wheels 1st Gen Tires Most liked posts in thread: Winter wheels on. Shimmy in steering wheel

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  1. goaljnky

    goaljnky New Member

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    #2 goaljnky, Jan 6, 2011
    It is possible. Couple of points. Lugs should not be loosened with an impact gun in the first place. Re-balance the front tires.
     
  2. Mr. Jim

    Mr. Jim Mudshark
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    #3 Mr. Jim, Jan 6, 2011
    If it's a steel wheel, over torqueing can warp the wheel causeing the shim. We had many TR7's & TR8's with steel wheels and we had to have them balanced "on the car" which not everyone does. The Triumph steel wheels only called for like 55lbs torque and guys were using airguns to tighten. Did they have to use a lot of weight to balance?

    Chers
    Mr. Jim
     
  3. BThayer23

    BThayer23 Well-Known Member

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    #4 BThayer23, Jan 6, 2011
    :Thumbsup:
     
  4. Crashton

    Crashton Club Coordinator

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    #5 Crashton, Jan 6, 2011
    Your snow tires should be smooth....

    I'm a bit confused Jeff. Did the tire & wheel package come from Tire Rack mounted & balanced? If so they blew it when they mounted one or both of the tires you have on the front. Call them & tell them that. Have the tires rebalanced & send Tire Rack the bill. They will make it right.

    I'd recommend going to Discount Tire on Mill Run. They do a good job. Have them do a lifetime balance on all 4.

    Report back after you have the tires rebalanced.
     
  5. iwashmycar

    iwashmycar Active Member

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    #6 iwashmycar, Jan 6, 2011
    sounds like a rebalance is in order. Maybe have them carefully look and make sure theyre all seated well on the bead (which they should be or youd have bigger problems by now im sure)
     
  6. Crashton

    Crashton Club Coordinator

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    #7 Crashton, Jan 6, 2011
    Yes have them inspect those tires closely while they have them off.
     
  7. 05r50

    05r50 Well-Known Member

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    #8 05r50, Jan 6, 2011
    Chuck,

    You are correct. I got a wheel/tire package mounted and balanced from Tirerack. I had a local actually do the takeoff/put-on.

    I contacted Tirerack and they have been great. They said I can use the installer of my choice or one of their approved installers.

    They also said they would cover the re-balance cost. To be fair, they did put a $$ limit on the coverage but I think it is reasonable.

    I am going to get it checked tomorrow. Will let you know.
     
  8. 05r50

    05r50 Well-Known Member

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    #9 05r50, Jan 7, 2011
    Update

    Had some time to look into this today. I did swap the wheels back to front and the car is handling much much better. (but not perfect).

    So, TireRack uses Hunters RoadForce brand balancing equipment and recommended a local installer that also uses RoadForce. I decided not to follow this advice because unfortunately for this local store chain, they have an absolute terrible reputation on TireRack's site from customers. (along the lines of "I'll never use them again" type comments.)

    I checked with an old friend and reputable mechanic. He does not have a Hunter but has had this issue with TireRack before. The Hunter device produces a report that tells them numbers about the balance of the tire and wheel. His spin balancer cannot do this. Since I am looking to have TireRack cover the expense he recommended I find a shop with a Hunter.

    Did some checking and there are many Hunter shops in the Columbus area, including MAG. Set an appoint for next week to have them check the balance. I will call some of the others Sat. to see if I can get in earlier.

    Chuck, Thanks for the nod to Discount Tire. I was a very loyal customer to them for a great number of years. Not anymore. They treated me very poorly the last 3 times I used them. Including not standing behind crap tires they sold me, Damaging my wife's truck and acting like it was no big deal, and final straw, putting a huge dent in my nephews quarter panel with a lug tool and denying it. Said "Sue me".

    I choose to vote with my wallet. They don't want to treat me right then I don't have to buy from them.

    Anyway, for now the car is driving much better so I think definetly one or more of those puppies is out of balance.

    Jeff
     
  9. iwashmycar

    iwashmycar Active Member

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    #10 iwashmycar, Jan 8, 2011
    Hope it is just the balance.

    ET Paul downtown may also have a Hunter. Not certain but they are excellent with thier service from my experience

    edit: missed the part where you made an appointment :p good luck!
     
  10. Metalman

    Metalman Well-Known Member
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    #11 Metalman, Jan 8, 2011
    +1 on ET Paul......
    That's who I use for all my vehicles.:Thumbsup:
     
  11. lotsie

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    #12 lotsie, Jan 8, 2011
    Nice choice of winter tires:Thumbsup: I had Pirelli Snow Controls on my 03 when I lived where there was snow on the ground WINTER for 5 months. They worked great in snow and ice, and at temps below 45F they were great on the highway. If temps went above that, they felt a bit "squishy" over 60 MPH.

