Ed Cackowski

Hi Rocket Riders !!!!
My 2013 427 vert developed a vibration so bad that it that shakes the steering wheel. It starts at 65 MPH and gets worse the faster I go.

I had the wheels balanced at Discount Tire who told me the right front wheel was bent. I took the wheel to Wheels America and they straightened it. I went back to Discount they put it on their Balance machine and said the tire was out of balance but appeared to run straight. They balanced both front wheels But I still have the vibration.

Anyone in the vast Corvette knowledge that is always demonstrated on the forum have a suggestion on what to do next ?

I have an appointment at the Dealer tomorrow. They said they will check the front wheels on their Balance machine and go from there, but I would like to point them in the right direction rather than have them go fish for it.

Thanks

tlcj

I had a similar issue one time. I switched the wheels out with a friend as a temp test. We were removing the wheels and cleaning that day anyway. My problem went away so I knew it was the tires or rim. turned out to be the tire and was replaced.

eshuber

You might have Discount use a Hunter Road Force balancer. If that doesn't fix it , the tires are suspect. Not all Discounts have a road force balancer - at least not here(in Austin).

HBsurfer

If you hit something hard enough to bend a wheel you may have also damaged a suspension component. Pull the wheel and look around that corner of the car.

BobMercer

The hit that caused the wheel damage may have caused tire damage, separating the belts.

unixcorn

extrapilot

RT2SJB

I have a vibration in the steering wheel as well on my 2011GS. I have a set of new tires on the car so I took it back to Discount Tire to have them rebalance my tires, when the car was "done" I asked the bubble gum chewing young man if they were rebalance and he said we did not rebalance them we checked them and they were alright. In my book rebalancing a tire means you remove the wheel weights and rebalance the tire, not at my Discount Tire. I am now looking for a better more qualified place to buy tires, any suggestions?

extrapilot

I believe it's imperative to have the tires road force balanced, especially the larger GS tires.
Sometimes it's a crap shoot to fine a good shop that does outstanding work.
Even a new tire could be problematic balancing. Did they in fact balance them with a RFB?

4SUMERZ

I would only use a Hunter Road Force Balancer on my tires. Not all tire places have the RFB, so call around. A good Technician will balance the tires with as little weight as possible, and that means that he may have to shift the tire on the rim several times to get it right.
I had a set of tires mounted not using the RFB, and they would vibrate over 70mph. Once I got the tires RF balanced, smooth as silk at any speed.
If it's a vibration at the steering wheel, it means it's the front tires. A vibration in the seat will usually mean a back tire needs balancing.

Gearhead Jim

And not all techs use it properly.
I had one Discount Tires sent our C6 out with a Road Force of over 20 on two of the tires. Bozo.
Took it to another DT and they got all four down to about 10, smooth as silk.