So I have the factory wire wheels on my 1991 Brougham, 111k miles on them. I've been having a vibration issue at highway speeds, took it to my firestone store and they refused to balance them, said they didn't want to fool with them.

The tires are cheapo firestone private label "LEMANS" tires, still have good tread on them, about 7 years old. I'm wondering if it isn't the cheap tires that are causing my problems.

So are the wire wheels notorious for going out of balance? Should I take it somewhere else, maybe the dealer who has worked with them before?

I've been thinking about getting some new tires and steel wheels with some hubcaps and saying to hell with the wire wheels.

If it's been 7 years since the tires were off, then it's been 7 years since they were balanced. Wheel weights fall off sometimes and can cause the wheel to go out of balance. Another common problem is the belts in old tires can separate from age and cause bad vibrations, to the point where the wheel will never balance. Also if the car was sitting for a long time, the tires can get flat spots from the weight, and if the tires lost air pressure, the outer edges of the rims could get bent in.

I would take the car to a dealership and have them inspect the tires, or go to a different Firestone and demand they inspect their tires.

Wire wheel technology is about 80 years old. So, they have figured out how to make wires ride smooth.

Time for new tires. Seven years is old. You can sell the old tires for a few bucks on Craigslist/Kijiji. Just go with some cheapos, and stand over the guy when balances so you can see that everything is ok. While the tires are off, have the guy check the wheels for runout/bends, and then feel the spokes to see if any are loose.