Vibration with aftermarket wheels

[hari-bhari]

Is anyone experiencing a slight vibration with their aftermarket wheels?

I just got the EVT turbines in 19” and Bridgestone Turanza QuietTrack tires. I get a very slight vibration at highway speeds, it’s not buttery smooth like it was on the factory 18s.

Any ideas? Road force balancing? On car high speed balancing?

 

[Dr3k]

Make sure your lug nuts are tight.

 

[T3SLAROD]

Have them balanced again, depending on how bad the vibration is it could just be because of the offset.

 

[linkster]

If the wheels were handled rough or dropped during shipping a wheel could be bent. You may check the runout on both the inner and outboard bead surfaces after you have had them rebalanced and have had the tires spun 180 degrees on the rim. Did they visually balance okay? Did one of the wheels require a butt load of wheel weights?

Good luck!

 

[hari-bhari]

The offset of the wheels? I believe they are meant to match the specs of the 19" sport wheels

 

[linkster]

Offset is generally more a function of clearance and fitment IMO.

Might the shop rats improperly (excessively or unevenly) torqued the lug nuts thus warping the mating/flange surface? Proper hubcentric reducer rings deployed if required?

 

[Twochewy]

Rebalance the tire/wheels. Torque lug nuts to 129 lb-ft with a quality torque wrench. I assume you feel the vibration through the steering wheel. You can also try moving the fronts to the rear.

 

[GLM3]

If you feel it in the steering wheel it is most likely one of the front wheels. If you feel it in the seat, then it is most likely a rear wheel.

Someone brought up checking to make sure the hub centering rings were installed. Check to make sure you required them and if so make sure they were installed on all four wheels. I missed one once it did create a vibration.

First, make sure everything is tight and torqued to 129 ft-lbs. If everything is torqued properly, then your best course is to go back to the installer and have them verify the installation of hub centering rings (if required), check balance, to see if any of the tires our out-of-round, and to check for a bent rim. I've had each one of those be a source for vibration and know that it is a very frustrating experience to spend a bunch of money on new wheels and tires and have an immediate problem requiring resolution for you to properly enjoy your ride.

Good luck

 

[CAAD]

How well calibrated are the wheel balancers used? I found tire shops around here have more balancers out of spec than they are willing to admit. Try another shop with the weights on to check.

 

[1.21GW]

If you have them with a hub centric bore adapter, usually plastic, make sure the wheels are seated properly before torquing down. I had this issue after installing the winter wheels, I re-seated them and the issue went away.

 

[linkster]

If you feel it in the steering wheel it is most likely one of the front wheels. If you feel it in the seat, then it is most likely a rear wheel.

Yes! This great basic technique can help you troubleshoot which wheel(s) is the problem child.

 

[hari-bhari]

I assume the EVT wheels are already Hub centric since they were made specifically for this car

would be a huge joke if they aren’t

well take it back to the tire shop and have them road force balanced. It’s a really minor shake but it’s enough where I can perceive the difference from the buttery smooth it was before

On a positive note the quiettrack tires are MUCH quieter. No longer need to sound deaden the car I think

 

[Teedub21]

Did they remove the 10mm bolt from the rotor hat that is used during assembly of the car? Not sure if it would interfere on these wheels but it might.