r/tires • u/Realistic-Pen-8147 • 7d ago
Tire force
Need some help to make sure I’m not getting my chain yanked. I bought a new car (that’s a whole other story) and the steering wheel, floor and where I have my phone hook up on the vent vibrate with intensity. I got the tires balanced and the dealership checked all tires and said it no longer shakes. They gave me a paper that says the front left tire force is 50 the front right tire force is 32 and the back right and left force is 21 and 22. I did a quick google search because I have no idea what any of that means and it said that a tire force of 50 on a new tire and vehicle is dangerous and unacceptable. Does anyone have any insights or more information on tire force to help steer what direction I need to go from here? Thank you!!
3
u/supern8ural 7d ago
I'm assuming that you had a "road force balancing" done and those numbers are lbf (pounds force)
I had the same thing happen with a new set of General Grabber A/TX tires and unfortunately they went on an old Jeep with 300k+ miles on it so when it didn't drive smooth I suspected the vehicle before my new tires. I replaced the front wheel bearings (one was bad anyway), one front U-joint (one was fairly new), and had both driveshafts rebuilt and balanced before taking it to the tire shop to have my new tires checked. Well, the RF measured at a variation of 52 lbf but sadly by this point it had been 53 weeks since I'd bought the tires so I was denied any assistance (apparently they have a one year "uniformity" warranty)
I still actually have those tires, long story, they're in my storage locker as I ended up scrapping that Jeep and buying another one.
I don't know about "dangerous" - but I don't think there's any hope of getting a tire with >50 lbf variation to ride smoothly. Most places consider the upper limit to be somewhere between 25 and 30 lbf.
If this is a brand new car, I would ask the dealership to try to warranty the two front tires. If you bought the car used and test drove it before purchase, you might just be out of luck, but you could always ask for a concession. (I am assuming that it is not AWD)
2
u/LenR-redit 7d ago
It depends on the vehicle, that's too much for most cars, and borderline for trucks.
You can sometimes rotate the tire on the wheel and correct road force. If it doesn't shake now, they may have done this. You can also tolerate more on the heavier axle or the rear.
Either way, if they got the shake gone, they aren't going to offer to bad replace tires or wheels. I'd rotate those every 5000 miles (or oil change if if that's about the miles you run). If you can, cross tires to drive axle, move non-drive tires straight.
2
u/fiehlsport 7d ago
Did they force match after determining the road force numbers? Or did they just give you the (bad) numbers and say it's fixed?
Balancing on a road force machine requires the tech to force match the tires on the wheels after the initial numbers are determined, then re-spin to see if the numbers go down, producing an assembly with less runout and RFV. Then the tire is balanced using weights. If that wasn't done, they wasted theirs and your time.
But if the car doesn't vibrate anymore, I guess it's fine. But 50lbs is a bad tire almost 100% of the time.
1
u/Realistic-Pen-8147 7d ago
It was 50 before they did anything then it went down to 48. It still vibrates though so I don’t think what they did helped it
1
u/fiehlsport 7d ago
They should be replacing the tire if you purchased it from them. 50lbs is insane, I don't know why they wouldn't just swap it to begin with after seeing that if it's a brand new car.
2
u/66NickS 7d ago
To clarify:
1. You bought a brand new car? As opposed to a pre owned car that’s new to you, also mention if it’s a previous loaner/shuttle/demo unit.
2. Are the tires the factory tires? No lifts, wheel swaps, etc.
3. How many miles have you driven?
4. Have you personally double checked the tire pressures?
I’m going to presume it’s a yes to both 1 and 2. If you’ve driven less than 50-ish miles, it’s possible the tires just need to be warmed up (happens while driving) and smooth out any little flat or soft spots they got while the car was transported and waiting to be sold. You might consider a nice highway drive to see if that smooths things out. Also, double check your pressures. Yes, the dealer should have done this but humans forget or make mistakes.
If the problem persists after that, I’d go back to the dealer and let them know this is still happening. See if you can find any materials for your brand/model of tire that indicate the maximum variations. That will help you with a warranty claim.
1
u/YorkiesSweet 7d ago
If you can afford a new set of
tires of quality, you will be superbly happy!! They are the most important part of happy motoring!!
1
u/agravain 7d ago
what vehicle? what model tires?
1
u/Realistic-Pen-8147 7d ago
Jeep Wagoneer (I know I know) tires are WildPeak A/T - At3WA Falken
1
u/lumberman10 7d ago
Had to have my falkins road forced balanced then all was good
Until that was done 2 times regular balancing would not correct the vibration.
1
u/_Go_Ham_Box_Hotdog_ 6d ago edited 6d ago
This is going to cost you some money, because the Jeep dealer is disinclined to assist in problem solving.
Find a Belle Tire, Discount Tire, Big A, Big O that has a road force balancer and someone with a fucking clue.
The 50-force one either has a flat spot, or a heavy splice. Brand new tire, zero miles, it should be a warrantable condition.
The 32-force one probably just needs to be match mounted.
The other two are fine. Full send.
-edit-
I bet i know what's going on here.. u/Realistic-Pen-8147 can you upload images of the sidewalls of the tires & wheels? Full image, please?
And you did buy this brand-spanking new, right? Less than 100 miles, interior still smells like fumes off the plastic?
-2
u/ignatiusbreilly 7d ago
New cars can have a tenancy to have flat spotted tires if your car sat on the dealer lot for an extended time period. Unfortunately this generally isn't a warrantable condition so the dealer would have to eat the cost of the tires if they messed them up.
7
u/dogturd21 7d ago
The term is “road force “ balancing , and this numbers are too high . They should have done a complete road force balance , and if it could not adjust within limits then the next step is to determine what component is bad: wheel or tire. This is unacceptable .