Wicked vibration after wheel install -- problem solved, I think.
04-19-2009, 02:03 AM
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Wicked vibration after wheel install -- problem solved, I think.
I spent the day this past Friday getting my set of new-to-me Carrera III wheels installed. Since the fronts still have plenty of treads, I left them and just bought 2 new rears. Since the offset for the front is 57, I also got 5 mm spacer to avoid rub. The wheels look okay, the balance was pretty good too. But after finally getting the wheels fit on the car, I drove off. The rear did rub a few times when I hit big bumps but overall still not too bad. But as soon as I got on the freeway and got to 60 mph, the steering wheel started to vibrate side to side. I went back to the shop to have them recheck the balance on the tires, but was told they were okay. I even saw the guy spin them on the machine and watch the read. After spenting the whole morning there, I figured the problem may be:
1. bad tires. bend wheel is pretty easy to spot when it is spinned.
2. bad spacer. All the spacer had to be is off by a little, the wheel will be offside.
Anyways, since I had been there for too many hours and being awake for more than 36 hours, I really just wanted to get home and sleep. This morning, after I woke up, I decided to take the spacers out in order to try the car without them on. After taking the first front tire off, I felt the tread and realized that the fronts were mounted on the wrong side (left on right and right on left). The Conti ContactSport2 does not have directional tread like the PS2, so when the shop installed the old wheels, the guy didn't even bother to check sides. But when I felt the tread, I can feel the front to back feathering on the tread blocks, which when the wheel is on the wrond side, becomes back to front feathering, which I guess is like hitting micro sized speed bumps when going fast enough?
I switched the right and left on the front, still took out the spacers, and now the vibration is gone.
Tomorrow I will be reinstalling the spacers to see if the tread was causing the vibration or if the spacers were responsible. Since no one rotates the tires side to side, I'm pretty confident that the incorrect placement of the tires caused the vibration.
One thing I did notice about the spacers is that the steering felt lighter with them on than without. Don't know if that is the way it is supopsed to be....
To be continued,
1. bad tires. bend wheel is pretty easy to spot when it is spinned.
2. bad spacer. All the spacer had to be is off by a little, the wheel will be offside.
Anyways, since I had been there for too many hours and being awake for more than 36 hours, I really just wanted to get home and sleep. This morning, after I woke up, I decided to take the spacers out in order to try the car without them on. After taking the first front tire off, I felt the tread and realized that the fronts were mounted on the wrong side (left on right and right on left). The Conti ContactSport2 does not have directional tread like the PS2, so when the shop installed the old wheels, the guy didn't even bother to check sides. But when I felt the tread, I can feel the front to back feathering on the tread blocks, which when the wheel is on the wrond side, becomes back to front feathering, which I guess is like hitting micro sized speed bumps when going fast enough?
I switched the right and left on the front, still took out the spacers, and now the vibration is gone.
Tomorrow I will be reinstalling the spacers to see if the tread was causing the vibration or if the spacers were responsible. Since no one rotates the tires side to side, I'm pretty confident that the incorrect placement of the tires caused the vibration.
One thing I did notice about the spacers is that the steering felt lighter with them on than without. Don't know if that is the way it is supopsed to be....
To be continued,
