Visit our Popular Forums

lewster · 05-28-2014, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tishaeisha

Thanks every one for all the suggestions! I will first take it to a local tire shop to redo the balancing.

Make sure their balancing machine does a road force balance.

tishaeisha · 05-30-2014, 08:04 PM

I went to a local tire shop who does Road force balancing. They spent about 2 to 3 hours and told us 5 out of 6 tires were so bad and all had road force in high 30's. They said however the rims were perfectly fine. They said they couldn't do much, however rotate the front tires with back. Basically they advise us to replace the tires. Now I feel the vibration is even little more(i feel some vibration on the chassi also) . The vehicle only has 8k+ miles. Does anyone here have any experience with airstream replacing bad tires if the vehicle is still under warranty?

Also the local tire shop didn't put the wheel nut caps(those shiny caps) back. They said that the caps are pretty loose and there is a chance that they may fall off. Does any one know if there is a way to install those caps securely? or any special tool such as a crimping tool?

73shark · 05-30-2014, 11:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tishaeisha

Does any one know if there is a way to install those caps securely? or any special tool such as a crimping tool?

Mine were that way also. I suspect that the manufacturer's tool that puts the indentation in three sides was wearing/worn out and didn't put a deep enuf impression in the caps. I put a piece of masking tape on two or three flats of the lug nut and then press the cap on. So far have not lost any more.

CapriRacer · 05-31-2014, 05:27 AM

Some thoughts:

First is that wheel end related vibrations (tires, wheels, and other rotating components) occur in the 50 to 70 mph range.

Second, rotating tires should have changed things - if the problem was tires and/or wheels.

Third, is that "RoadForce Balancing" isn't really balancing. It's measuring the amount of "out-of-roundness" of a tire and wheel assembly. The machine translates this into force (pounds). High 30's is a bit high for an LT tire.

Tires are usually warranted by the tire manufacturer, not the vehicle manufacturer - or in the case of a conversion, it would be Airstream as they converted a Mercedes chassis.

When a vehicle sits for a while, the tires may develop flat spots. That is usually not covered by the tire warranty.

Plus, if the tires were manufactured out of round, that would have been there right from the beginning, not be OK at first and show up later.

And lastly, tires are only warranted for vibration for the first year or 2/32nds of wear, whichever occurs first. I'll bet that the tires are over a year old and with 8K miles, probably too much wear, so you may have some issues getting the tire manufacturer to cover this under warranty - not to mention some of the other issues that might render the tire warranty void.

But go ahead and try to get the tire manufacturer to cover the tires under warranty. Your first step should be to call the tire manufacturer's toll-free phone number. Explain the situation in calm language. (The folks at the other end tend to be more sympathetic if they aren't being threatened.)

Which brings me to an interesting point: Why didn't the local tire shop offer to do the warranty on the tires? At the very least, they could have called the tire manufacturer - and tire manufacturers are usually willing to work a deal with tire dealers. The shop could have worked out some sort of deal, even if it wasn't a 100% exchange - so it's strange they didn't do that! (OTOH, some tire dealers don't feel that people who buy new vehicles are their customers, so they don't try to help. Short sighted, but true!)

xrvr · 05-31-2014, 05:27 AM

Tires are warranted through the tire mfg. jim

Interstate14 · 06-09-2014, 03:49 PM

Our 2014.5 Airstream had vibration over 65 to 75. After two balancing attempts. 60 miles than 1000 miles after first trip, The dealer replaced the Rims and tires. Airstream believed the wheel might be defective but wanted to run many test on wheel first. Dealer said no way and swapped. Excellent service!! It is now smooth!!

Jeff64 · 06-18-2014, 10:21 PM

Ever since this thread was started I've been chasing my own problem with a steering wheel shake. I have finally discovered the problem and I think all AI owners need to be privy to my experience. I ordered a new set of the Alcoa wheels with the Durabright finish. I took them to a local tire dealer here in Missouri and had them installed, I then had a vibration or a shake in the steering wheel. I figured maybe the tires were a bit worn so I had them install a new set of Michelins, still had the same shake. I then went to another tire dealer and had them road force balanced, still had the same shake. The dealer assured me there was no movement in the tire or wheel. At this point I brought it home and started my own investigation. When I jacked up the front end and manually spun the tires I could see a small hop in the tires, I then noticed there was movement in the wheels like they were slightly out of round. I then removed the wheels and noticed there were indentations cut at three of the six mounting points where the hub sits on what I would describe as fingers for lack of a better term. There are six total, one under each stud mounting point, the three indentations were cut on one side and not the other of both wheels. These fingers are what centers the wheel and what all the weight rides on. These small indentations (probably 1/16 inch deep were the cause of the vibration because the wheel cannot center perfectly. (However on a spin balancer it will due to a different mounting method) How did these indentions get there? The guy at the first tire shop that installed the new wheels evidently hung the wheels over the studs and then started hammering away with an impact wrench while not taking the time to make sure the wheels were correctly seated over the fingers. These wheels are aluminum and must be treated differently than a standard steel wheel as aluminum is a much softer metal. I have since had my two original wheels (fronts only) reinstalled (they were undamaged) and the shake is completely gone. Sorry this post is so long but I hope I can prevent this from happening to anyone else and if you are having a problem I would suggest checking your front wheels if you've ever had them removed. It is very important to give your tire technician instructions to make sure the wheels are seated properly then tighten the lugs by hand then finish with a torque wrench not an impact!

