road force balancing

do all dealerships have the road force balncing?

 

No, it's a pretty high dollar piece of equipment.

 

Nope but you can find what you need here buddy!

http://www.gsp9700.com/pub/search/findgsp9700.cfm

This will help you find what you need, I do like road force balancing!

Rob

 

Depending how good your tech is, the road force unit is over rated. A good tech can see out of round issues while balancing on a regular machine. The road force unit gives the tech a number.

Anyway - so says the shop I visited this week.
They have both, and suggested I stick with the cheaper $10 balance vs $35.

Most of the work done on the road force unit is to give a printout to dealerships that outsource problem vehicles. Dealership then has independant data to support or deny tire replacement.

1 of my 4 tires was out of round, and he showed me on the standard balancer. It was obvious once the machine spun up.

Good marketing though. Bet Hunter is cleaning up on the units.

 

You are right on almost all of it...
Most of the tire manufacturers don't recognize road force as a valid reason to warranty tires. Most of them have a ride complaint policy that usually covers the first 2\32nds. Your way better off just to call the manufacturer and have them refer you to a local tire dealer. All of the local dealerships around me hate to anything to do with tires except selling them. I'm sure there are some good ones out there, I just haven't found them.
The Hunter machine is actually a good tool to have. They just advertise it the wrong way. The best function of it is the ride match capabilities it offers. You had it right when you said it gives the tech a number, and that's all it does unless you use the ride match option to match the heavy spot wheel with the light spot of the tire or vice versa.

 

I was having some balancing issues after my lift and the rode match helped me out a lot. The Discout Tire guy said most tires and wheels do not need it but some do. I had some vibes in the steering around 50-60 mph and after the road match balance, all gone. I need to do it every 5,000 miles to keep it driving the best on the pavement.

 

I had this done last fri. on my 09 dbl cab 2wd. I can't tell a lot of difference in it. The vibration is about the same & now when i turn loose of the steering wheel it veers to the right, not bad but some. I can keep my hands on the wheel & it will steer straight. Also they inflated my tires to 37psi, i don't know what they were prior to the balance/rotation. I'm thinking about seeing another dealer for a 2nd opinion, i've emailed Toyota about the issue as well for their advice. Any suggestions?

 

Personally, I wouldn't use any other machine. I've had issues in the past with BFG AT's and after 3-4 times back to the place I bought them, I found a shop with a Hunter machine and they balanced them properly. Why go half assed when you can have it done right the first time? Here's a good article from Gadget on the subject.

http://www.gadgetonline.com/Vibration.htm

 

BB 609, thanks for the info. it's great information. I checked & my selling/servicing dealer does not have the machine. However there is another Toyota dealer in my home town that does. I was reading how the machine works, i'm calling my local dealer to have it done ASAP. That's what i like about this forum it's full of free & valuable information. Again thanks for the info.

 

I bought a set of tires for my old '96 Mustang Cobra several years ago from TireRack.com and had a local shop (recommended by Tire Rack) install/computer balance them for me. I had a vibration so they re-balanced. Still had the problem. They identified what they thought was the problem tire and tried spinning it around on the rim 180* and rebalancing - still had the problem. They finally tested it on their road force variance machine - and it said the tire was "bad" (I forget what the number was, but it was higher than the allowed norm). When I gave Tire Rack that number, they agreed that the tire was defective and shipped a new tire immediately... no hassle.

All that is to say, without that road force variance machine, I probably would have been stuck with a bad tire. It can identify problems that a balancer can't. My bad tire was perfectly balanced... the problem was a variance in the materials/construction of the tire as it compressed under the weight of the vehicle. I think they're great to use... but only if you're having a problem after a normal balance.

 

Let us know how it all works out for you.

 

BB 609, i talked to the service adviser at the dealership who has done the wheel balance & road force balance. I emailed the link to him thurs. am., he confirmed he got it. Stated he would get with his service mgr. I told him abou the Hunter equip. said he would see what they have. The link does not show they have the same equip. During this process i have kept Toyota informed. They ask if i wanted a Case Mgr. i said no at first, but i gave the dealership 2 business days to get back with me. I emailed the saleman, no reply. I know Fri. are busy but i expected a reply. Since i didn't get one i emailed Toyota back & ask for a Case Mgr. I did notice today the ride was smoother, seems like an intemittent problem. Yesterday coming home from work i had a real bad vibration, but not today. Any ideas what causes this?

 

i've heard all about these machines but never had any experience with them... not sure what the big deal is.. i've never had much of a problem getting mine balanced. of course i am also running mine now with no weights at all.. peeled them off to paint the wheels..

