Want the smoothest straightest ride?

Max__Power

Registered User
Check out this. Use the locater feature to find a shop with this equipment in your area. This machine is capable of diagnosing and solving vibration and post alignment pull problems traditional balancing equipment is not capable of.
 
Hunter Balancer

I've used one of those machines and they are very nice and work very well. The only bad thing is that it can turn into a very long and draw out process if things don't go quite right. The particular machine I have used had some calibration issues. Of course, everything goes much smoother if you have good tires and your wheels are true. When I bought my '92 it had a set of "T" rated Pirelli tires and they caused a ton of vibration. I put on a new set of Cooper Tires and the difference was astonishing. If you are having what seems to be alignment problems, harsh ride, or vibrations, good tires can make all of the difference in the world. The Hunter can correct for a lot of variations and produce a much better ride. If you are planning to pay for this service, keep in mind it will probably cost a pretty penny when compared to regular $5.00 balancing. There are a lot more steps and work involved if it is done correctly. It will be worth the money in the long run.
 
I got a quote from TireMan in Thousand Oaks CA. today, $60.00 to get a this cool tire balance.

What are they asking around the country?
 
This is a great balance.

I had my tires and rims balanced like this, but I didn't know about the LFM feature!

I have noticed more pulling over certain road irregularites (such as ruts).

BTW, one shop that I went to charged $25 per tire. He made sure to measure each tire, remount it and measure it again, until he got things perfect.

One thing to watch out for, many shops will offer the "road force variation" balance upgrade from a regular balancing service, but they may have a machine that it heavily used and not properly calibrated on a regular basis.

One of the selling points that the gentleman told me was that he calibrated his machine weekly, wether it needed it or not. He allowed me to watch him while he balanced my tires and rims and his machine looked as if it was brand new, compared to the one a the ford dealership.

He told me that on average, most owners don't notice balance issues if each tire has less than 20lbs of road force. He strives to have less than 10lbs per tire.
 
LFM Feature

The LFM feature is new to the latest Hunter machine. It measures the lateral pull of each tire and will then tell you where to put each wheel and tire combination to adjust left or right pull. When I did mine I leaned toward a slight pull to the left to adjust for the slope that is on most roads.

20lbs force variation, in my experience is pretty high. For passenger tires the Hunter will usually sets a limit of 24lbs first harmonic radial force. If it is higher than 24, it will suggest a new rim or tire depending on the situation. It will even tell you if a certain tire will work better on a certain rim. But all of this takes more and more time and re-mounting. Another thing to look for is the 2nd and 3rd harmonic radial force values. A high second harmonic can cause just as much vibration as a high first harmonic. It just depends on the speed at which the particular harmonic will hit the natural frequency of your suspension. Generally, I usually shoot for 10lbs or less; usually settle for 12-15lbs. Your guy is probably right in saying that the average customer doesn't notice anything up to 20lbs, but I tend to pay more attention to these types of things. It is also common practice to try and put the two best tires on the front of the car since most vibration will be transmitted throught the steering wheel.

Good Luck Everyone
 
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