Thread: bad wheels, bad tires

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I have a 1972 monte carlo with new wheel vintique wheels and new BF Goodrich 245/60 15's. I don't drive the car too often but when I do, it has a out of balance condition at highway speeds. When i balanced the wheels, I noticed that the wheel was out of balance to begin with. (brand new, go figure). I used my buddies hub balancer. Being that the car does sit, I may have developed flat spots as well. Does anyone know if a lug balancer would be better to use? Can i have this remedied or should I just buy Aluminum wheels with new tires. I'm trying to keep the stock wheels. Any suggestions would be appreciated. thanks

I would have them spin balanced. That way it shows the tire/wheel at speed for balance.

You should check each tire for out of round condition before blaming on balance. Just jack each corner up and turn by hand using something stationary as a reference. Check tires cold and also hot after driving. Check quickly after driving. An out of balance condition is one that you can drive into at a certain speed and drive out of at a certain speed. Out of round, bent wheel, or flat spotting will not. Front tire problem will be felt in steering wheel; rear tire more so in floor of car. The best balance is done with wheel and tire on car. Not many shops can do this type of balance. A car sitting for long periods of time has ruined a lot of radial tires. Some steel wheels are made with such low carbon content that they bend very easily.

you could also put it up on jack stands while it's not being driven after you get the problem worked out.

There have been quite a few reports on various forums of problems with Wheel Vintiques coming out of the box wobbling. We had one ourselves. I was following my Son Don's T Bucket right after getting it running and noticed the wheel on the right side was moving side to side. We put a dial indicator on it and sure enough, it was bent. Coker Tire stood behind it and sent us a second one, and it was ok. I also see Coker no longer carries Wheel Vintique brand and has gone to Superior. Maybe they had too many problems like ours.

Jack the car up, put a dial indicator or even a paint stick against the wheel and spin it. That will tell you if the rim is straight or not.

Don

It's an out of balance condition as i can drive in and out of it. When it presents itself, the steering wheel vibrates. Great information guys. I'm going to find a place that will balance on the car. Thanks for the replies.