All four wheels bent? What would you do?
10-11-2008, 06:34 PM
#21
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Update:
Went to go have a second opinion. Turns out all four wheels are out of round as I said. The front ones are not real bad, but the rears are pretty well shot! Looks like I am doing wheels my first mod.
Went to go have a second opinion. Turns out all four wheels are out of round as I said. The front ones are not real bad, but the rears are pretty well shot! Looks like I am doing wheels my first mod.
10-11-2008, 07:45 PM
#22
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4 stock wheels are out of round?... Or bent?... They might be misusing some words here..
It could just be the tires, if they're cheap tires, and have had some abuse, chances are that the belts inside are separated (even slightly), making the tire not round ("out of round"). But that'd have no effect on the wheels. You might just need new tires, not new wheels.
But if the wheels are bent, you should get new ones. A good way to see if they're bent is to watch it on the balancer and hold a straight edge (hammer, pen, etc) perpendicular to where the wheel meets the tire. Compare the wheel/tire meeting point edge to the point of the straight edge. If you can see the wheel's edge "move"(dip) compared to the straight edge, it's bent and should probably be replaced. The wheel will look like it's hopping, and the whole wheel/tire assembly will roll weird and look funny. I find it hard to believe that all four wheels are bent though...
What shops are you taking your car too? I'd suggest a tire specific place.
Also, take everything said with a grain of salt. I've seen way too many people talk out their asses if they don't know something. It's usually easier/faster to feed a customer bullshit rather than make things right. Usually more profitable too... Try to go to a shop with good recommendations in your area with experienced guys.
Hope it helps. Good luck
It could just be the tires, if they're cheap tires, and have had some abuse, chances are that the belts inside are separated (even slightly), making the tire not round ("out of round"). But that'd have no effect on the wheels. You might just need new tires, not new wheels.
But if the wheels are bent, you should get new ones. A good way to see if they're bent is to watch it on the balancer and hold a straight edge (hammer, pen, etc) perpendicular to where the wheel meets the tire. Compare the wheel/tire meeting point edge to the point of the straight edge. If you can see the wheel's edge "move"(dip) compared to the straight edge, it's bent and should probably be replaced. The wheel will look like it's hopping, and the whole wheel/tire assembly will roll weird and look funny. I find it hard to believe that all four wheels are bent though...
What shops are you taking your car too? I'd suggest a tire specific place.
Also, take everything said with a grain of salt. I've seen way too many people talk out their asses if they don't know something. It's usually easier/faster to feed a customer bullshit rather than make things right. Usually more profitable too... Try to go to a shop with good recommendations in your area with experienced guys.
Hope it helps. Good luck
10-11-2008, 11:06 PM
#24
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Update 2:
I Called BS on Tires plus. I called them up this evening to confirm an appointment for tomorrow for my other car and asked the gentleman on the phone what wheel he though was the worse. He then put me on hold to ask the mechanic, when he came back he told me that when the mechanic "eye balled it" it seemed the rear passenger-side was the worse. I canceled my appointment. Mother Truckers!
Tomorrow I will try one more place that I know is reputable even if it is an hour plus drive.
I also Noticed a faint smell of burning rubber coming from the rear end too.
I Called BS on Tires plus. I called them up this evening to confirm an appointment for tomorrow for my other car and asked the gentleman on the phone what wheel he though was the worse. He then put me on hold to ask the mechanic, when he came back he told me that when the mechanic "eye balled it" it seemed the rear passenger-side was the worse. I canceled my appointment. Mother Truckers!
Tomorrow I will try one more place that I know is reputable even if it is an hour plus drive.
I also Noticed a faint smell of burning rubber coming from the rear end too.
10-12-2008, 03:07 PM
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If something of out of round or bent enough you dont need to measure it you can look at it and tell. You need to find out if its a rim problem or a tire problem. Since you said it has cheap tires on it then i would bet the tires are just junk.
10-12-2008, 06:26 PM
#26
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I also find it basically IMPOSSIBLE to think that your car has 4 bad wheels. I've been around f-bodies for over 12 years now and never heard of such a thing. Is it possible? Sure, but highly unlikely. Get yourself 4 quality tires and stay away from the local chain stores like that Tire Plus you mentioned. 99.8% probability that your problem will go away with quality tires such as Goodyear GS-D3's or any major brand. Remember that you get what you pay for. Spend the $$ for something so important as tires. You can get cheap stuff for $400 a set or quality for $700-$800 a set. I don't think the price difference is worth ride quality, traction, or tramlining once the tread is 50% gone. Good luck!! Sorry you have been taken for a ride by these tire store idiots. You have been smart so far.