    15 inch steelies worked fine with them.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Mark
     
  12. Crashton

    Crashton Club Coordinator

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    #13 Crashton, Jan 8, 2011
    ET Paul is a great place. :Thumbsup:

    One word about the Hunter roadforce machine. It is great & can do wonderful things. That is all very dependent on the operator of the balancer.

    Jeff sorry to hear of all the problems you've had with Discount Tire. I've had none of them & their service has been great. They will match Tire Racks prices too.

    Maybe the reason I have never had a problem is I stay with my car & ask questions. IMO leaving a car at any tire place & picking it up later is asking for problems. Stay there & watch.

    This is not a knock against MAG, but a good tire store mounts & balances more tires in one week that MAG will do in a whole year. If you want tire & balance expertise try ET Paul.
     
  13. Nathan

    Nathan Founder

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    #14 Nathan, Jan 8, 2011
    Hunter has an app for that!

    The Hunter Engineering Touch Remote brings full wireless functionality to Hunter's WinAlign wheel alignment systems. With WinAlign 11.1 or higher, and the optional Touch Remote Feature, users will be able to view live vehicle measurements updating in real time, command full control over the WinAlign software, and view and zoom in on vehicle specific adjustment illustrations and photographs, all from the palm of their hand.

    Check it out in the app store
     
  14. 05r50

    05r50 Well-Known Member

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    #15 05r50, Jan 12, 2011
    Update time.

    Of course my appointment at MAG wasn't until Tuesday, which means they had my car all day and I didn't get to try out my snow tires on the day it snowed. Figures.

    Got the car back today. Don't have a lot of details, but receipt shows road force was 6,12,12&15 pounds on the 4 tires. Don't know if that is before or after.

    The 12 and 15 pounders were on the front originally.

    The also lowered air from 40 to 35. Tire calls for 44 max.

    For the most part the ride is much smoother. Freeway driving has no shimmy in steering wheel from 60-70 mph.

    Still feel and can see slight shimmy at 51-53 mph on street driving but not every time. Sometimes it is just as smooth at this speed.

    So, I don't know what to think. Did they make it better, or is it a placebo effect given I haven't been driving the car for days.

    My only experience in a MINI has been on the new Conti's the dealer installed when i purchased and these pirelli's for winter. Maybe the winter tire should be more rough?


    Any thoughts?
     
  15. iwashmycar

    iwashmycar Active Member

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    #16 iwashmycar, Jan 12, 2011
    The snows tend to sound rougher, but feel squishier. It also takes some time for the snows to get broken in (same goes with many new tires). The goodyears I had felt very oily for a good 3-4000 miles.

    I'd place blame on the rims now. I assume (cheapish) aftermarket? did you use hub rings? Sorry if its been covered above :p
     
  16. 05r50

    05r50 Well-Known Member

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    #17 05r50, Jan 12, 2011
    So I haven't put 100 miles on these.

    Yep low cost wheels. Because of shipping weight it was cheaper for alloys then steelies.

    I did use the hub rings that tirerack provided. They are sending me new rings as well.
     
  17. Crashton

    Crashton Club Coordinator

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    #18 Crashton, Jan 12, 2011
    Jeff if you'd like I can take your MINI for a drive at breakfast & tell you what I think.

    40 pounds is too much air. I run 32 in mine. Snow tires work better at a lower pressure.
     
  18. iwashmycar

    iwashmycar Active Member

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    #19 iwashmycar, Jan 13, 2011
    yeah im still on the 30psi they were picked up at lol.

    The middle seemed worn more than the outside so I am trying to 'use' the outside tread more
     
  19. 05r50

    05r50 Well-Known Member

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    #20 05r50, Jan 13, 2011
    That sounds like a great idea. See you at Tim's.
     
  20. 05r50

    05r50 Well-Known Member

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    #21 05r50, Jan 20, 2011
    Problem Solved

    Well,
    Chuck gave me his professional opinion Sat. at Breakfast that yep something is not right with these tires:D

    TireRack sent me replacement hub center rings just in case. So, I finally decided to pull a wheel and check the original ring to the replacement. Sure enough, the original ring has a larger inside diameter than the replacement. :mad2:

    I would guess that the gap was at least as thick as a business card or maybe several cards.

    So, I put the new rings on all around, nice and snug, and no more vibration.:beer

    Thanks everybody for the help.

    I wish the dealer would have at least checked this out for me. ( I did ask them to check the rings). Well I guess that is a discussion for me to have with them.
     
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