TXBLU
03-16-2004, 01:25 PM
Does anybody know a good place to get tires balanced? After purchasing my F-1s at Discount in Arlington, I took them back once for rebalancing (they were definately out of balance). They apologized and said they they had just recalibrated a different machine, and rebalanced my tires.
Well, they were still out of balance.:hammer:
I took them over to the Discount in Valley Ranch and watched them rebalance them again. Two of the four were definately out of balance. On the drive home, I heard something hit the exhaust pipes, and it sounded like it could have been a weight that came off, but it looks like all the weights are still there. There was nothing that I saw in the road, and I usually keep a sharp eye out for road debris, so I wonder. I didn't drive the truck much until yesterday when I went to my Mom's house via 635. The newly smoothed sections. Guess what? I can tell that at least one tire is out of balance. I don't know if I have a bad tire (doubtful), if I just need to have a tire rotated 180 degrees on the rim and rebalanced, or if I just tossed a weight. There seemed to be a lot of stick-on weights (actually weights stuch on top of others) on the right front, it the machine said "0" when the guy was done.
I used to be in the tire biz and it aint rocket science to balance a freakin' tire, or to figure out that tire is bad or needs repositioning. At this point I am willing to pay someone else to do the job or to let me use thier equipment. At least I know the right way to use a torque wrench, unlike ANYONE I have ever seen in a tire store for God's sake! (If any of you work in a tire store and really do know how to use a torque wrench, I'll be shocked. I'll apologize to you, but I'll still be shocked.)
All help is appreciated (as usual).
P.S. - The Manager at V.R. Discount suggested that I might need the $10.00 per tire "match balance" where they apply a load to the tire as they balance it, to simulate "actual on-road conditions". Anybody buy that? I don't think a $1000.00+ set of tires should ever need anything other than standard, competent balancing. I could see maybe on-vehicle balancing, to take into consideration my (new from Terry) brake discs, but that doesn't seem like it should be necessary either.
Well, they were still out of balance.:hammer:
I took them over to the Discount in Valley Ranch and watched them rebalance them again. Two of the four were definately out of balance. On the drive home, I heard something hit the exhaust pipes, and it sounded like it could have been a weight that came off, but it looks like all the weights are still there. There was nothing that I saw in the road, and I usually keep a sharp eye out for road debris, so I wonder. I didn't drive the truck much until yesterday when I went to my Mom's house via 635. The newly smoothed sections. Guess what? I can tell that at least one tire is out of balance. I don't know if I have a bad tire (doubtful), if I just need to have a tire rotated 180 degrees on the rim and rebalanced, or if I just tossed a weight. There seemed to be a lot of stick-on weights (actually weights stuch on top of others) on the right front, it the machine said "0" when the guy was done.
I used to be in the tire biz and it aint rocket science to balance a freakin' tire, or to figure out that tire is bad or needs repositioning. At this point I am willing to pay someone else to do the job or to let me use thier equipment. At least I know the right way to use a torque wrench, unlike ANYONE I have ever seen in a tire store for God's sake! (If any of you work in a tire store and really do know how to use a torque wrench, I'll be shocked. I'll apologize to you, but I'll still be shocked.)
All help is appreciated (as usual).
P.S. - The Manager at V.R. Discount suggested that I might need the $10.00 per tire "match balance" where they apply a load to the tire as they balance it, to simulate "actual on-road conditions". Anybody buy that? I don't think a $1000.00+ set of tires should ever need anything other than standard, competent balancing. I could see maybe on-vehicle balancing, to take into consideration my (new from Terry) brake discs, but that doesn't seem like it should be necessary either.