Road force balancing?
Thread Starter
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,933
Likes: 4
From: Central Texas
Road force balancing? ...is it worth it?
I have a pesky front-end vibration that I cannot get rid of. Tie rods, all bushings, and all ball joints were replaced in the last month or so. I replaced the LT1 steering shaft with a reclocked LS1 unit. If I do the "jack the front, grab the wheel at 12 and 6 o'clock and shake /grab at 9 and 3 o'clock and shake" test and everything is tight. Alignment was done ~2 weeks ago by probably the best suspension shop in this part of the state. I have staggered C4 ZR1s with new tires all around that I purchased used.
The vibration is speed-dependent which makes me believe its the wheels/tires. It starts around 5mph and progressively gets worse til around 60mph then, oddly, starts to go away. At 70mph its still there, just less. Thinking a weight may have fallen off, I had one shop balance all four wheels/tires and a second shop check them out to be safe - both using the spin-type balancing machines.
Before I part this POS out, would a road force balancing help and does it sound like what I need?
TIA
I have a pesky front-end vibration that I cannot get rid of. Tie rods, all bushings, and all ball joints were replaced in the last month or so. I replaced the LT1 steering shaft with a reclocked LS1 unit. If I do the "jack the front, grab the wheel at 12 and 6 o'clock and shake /grab at 9 and 3 o'clock and shake" test and everything is tight. Alignment was done ~2 weeks ago by probably the best suspension shop in this part of the state. I have staggered C4 ZR1s with new tires all around that I purchased used.
The vibration is speed-dependent which makes me believe its the wheels/tires. It starts around 5mph and progressively gets worse til around 60mph then, oddly, starts to go away. At 70mph its still there, just less. Thinking a weight may have fallen off, I had one shop balance all four wheels/tires and a second shop check them out to be safe - both using the spin-type balancing machines.
Before I part this POS out, would a road force balancing help and does it sound like what I need?
TIA
In my opinion it is worth it. We bought my wife a used 2012 Malibu with stock 18 inch wheels. They had a bounce in them when we first got the car that was very irritating so I took the wheels off the car, cleaned them and took all the weights off and carried them to my local Goodyear. Goodyear balanced them, put them back on the car and still had the bounce. At this point I was convinced I had a bent wheel. I then took the car back to the dealership and had them check the wheels out. The first thing they did was a Road Force Balance, completely fixed the problem.
Not to say this will fix your problem but it worked for me.
Not to say this will fix your problem but it worked for me.
Thread Starter
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,933
Likes: 4
From: Central Texas
I did, in preparation for taking my ZR1s to Discount Tire (local one has a history of jacking fbodies by the fender and ruining them), remove them and put my 16" stock wheels/tires back on and oddly, the vibration is still there...
now, I'm thinking:
1) weight fell off stock steel driveshaft
2) bent axle or
3) axle bearings going out (hopefully)
LS1Tech Platinum Sponsor
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 329
Likes: 0
From: rudy@tirerack.com
If you having problems with balancing. A road force balance with a good tech will make all the difference. The tech should be able to give you a final run out. If you are having issue try to get it at 15lbs of road force or under. If the tire is new it could be out of round which is covered under most warranties.
Trending Topics
Thread Starter
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,933
Likes: 4
From: Central Texas
Thanks Rudy! The tires are new but I bought them already mounted from another member so no warranty... either way, my local Discount Tire can do them for $10/ea
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power
Verdad Gallardo
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die
Verdad Gallardo
Call around and get quotes on road force balancing. In my hometown area, only 3 or 4 places could do it and the caddilac dealership was actually the cheapest (surprisingly). Something like $14/wheel iirc.
Personally, I did it on my firebird because it just makes me feel "safer" at high speeds and I can vouch it does make a difference on some cars. It's a more precise balance than a traditional balance and I figure if I'm going to drive 100+mph sometimes, precision on moving parts is never a bad idea.
However, if the vibration continued with different wheels on the car, it probably isn't the wheel lol.
Personally, I did it on my firebird because it just makes me feel "safer" at high speeds and I can vouch it does make a difference on some cars. It's a more precise balance than a traditional balance and I figure if I'm going to drive 100+mph sometimes, precision on moving parts is never a bad idea.
However, if the vibration continued with different wheels on the car, it probably isn't the wheel lol.
I personally think road force balancing is more of a sales gimmick than anything. Out of all the times I have road forced tires or forced match them I can think of maybe 2 or 3 times it actually did anything. That's just my opinion tho.
