Vibration gone 03 DTS, oh happy day

[skankyfrankie]

I purchased an 03 DTS with 21K and it had a vibration from 60-65 & again 70-75 mph with the stock Vogues that had just been balanced at a Les Schwab. I looked here and found lots of info about highway speed vibration, RFB road force balance etc.

I purchased some STS rims with used Michelins on them just for snow rims however at 27K I decided to do a little vibration cross checking while running the rubber off them this summer. Thinking the vibration may go away or at least change if it was from the Vogues. Well the vibration stayed pretty much the same. AT this point it did not seem likely to be tire balance. So I decided that if the new Pirelli snow tires vibrated after being installed at a place that has always given me excellent balances (Les Schwab has not but thats another story) I would try the RFB and if that did not work I would pull the rotors and clean the mating surface (even though what I could see around the wheel studs did not have any rust). If it came to pulling the rotors I would wait until it gets new brakes next summer.

So I just put on the New Pierelli snow tires and had them balanced at my favorite indepedent shop with a balancer that spins them up to 65-70 mph and now all the vibration is gone. None at any speed up to 100 mph. I have to say I have no confidence in the new balance machines (like Les Schwab uses) that don't spin the tire anwhere near highway speeds, I have had nothing but trouble with these and as long as I can find a place with a machine that spins them to highway speeds thats what I will use. So if your fighting the highway vibration, don't rule out a regular balance on a high speed balance machine.

[skankyfrankie]

One more thing, I still have the Vogues with about 60% Tread left, on the stock rims and next spring I am going to have them balanced on the same high speed balancer and hopefully they won't vibrate anymore either. This is so nice, I can't believe how different you feel obout your Cad when it is not shaking it's way down the highway. Wish I had done it sooner, glad I didn't waste my time pulling all the rotors or my money on a RFB which here is $85+tax. I will post what happens with the shakin Vogues next spring.

[MisterBlue]

Tire balancing isn't a "magic bullet". Some tires have other problems, such as being out-of-round or off-axis, that precludes correction by balancing, be it bubble or dynamic (speed balancing). Each case is individual, and blanket statements such as "only dynamic balancing is any good" are hard to substantiate. If the tire is perfect, or nearly so, a good bubble banance is fine. If a tire has other problems (such as those I mentioned above), dtnamic balancing may do things a bubble balance won't. The tire business is pretty much a mount-and-dismount affair today, I'm old enough to remember when good tire shops had sipers and tire lathes. Better quality control these days has eliminated most defects, but they still pop up occasionally. We always "trued up" problem tires on a tire lathe, and that helped the ride, and also in the balancing area. (You can "balance" a 2x4, but you can't make it roll smooth!).

I still perplex tire dealers when I buy tires that need a lot of weight. I watch them closely, and if a tire needs more than 3 oz. of weight to correct it, I ask them for another tire. Yeah, they balk...but I'm the customer, and I stand firm on getting the best for my money.

[skankyfrankie]

No argument here, I used to do balances on a bubble for a living years ago and seldom had issues, when I did we replaced the tire. I do know I have had tires balanced on the slower tunring dynamic balancers that then vibrated at 70 mph and they were not able to fix it so they just moved the offending tire to the back which was not discovered until the next winter when they were rotated (did I say I hate Les Schwab?). I doubt they even tried to fix it they probably just moved them because the next winter when it was rebalanced on the high speed dynamic balancer the vibration went away. I also agree if it takes a lot of weight the tire is probably never going to be smooth. I wonder if we are also getting spoiled because cars run so much smoother now days we just notice everything.

[danxcsp]

It's been a couple of months, is the vibration still gone? I'm at my wits end with my 05; I bought it in October and have been fighting annoying vibrations since. I've been through 2 RFBalances at different expert places and have replaced the tires with Goodyear Comfort Treads, new axle shafts, new rotors and tried borrowed tires and the vibration is always there starting 68 through 76 mph. I like the car but if I can't fix this it will have to go. I'm very auto inclined and am about to give up.

If yours is still good I'll search the old time shops for a 70 mph high speed balance machine and let them try.

[risho]

Originally Posted by danxcsp

It's been a couple of months, is the vibration still gone? I'm at my wits end with my 05; I bought it in October and have been fighting annoying vibrations since. I've been through 2 RFBalances at different expert places and have replaced the tires with Goodyear Comfort Treads, new axle shafts, new rotors and tried borrowed tires and the vibration is always there starting 68 through 76 mph. I like the car but if I can't fix this it will have to go. I'm very auto inclined and am about to give up.

If yours is still good I'll search the old time shops for a 70 mph high speed balance machine and let them try.

I've had the same issues with one of my tires that has a small "bubble" in it, what solved it for me was having it road forced balanced, some places charge more but definitely worth it.

[submariner409]

Is the "bubble" in the tread or the sidewall ? Sidewall defects are scary enough, but if it's in the tread, I can guarantee you that in a relatively short time that tire will give you a rude surprise at 65 mph.

[risho]

Originally Posted by submariner409

Is the "bubble" in the tread or the sidewall ? Sidewall defects are scary enough, but if it's in the tread, I can guarantee you that in a relatively short time that tire will give you a rude surprise at 65 mph.

Its like in the tread/sidewall area where they meet together, its been like that since I got it in the auction, most likely like that before it went in the auction, getting new tires soon anyways, and I had it in one of my old beaters for a good 1 1/2yr before I bought new tires, i've already had a tire blow out before as long as theres no traffic I got it in the FWD cadillac

[skankyfrankie]

Sorry taking so long to get back on this, no vibrations at all with the 16" STS wheels with the perielli studded tires and now that I had the same shop rebalance the Vogues all the vibration is gone with them as well and I mean 100% gone all the way up to 110. When I talked with the shop about how well it worked and ask why others didn't work so well the only answers they had were this. How often does a shop calibrate the machines, how well trainer are the operatrs and do they recheck once they add the weight to be sure they got it correct. He also stated that RFB is a waste of money, a regular balance done correct is all you need for a smooth ride, and from his results I can't argue that !!! The Machine they currently use spins the tires up to about 40 MPH. The old one I liked would spin to 70 but it finally broke and there is nothing new that spins past about 40. Either way that 40 moh machne with a good tech operating it solved all my vibrations. He said 3 of the 4 Vogues were off, 2 were about.5 oz and the third was 1.5. The fourth was fine. Just FYI Those had just been balanced at a Les Sxhwab !!!!