1968swbbigblock

I bought a set of aftermarket wheels from a forum vendor - good wheels with a good reputation - installed them with brand new Michelin pilot super sports.
I have enjoyed a vibration in the steering wheel since the minute they where installed.
I have made the situation much better as initially the vibration picked up at 50 MPH we now have it up at 62mph and above.
I have had the tire broken down, reseated, balanced on a hunter road force to make the improvements.
But as we climb past 70 the fun really starts to set in, at 100 I am no longer comfortable.
If I put my old OE Goodyears and GM Speedline wheels on the front the problem goes away.
I need some help in determining if the issue is the tire or the wheel.
I have been to 2 shops - 1 corvette specialty and one high-end exotic and they are all tapped out on their knowledge. We know that we have one that will not balance down below 36 on the hunter road force but they are unable to deduce why.
I spoke with Michelin and have from them what I need to do but the wheel mfg is a different story. Despite emails, PM's and phone calls I am not getting the answer as to what they consider excessive run out.
I figure it should be pretty close to the same on every aluminum wheel - any body have the data I am looking for?

AORoads

No, I don't. I'd think the only people who have that info are either at the wheel mfg's themselves which means a lot of looking and calling for you. Or, you could get lucky and find someone at TireRack or Discount Tire who's got the answer. Should I presume that the wheels were spun without a tire first, or later to see how and what it's doing? Someone at some shop must have done that. Second, if it wasn't done that way, either mounting the tire, or mounting and and riding on the combo will most likely not permit a return by most vendors---is that your situation? I'll also assume you've removed the Tinnerman nuts on each brake assembly left there from original assembly and usually only compatible with stock wheels. Finally, while this is costing you time and money to try to balance, remove, etc., has anyone tried a new-new tire other than your own to see if the wheels will balance? On all four, or at least the most out of balance wheel?

ruxvette

Seems like somebody had an issue with out of spec wheels. Maybe Don vette? He had all the runout specs. Hopefully he'll jump in, or send him a PM.

windyC6

Not sure if this applies to your situation. But be sure the wheels are "Exactly" centered on the hub. Have had an off centered wheel give me fits just like you and many more with the same issue till it became more prevalent in all these new wheel options. Some manufacturers even send out centering rings just for the purpose of keeping the wheel centered....good luck and let us know whats up with the cure.

RocketDawg

How long have you had the Michelin tires installed? The reason I asked is that when I first got my Michelin PSS non-runflats, I had vibration and the car just didn't drive well. Part of that was alignment (I got that corrected), but eventually the problem went away. I guess they just had to get seated and worn a little. They're smooth as can be now.

Should mention that I still have the original wheels on my car.

jost6453

Wheels generally should not exceed ~ .020" lateral or radial runout. I put aftermarket wheels on my '11 GS and checked them with a dial indicator before I mounted tires. Three were at .010" and one was .040". Sent it back. Got a good one, mounted Mich tires and checked runout again. Worst was only.015"'in center rib. They drive perfect.

jost6453

There are SAE specs for wheels. Do some searching and you will be able to find runout info.

1968swbbigblock

The first shop was a corvette specialty shop - which is who I bought the tires through but I bought the wheels on my own. They did spin the wheels and look at them before mounting the tires but they did not run a dial indicator on them. Less worried about the return of a wheel or tire I really just want it fixed. If I have to buy another new wheel or tire I can. The tinnerman nuts are off now they where not initially and should have been as these wheels are not relived on the back side like the OE wheels. I have not gone the new route yet. One step at a time. The corvette specialty shop could not road force balance so I figured I would go to a shop that could they took 2 shots at fixing them. They made them better but they only eyeball it for out of round conditions as well.

1968swbbigblock

I had them installed last fall - I would guess maybe 600 miles on the tires by now. I did think about your comment as sometimes when you rotate tires (not on a vette but a normal car with a square set up) you get a pull or a funny feeling for a week while the tire wears into its new position. I was hoping this would not be an issue since I bought what I think is the premium tire on the market designed to work at 186 MPH

1968swbbigblock

Excellent that is te information that I was looking for.
I spoke with Hunter and will be going to the shop that they recommended that has someone with knowledge and experience on trouble shooting. They likely already know the specifications but I like to go in understanding the goals so I know if they are full of ,,,, or they know what they are doing

irok

try running 2 or 3 lbs more air in the fronts with that tire.have seen several posts on here complaining about same issue.more air seemed to have helped if not cured the issue

Nick_04k

A hunter road force balancer can measure wheel runout seperately from tire runout. That will answer your question. If the shop never measured the wheel runout i would say they arent up to par. They should also be able to match the lowest point in the wheel with the highest point in the tire to make the roundest possible combo; however in my experience quality wheels are usually nearly perfect. Good luck!

jost6453

There are lots of things you can try. But in my 65 yrs, I've concluded that if you have quality wheels (min lateral and radial r/o) and quality (round) and balanced tires, you won't have vibration. Remember, you can balance a tire that is terribly OOR, but it will still drive like crap. 'Roundness' is your friend. I'm amazed at how 'true' my Michelins are.... and they drive perfect.

jost6453

I forgot to mention brake rotor balance. I previously had a vibration issue on my '11 and had the rotors checked and balanced as part of the fix process. They were both off, - one was ~ 3/4 oz off. That's a lot.

RocketDawg

How do you balance a rotor? Similar to a tire (adding lead weights)? And where do you get it done?

09REAPER

I had the same problem with my last vette I finally took it to a good rim shop and found out my new rim was out of round! It happens but 125$ later it was mint!

jost6453

You'll need to take them to a automotive machine shop. Someone that does balanced engine builds. They typically grind the centers vanes to achieve balance.

mikeCsix

BigBlock, Jost nailed it a couple of times. A dial indicator isn't that hard to set up and measure and check. I would do all 4 and use the one with the least amount of run-out as the standard.

92mr2turbo

what brand of wheel?

DOOKEY

Checking vertical run out is only half of the equation. You should also check lateral run out as it is more important. The DOT hand book states .030 vertical and .0005 lateral.