OK, while I'm waiting for the Dueler A/T Revos to come across the big pond, I've heard that balancing them properly is difficult.

I have to pay someone to mount and balance and I want them to do it right, and I don't have alot (any) confidence in the local 18 year olds at the tire shops.

What type of equipment does the shop need to do it right? What else should I look for? Any other helpful tips would be greatly appreciated!

 

Hey Woody,
I had a similar problem with my Wrangler ATS's, it turned out to be the wheel. Thats another story though. I had taken to three different tire shops, the first two were high tech and obviously didn't solve the problem. The third however was low tech and balanced my wheels while they were on the truck. First attempt = perfect! The guy balanced them properly over an entire range of speeds. the techies with their state-of-the-art computerized equipment couldn't accomplish anything close (they tried twice each). Thats my choice for a true balance for the tire and wheel combo.

 

O2,
There is a place in West Palm that balances tires on the truck also(Weber).This old guy puts some old looking gizmo on the rim,jacks it up,slides some motor under the wheel to spin it(fast)puts his hand on the bumper to feel the vibration & guess the weight needed.The gizmo points to where the weight goes,puts on the weight & checks again,perfect I've never seen anything like it.This place does alingments the old way also,they are so busy you need an appointment a week in advance to get in.I had some 32" Groung Hawgs on my old 92 & tried 3 differant shops to get it to ride nice & none could get it right until I found that place.:pat:

 

maybe you should

i am an 18 year old working at a tire shop, and i will not let a tire go until it balances 0/0

and no, i will not counterbalance

 

I had mine mounted and balanced at Sears and they had no trouble at all with them. I had them rotated and checked after 5K miles and they were still perfect. (I watched them do it and looked at the numbers on the machine)

 

Bob K,

My steering wheel "shakes" slightly left to right. Almost vibrating. Its not a lot but does this sound unbalanced? I mean its a little shaking not like Kermit the Frog driving down the highway left-to-right steering wheel play.

Bob

 

It may be a balance problem, I have never had anything like that with mine, except when there was a lot of mud built up inside the rim and it was out of balance.

 

bob, check taht your wheels arent counter balanced. also, if you have mud or dirt (or blown CV grease+dirt) inside your rim, that will definately set off your balance.

need a new steering stablizer?

 

L33,

I'll let you drive it on the pavement at Pismo. I'll be interested in your expert opinion.

Bob

 

Thanks for the advice guys.

There is a auto shop across the street from where I work so I'll give them a try. I may even ask the dealer if they have a place that does it for them they can recommend.

I noticed that in some of the buyer comments that they had difficulties with getting the balance right and I remembered Bob_98SR5 saying his weren't right.

 

Gadget wrote an article on his site about getting tires balanced lug (or hub?) centric. It takes a special machine or an adapter on a regular machine to do that. I've been getting my tires balanced at specialty shops for a while and I've never gotten a perfect balance. Next time, I'm going to a trusted dealership to see if they can do any better.

 

I think the main problem with balance that most people are encountering is a result of aftermarket steel wheels. Virtually all aftermarket wheels are lug-centric meaning they're centered by the lugs rather than the hub. Many aftermarket companies offer hub-centric ring kits that go onto the hub under the wheel. that way you can be centered by the hub.

My thoughts on that is "6 or half dozen." Its the same end result.

I can tell you Woody that steel wheels have a great chance of being out of round if they're not one piece. Even if a machine welded them, theres still a chance. I actually have had two like that where they couldn't even be balanced. If you're not changing wheels, you should be good to go.

By the way, the way mentioned above while on the truck going thru a range of speeds rocks. I will never again do it any other way!

Good luck, post pics when you get 'em on, thanks!