So I have quite a bit of shake while driving. It's in the steering wheel at 50 mph and in the seat at all other speeds. Really bad at 72-74 mph. Just noticed the rear wheels aren't balanced with any weights.

When i put tires on my last car the tech said I didn't have to balance the rear wheels because it was a front wheel drive car.

I won't have time for at least a couple of weeks to start troubleshooting, so i thought i would check here to start seeing what the recomendations are. The tires are brand new with about 5000 miles on them. They are directional so i'm limited on where i can swap them as i try to narrow the offending wheels down.

In the service records i got with the car the previous owner had taken the car in three times for vibration, i'll have to look
again to see what the diagnosis was.

My thought is as soon as i get time i will take it in to have all four wheels roadforce balenced and measure the runout on the tires and wheels. Does this sound like a good place to start?

 

Yes !



Cheers
DD

 

I agree with Doug, excellent place to start.

I've had people tell me they only balance their front wheels, regardless whether RWD or FWD.Certainly the front wheels are the easiest place to feel an imbalance, (through the steering), but I've seen plenty of cars going down the road with a rear wheel lookin' like a rapidly dribbled basketball!

Sometimes it surprises me the areas that people choose to save a few bucks.

 

Ok, even if your last car was a front wheel drive, the tires need balanced to adjust for how accurately/inaccurately they are attached to the wheel. They still spin regardless of whether they are the drive wheels or not.

Your 97XJ6 is a rear wheel drive car. It's going to need balanced all the way around, all the tires spin, and all the tires meet the road, and all the tires will need to be balanced.

Find someone that you trust and hope that they don't bust the tabs off of the center badges while they are at it.

 

I'm with everyone else here. Always balance all 5. They are an expensive item.

You say it shakes at ALL speeds, seems a bit strong for a simple balance problem. Most people wouldn't notice an out of balance at 10mph, unless is was way way out of true.

Personally I wouldn't even try to find the offending wheel myself, but get it down to the balance shop for the checks you mention above.

You also say that the service records show a history of vibration problems, why not have them put it onto the suspension testing machine as well (if nothing else it will give you peace of mind).

Our Vendor Tire Rack has some decent articles about tech stuff with wheels and tyres.

You can do a simple check for out of round yourself. Jack up and support 1 corner at a time (chocks behind other wheels).

Place a straight edge very near the rolling edge of the tyre and spin the wheel quickly. Look closely at the gap between tyre and straight edge, if it seems to flicker or blur, with the gap becoming bigger and smaller then it is not true. (no tyre is perfect) but a large variation at low speed spinning may give you shake when driving.

A flat spot can also have a similar effect.

Please report back when you have time.

 

Both you and the "tech" should know different.

Sorry, but it's pretty basic stuff to know which end of the car makes it move.

 

Erm, he says that was his last car.

 

Thanks for all the replies. I'm replying from my phone so i can't quote anyone, but here is some clarification:

I don't really notice the vibration below 40mph, but once i do it doesn't smooth out at any speed above that.

Regarding the PO'S complaints to the dealership, the diagnoses 1st time: replace RR wheel bearing, 2nd time replace bent rim, third time EDIT: Tightened loose shock and balanced wheels

my opinion based on the feel is probably two bent rims...

Thanks to the above poster who described how to look for out of balance with a straight edge, i might give that a go before i take it in.

how much should a roadforce balance cost for all four wheels?

 

regarding the price of a roadforce balance, I found an old Dealership coupon for $115 all 4 wheels.

Suppose if I pay under $150 I'm doing alright, eh?

 

So, I finally got to balance the wheels. I just did a regular balance and they were waaaay out. The shake in the front is gone, but there's still some left in the rear. A thousand percent better, but still there.