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Road Force Balancing....do it

Discussion in '2nd Gen. Tacomas (2005-2015)' started by ItalynStylion, Jun 14, 2012.

  1. Jun 14, 2012 at 8:01 AM
    #1
    ItalynStylion

    ItalynStylion [OP] Sounds Gooooood

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    Really. I took the blue beast to get the wheels all road force balanced and it solved EVERY qualm I've ever had about steering vibration. I had a good bit of wobble with the steering wheel at about 55-65mph after getting my Duratracs. I assumed it was the aggressive tread causing it and it was something I'd have to live with. After getting it all balanced THE RIGHT WAY it's a million times better. Feels like a stock truck again.


    Just to be clear, I'm running 5100's and Eibach springs in the front with 5150's in the rear with the ToyTec AAL. Total lift is 2.5" roughly. I also have larger Goodyear Duratracs. Truck drives like a dream after the balance.

    Best $40 I've ever spent on the truck. If you're considering doing the Road Force Balance DO IT!
     
  2. Jun 14, 2012 at 8:03 AM
    #2
    BulletToothTony

    BulletToothTony You’ll have that on these big jobs.

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    So where can i get this done anywhere or what?
     
  3. Jun 14, 2012 at 8:14 AM
    #3
    Large

    Large Red

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    When I call a tire shop they are like 'wtf are you talking about' when I ask them about road force balancing.
     
  4. Jun 14, 2012 at 8:24 AM
    #4
    Rellik01

    Rellik01 Well-Known Member

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    I think you can google Hunter or one of the other manufacturers of Road Balance Machines and they will give you a list of shops in your area that are properly equipped.
     
  5. Jun 14, 2012 at 8:39 AM
    #5
    lj973gm

    lj973gm Sold it, dont miss it yet.

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    Most common shop to always have one is a discount tire / tire america
     
  6. Jun 14, 2012 at 8:49 AM
    #6
    ItalynStylion

    ItalynStylion [OP] Sounds Gooooood

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    Don't go there. If they don't know what you're talking about hang up.
    Yeah Discount Tire is where I got mine done. Guy even asked me if I wanted the weights in the middle of the wheel or on the outside of the rim. He said they work better on the outside of the rim so I said go for it. My thought is that they're farther from the center of rotation so their mass has more effect on the balance.

    Really guys, for $40 it was worth every penny. I was skeptical but I drove out of there with what felt like a brand new truck. It was awesome! :D
     
  7. Jun 14, 2012 at 8:54 AM
    #7
    Bama_TACO

    Bama_TACO ROLL TIDE!!!!!!!

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    One thing to make sure of is that the shop knows how to use the road force balancer. A $20,000 balancer is useless if they don't know how to use it. I had a situation in yhe past where I was watching the tech balance the tire. When it finished, it said "excessive road force detected". The tech took the wheel off the balancer. When I asked what the message on the screen meant, he said it wasn't that bad. I talked to the manager and he made them rebalance them all and do exactly what the machine told them to do. They weren't happy with me because it required more work, but on the end i got a perfect balance.
     
  8. Jun 14, 2012 at 9:14 AM
    #8
    ItalynStylion

    ItalynStylion [OP] Sounds Gooooood

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    ^Nice. And that took care of any steering wheel wobble you had too? Looks like you have a similar setup to what I have.
     
  9. Jun 14, 2012 at 9:20 AM
    #9
    resq330

    resq330 El' Capi-Tan

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  10. Jun 14, 2012 at 9:35 AM
    #10
    SMKYTXN

    SMKYTXN If it can't be overdone it's not worth doing Vendor

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    OP, what size tire are you running? I was shot down by Discount because their machine won't handle the 33x12.5.
     
  11. Jun 14, 2012 at 9:53 AM
    #11
    ItalynStylion

    ItalynStylion [OP] Sounds Gooooood

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    265/70/17....largest size on stock suspension. No idea what that is in inches.
     
  12. Jun 14, 2012 at 10:01 AM
    #12
    SMKYTXN

    SMKYTXN If it can't be overdone it's not worth doing Vendor

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    If you do the straight math you're tire is 31.6x10.5. I looked up the specs on the Hunter machine and it's supposed to handle a 40" tall tire and a max width of 20". I'm assuming the Discount and Firestone shops I went to didn't have the same machine, or they have no idea what they're talking about.

    Thanks for the post. I'll keep searching for a shop who doesn't have their head up their ass.
     
  13. Jun 14, 2012 at 10:02 AM
    #13
    ItalynStylion

    ItalynStylion [OP] Sounds Gooooood

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    Yeah man. Call around for sure.
     
  14. Jun 14, 2012 at 12:42 PM
    #14
    ItalynStylion

    ItalynStylion [OP] Sounds Gooooood

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    I'm interested to see how this affects my gas mileage. Now that everything is balanced and holds straight I'm thinking it should get a little better.
     
  15. Jun 14, 2012 at 12:44 PM
    #15
    SMKYTXN

    SMKYTXN If it can't be overdone it's not worth doing Vendor

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    What shop did you use? Was it a chain?
     
  16. Jun 14, 2012 at 1:37 PM
    #16
    ItalynStylion

    ItalynStylion [OP] Sounds Gooooood

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  17. Jun 23, 2012 at 7:02 PM
    #17
    07TaCo07

    07TaCo07 Well-Known Member

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    Les Schwabs wanted to charge me 75 per wheel to road force balance
     

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