 

Hard to say but I'll guess different roads, road conditions, and/or varied speeds? Your salesman doesn't want to know you anymore so forget about him. If they don't use a Hunter machine, they may try to rebalance and may get them right but IMO it's a crapshoot without the right equipment. My advise, go find a shop with a Hunter and have them balance your tires. They will at least be able to tell you if a tire is out of round, may be able to rotate the tire on the rim to balance better, or tell you if there are any other problems which the dealer obviously hasn't found. That said, my wheels/tires are not 100% but I know they are as good as they can be and very livable for me. They are one big hunk of rubber (50+ lbs.) to get perfectly balanced but for peace of mind, it's worth the money IMO.

 

Hard to diagnose from a forum ...
Can relate my experience:
Had new wheels & tires installed. Vibration, not felt in the steering wheel @ 70 mph. Turned around, and on the way back to the shop, no vibration. So did a u again and headed home. Noticed it intermittantly on the way home.
Had a long trip and the vibration varied in intensity. always at 70 mph.
Once I got back, I took it to a more local shop than the original retailer as they had a road force unit. They talked me out of the road force. Balanced the rears, yet the prolem persisted. Both wheels off by 1/2 oz. Balanced fronts next, and one was off 3/4, oz, the other 1/2.
Tech noted one tire on the front out of round.
Well, the 2nd balance 90% fixed the issue. Still had some vibration at 70, yet also still never a consistent intensity.
Had the defective tire replaced - and bingo - smooth as glass.
I was surprised the problem was in the front, as the steering wheel didn't shimmy.
Also surprised the intensity was never consistant. There was a maximum intensity it never went beyond ... but sometimes really annoying, sometimes, minor.
The local shop had 2 Hunter machines, one a road force. He didn't need the road force to diagnose the problem.
I've had out of round tires before, and the vibration was consistent at the speeds it showed up at.
So my symptoms here are similar to yours.......
Yet could be other factors involved in your case. I can just relate my experience.
I have centering rings, and they did incremental torque on the nuts re-installing the wheels. So All the right stuff was done, yet in the end it was a defective tire.
Road force is a good thing, but 3.5 times the price of a good balance at the shop I used. If all else fails, then the road force unit may be only option. I admire their integrity in getting me to use a traditional balance first because I came there looking to get a road force balance to end my frustration once and for all.

 

My vibration is intermittent as well. I talked to a friend in the auto business, they suggested putting Nitrogen in my tires. That would help any flat spots when the tires are cold. His dealership will do a RF balance for $49.95 but then you get into a pissing contest with the Toyota dealer if there is an issue. I'm trying to work with the selling dealer, so far they aren't answering my emails. I'd really like for anothef RF balance to be done on the new Hunter machine, i'm finding this machine hard to come by from Toyota dealers in my area. Toyota's Case Manager states all dealers have the equipment to ensure all issues can be resolved. My selling dealer has yet to tell me if they have the Hunter machine. I'm not giving up, i plan on pursing my vibration issue.

 

your tires are is already 78% nitrogen .... do a bit of web research on it and the consensus is it's a hoax. Race cars use it, so the tires are less likely to burst into flames from overheating ... no oxygen inside.
Lots of benefits to using nitrogen, if you hit the sites that are promoting it.
It won't hurt to use N2, but not if it isn't free.
Flatspotting won't be cured with nitrogen fill - that's simply the tire materials/construction, and the vehicle sitting on the same spot overight.
More obvious in colder weather.
..just trying to save you a buck here
Did the shop actually tell you it'd stop flatspotting? (insert shocked emoticon here)

 

Hi

 

I took my truck back a 3rd time for the vibration. This time they had an adapter they didn't have before. The checked the balance on all tires, only the RF was in balance. So they rebalanced all 4 tires, it seems like it is fixed. This time a Toyota tech did the work & rode with me after the balance. Toyota's Case Manager was no help, they said to take it back to the dealer that did the work or use another dealer & i might have to pay a diagnostic fee. I should not have to pay out of pocket, i wanted another opinion but did not want to pay the fee. Dealer was very cooperative. Hopefully the issue is fixed.

 

i have a slight dilemma. I changed out my rims recently and went back to stock steels on the same tires. they balanced it but when i took on the freeway, i was getting vibrations at 60mph. i took it in again to another place, they balanced it, and its still the same issue. Now i know its not my rotors bc it doesnt shake the wheel while braking. So what should i do. Thanx in advance. sorry to thread jack, but it seems like im in the right place instead of startn another thread. thanx again

G