10-13-2008, 01:22 AM
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I also find it basically IMPOSSIBLE to think that your car has 4 bad wheels. I've been around f-bodies for over 12 years now and never heard of such a thing. Is it possible? Sure, but highly unlikely. Get yourself 4 quality tires and stay away from the local chain stores like that Tire Plus you mentioned. 99.8% probability that your problem will go away with quality tires such as Goodyear GS-D3's or any major brand. Remember that you get what you pay for. Spend the $$ for something so important as tires. You can get cheap stuff for $400 a set or quality for $700-$800 a set. I don't think the price difference is worth ride quality, traction, or tramlining once the tread is 50% gone. Good luck!! Sorry you have been taken for a ride by these tire store idiots. You have been smart so far.
Didn't have time to make the run to a quality shop today, but I will post the results tomorrow I hope. Stay tuned.
10-13-2008, 02:11 PM
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I also find it basically IMPOSSIBLE to think that your car has 4 bad wheels. I've been around f-bodies for over 12 years now and never heard of such a thing. Is it possible? Sure, but highly unlikely. Get yourself 4 quality tires and stay away from the local chain stores like that Tire Plus you mentioned. 99.8% probability that your problem will go away with quality tires such as Goodyear GS-D3's or any major brand. Remember that you get what you pay for. Spend the $$ for something so important as tires. You can get cheap stuff for $400 a set or quality for $700-$800 a set. I don't think the price difference is worth ride quality, traction, or tramlining once the tread is 50% gone. Good luck!! Sorry you have been taken for a ride by these tire store idiots. You have been smart so far.
I dont see the tire shop doing anything wrong other then not telling him if the rims are bent or the tires are junk just saying out of round isnt beening very clear on whats wrong.
10-22-2008, 08:43 PM
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Final Update:
2 bad tires, and all fours wheels were tweaked or slightly bend. I stood and watch them take off all the tired and balance just the rims. All four had wobble. What a joke.
2 bad tires, and all fours wheels were tweaked or slightly bend. I stood and watch them take off all the tired and balance just the rims. All four had wobble. What a joke.
10-22-2008, 08:47 PM
#33
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when they check your tires and rims ask them to show you what they are talking about.
when you are looking at your assembly spin look for 3 main things.
#1 is seperation: look at your tire when its spining, look at it at the top or bottom and see if it looks like its hopping up and down if it is then more then likely the tire is seperated.
#2 OUT OF ROUND RIM: look at the rim when spining you want to look at the rim from the front and sides. the rim will do the same thing as the tire it will like it is hopping. when you look at it from the side you want to see if the tire and rim wobbles from side to side or left to right. if you see both of these them you might have a out of round rim.
#3 BENT RIM: bent rims a easy to see, just look at the rims lips when it is spinning and what you are looking for is dips. the rim is spinning fine then all of a sudden you will see a twitch or a dip on the lip of the rim the worst it is the more you will notice it. if the rims not spinning it will look like a flat spot on the rims lip.
what it sound like to me is like bad tires and maybe bent rims out of round is very rare.
if you get new tires and keep your rims put the worst rims on the rear and best ones on the front with new good tires you shouldn't feel any vib. hope this info helps you.
when you are looking at your assembly spin look for 3 main things.
#1 is seperation: look at your tire when its spining, look at it at the top or bottom and see if it looks like its hopping up and down if it is then more then likely the tire is seperated.
#2 OUT OF ROUND RIM: look at the rim when spining you want to look at the rim from the front and sides. the rim will do the same thing as the tire it will like it is hopping. when you look at it from the side you want to see if the tire and rim wobbles from side to side or left to right. if you see both of these them you might have a out of round rim.
#3 BENT RIM: bent rims a easy to see, just look at the rims lips when it is spinning and what you are looking for is dips. the rim is spinning fine then all of a sudden you will see a twitch or a dip on the lip of the rim the worst it is the more you will notice it. if the rims not spinning it will look like a flat spot on the rims lip.
what it sound like to me is like bad tires and maybe bent rims out of round is very rare.
if you get new tires and keep your rims put the worst rims on the rear and best ones on the front with new good tires you shouldn't feel any vib. hope this info helps you.
10-23-2008, 06:33 PM
#34
This can be checked at home, just to verify. Put the wheels on the front of the car, one at a time, and spin them by hand. Just don't press down on them while you're doing this, and observe....
Put an object like a pop can, with a ruler taped to the top of it, next to the tire while you're turning the tire, for a point of reference. Even a "good" wheel will have a LITTLE variation...Maybe .008"-.010" is acceptable.
This way you'll know for sure that your wheels are good or bad, without an incompitent 3rd party misleading you.
Put an object like a pop can, with a ruler taped to the top of it, next to the tire while you're turning the tire, for a point of reference. Even a "good" wheel will have a LITTLE variation...Maybe .008"-.010" is acceptable.
This way you'll know for sure that your wheels are good or bad, without an incompitent 3rd party misleading you.
10-23-2008, 07:49 PM
#36
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Bought the car from a private party. He doesnt not answer his emails or phone calls. Id like to know the truth. They are obviously not the stock wheels that came on the car, they are the SS stock wheels.