Reply With QuoteI'll wager anyone here that not only are they improperly balanced but with the wrong weights.
Go anywhere but NTB.
Big Time Poster
The wheel balancing experience thread
I've searched this forum to death and know all about the shimmy issue with the thrust arm bushings, hubcentric rings, etc. I have a slight rumble at highway speeds and I don't think it's any of these issues, and here's why:
1.) It was very bad on my old tires. I got new tires (and balancing) and the problem got better but still wasn't perfect.
2.) Feels like I'm just running on a very bumpy highway, rather than any side-to-side motion.
3.) Braking has zero effect on the rumble.
4.) It manifests around 55mph and gets a little worse all the way to about 70 mph where there is a bit of a lull. It's not really noticeable at 75 or above.
5.) I have stock wheels, so no hubcentric rings.
6.) There is no noise when going over bumps or when normally driving.
This leads me to believe that my wheels were not properly balanced by NTB. I've read about static vs. road force balancing but I'm not convinced. I've heard conflicting reports about the effect of both, as well as how sensitive the suspension in the e34 is. So I'm asking everyone, what have your experiences been with wheel balancing? I'm sure nearly all of you have had your wheel balanced at some point, so where did you get it done? What method did they use? What were the results?
For me, I got my wheel balanced at NTB when I bought Potenzo G009 tires to replace my Turanzas with 45k miles on them. The rumble greatly improved but it is still present. I've thought about taking my car to the BMW dealership, which has one of those fancy Hunter GS9700 machine to get it balanced again but I don't want to waste money if there's a cheaper, better solution.
4 Grand Master
I'll wager anyone here that not only are they improperly balanced but with the wrong weights.
Go anywhere but NTB.
"The gas pedal wouldn't go to the floor if it weren't meant to be there"
Big, Big Time Poster
I had similar symptons and discovered a bent wheel the last time I took mine for a re-balancing.
1990 535i 5-sp., except for 16" M-Contours, cd deck, and clear corners, completely stock. 226k and running strong
Big Time Poster
What do you mean the wrong weights? Is there a way to check this?Originally Posted by Ross
Big, Big Time Poster
It could be the tech put on a weight that differs from what the machine called for. Or they were put in the wrong places.
How fast did they spin the wheels/tires? The local guy (Rico) I use uses a machine that has no motor to spin the wheels/tires. He has to give them a spin, then the machine figures out the weights needed. The motor-less theory is that motors induce vibration and thus error into the balance equation and a motor-less rig is more accurate.
Rico uses weights that stick to the inner center (flat) part of the wheel and cuts the weights to spec rather than using the closest weight available.
He did a great job smoothing out my lopsided tire (from bad arms), even at speeds over 100mph. The guy that changed the arms 'balanced' my right side wheels to my chagrin as now I have the 'wookies' on the right side from 60-75 mph, a range I drive through twice a day.
I've been too lazy/busy to get by Rico's to get my right sides fixed as the wookies aren't too bad and the tires should be shaved to make them round again anyway. I could replace them but they have a year or more of wear left and I hate to throw 235/45/18's (91W) away at the drop of a hat...
My suggestion is to find somebody that gives a damn about doing the job right and pay them to protect your new tire investment. It sucks you have to spend the money twice but it will be cheaper in the end (over replacing your newly cupped tires).
Brian
Big Time Poster
Good post. Does anyone have a recommendation for a place in or around Worcester, MA?
4 Grand Master
I have ton of experience on wheel balancing... I actually do my own wheel mount and balancing. I find alot of time at general tire store is that they don't calibrate their tire balancer regularly... which goes off when they do volume work.
A few things you can look for yourself...
1. How much weight is installed on your wheel
2. What is the location of where they put it on... like hammer on weights on inside and outside... or stick on in the middle of tire only.
3. If you want to verify if your wheels are straight then jack up the car... put a stationary object near the tire and maybe a rod to get closer to the wheel and spin it... to see if the wheel goes in and out as in bent...
Another bent wheel is look at the wheel to see if you got 'flattened part of the wheel" where it is supposed to be round.
4 Grand Master
In your case, I highly suspected your upper control arm is shot... if not the bushing then the ball joint on the thrust arm. The symptom you have is classic thrust arm bushing torn.
At 55MPH or 60MPH... what happens if you hit the brake at that speed? Does it feels like your front end will all fall apart?
You can visually look at the bushing with strong flashlight to see if you got any rip in it.
Big, Big Time Poster
I had the same problem... I had my wheels balanced at a local shop (or so I thought) but I still had issues at certain speeds. My winter basketweaves were fine, but my summer style 5's had issues.
Took it to a Wal-Mart and had them balance the wheels... viola! the car drives great again. And it only cost $15 to balance them... I figured $15 was good a price to pay to test the theory that the wheels were unbalanced and the previous shop either didn't know what they were doing or just didn't do it.
Big Time Poster
Like I said in the OP, braking has absolutely no effect at any speed (well besides slowing the car down). Thus why I don't think it's a bushing issue. Also, I believe the thrust arm issue only manifests between 50-60 MPH, and once you get above 60MPH is not noticable. This is noticeable all the way up to 75 MPH which just screams wheel balance to me.
Posting Permissions