Boxster1971 · 06-18-2014, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff64

......... These wheels are aluminum and must be treated differently than a standard steel wheel as aluminum is a much softer metal. I have since had my two original wheels (fronts only) reinstalled (they were undamaged) and the shake is completely gone. Sorry this post is so long but I hope I can prevent this from happening to anyone else and if you are having a problem I would suggest checking your front wheels if you've ever had them removed. It is very important to give your tire technician instructions to make sure the wheels are seated properly then tighten the lugs by hand then finish with a torque wrench not an impact!

Yikes! -- great info. Right on solution. These wheels, like all aluminum wheels should be snugged down with a ratchet and final torque with a torque wrench. Tell them to keep their air tools away from your aluminum wheels

73shark · 06-19-2014, 11:33 AM

A lot of shops use impact wrenches w/ a "torque stick" for a specific torque limit.

russ240 · 06-19-2014, 02:25 PM

Sorry to hear about this trouble and glad you found the culprit. I am afraid that getting a tire tech to use hand tools is like telling your yard guy to use a broom instead of a leaf blower ... good luck. Which is why I remove my wheels and carry them to the tire shop in my pickup. The ONLY person R&R my wheels is me. This is also why my family thinks I'm crazy.

Boxster1971 · 06-19-2014, 05:34 PM

Actually the wheel damage reported by Jeff64 was caused by a sloppy mechanic and not by use of air tools.

ROBERTSUNRUS · 06-19-2014, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff64

Ever since this thread was started I've been chasing my own problem with a steering wheel shake. I have finally discovered the problem and I think all AI owners need to be privy to my experience. I ordered a new set of the Alcoa wheels with the Durabright finish. I took them to a local tire dealer here in Missouri and had them installed, I then had a vibration or a shake in the steering wheel. I figured maybe the tires were a bit worn so I had them install a new set of Michelins, still had the same shake. I then went to another tire dealer and had them road force balanced, still had the same shake. The dealer assured me there was no movement in the tire or wheel. At this point I brought it home and started my own investigation. When I jacked up the front end and manually spun the tires I could see a small hop in the tires, I then noticed there was movement in the wheels like they were slightly out of round. I then removed the wheels and noticed there were indentations cut at three of the six mounting points where the hub sits on what I would describe as fingers for lack of a better term. There are six total, one under each stud mounting point, the three indentations were cut on one side and not the other of both wheels. These fingers are what centers the wheel and what all the weight rides on. These small indentations (probably 1/16 inch deep were the cause of the vibration because the wheel cannot center perfectly. (However on a spin balancer it will due to a different mounting method) How did these indentions get there? The guy at the first tire shop that installed the new wheels evidently hung the wheels over the studs and then started hammering away with an impact wrench while not taking the time to make sure the wheels were correctly seated over the fingers. These wheels are aluminum and must be treated differently than a standard steel wheel as aluminum is a much softer metal. I have since had my two original wheels (fronts only) reinstalled (they were undamaged) and the shake is completely gone. Sorry this post is so long but I hope I can prevent this from happening to anyone else and if you are having a problem I would suggest checking your front wheels if you've ever had them removed. It is very important to give your tire technician instructions to make sure the wheels are seated properly then tighten the lugs by hand then finish with a torque wrench not an impact!

Hi, this is what happens when a mechanic sets the wheel in place, slams the first lug nut down and goes in a circle instead of the proper diagonal pattern. Rule number one; Install all nuts before tightening any of them.

Jeff64 · 06-19-2014, 06:24 PM

You guys are all exactly right. Be aware that the guy was using a torque stick when the damage occured, they weren't over tightened, they were damaged because they weren't centered correctly then tightened by hand then torqued. I agree with 73Sharks solution especially since most of the tire shops will not let me the customer in the shop to watch.. who knows what is going on! Seems most of these tire guys don't care. The guy that reinstalled the old wheels did a great job and balanced them perfectly and used a standard torque wrench to reinstall. I slipped him a $20 for his willingness to do it right.