Minuit Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 Those of you who keep up with my build know I put new tires on the MJ last week. The tires have about 140 miles on them. They're Cooper Discoverers in 235/75 and I like them, but the shop that put them on is a different story. They broke two of my hubcaps, but that's not the problem I want to address. At 60 MPH and above, the truck shakes pretty badly. It seems to me like the tires are pretty severely out of balance. I do need an alignment, but all front suspension components seem tight from a quick check. The driveshaft u-joints seem to be tight, eliminating my other guess. I'm planning on going to have the shop check the tire balance, but I wanted to make sure I eliminated every other option before. I really, really don't like working with shops. Thanks for any and all answers! . :MJ 1: . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 Ditch that shop if they don't use a Hunter Road Force balancer and find one that does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strokermjcomanche Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 How is your steering stabilizer ? That can make it seem like the tires are out of balance . What tire size did you have before? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minuit Posted May 2, 2014 Author Share Posted May 2, 2014 Ditch that shop if they don't use a Hunter Road Force balancer and find one that does. Very strongly considering it. This has been my first interaction with this particular shop and I'm very disappointed. How is your steering stabilizer ? That can make it seem like the tires are out of balance . What tire size did you have before? No clue what shape it's in but it looks like it's original to the truck. The previous size was 215/75/15. Also: Tire pressure is 32 PSI all around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 Seems pretty simple to me. Did it shake at 60 MPH with the old tires? No? Shakes at 60 MPH with the new tires? Yes? That's what we call a "clue." FWIW, tire balance problems (as opposed to true death wobble) seem to almost always start to kick in somewhere between 55 MPH and 60 MPH, and then disappear above 65 MPH. If your shake is in the range, IMHO there's about a 99.87 percent probability that the issue is tire balance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strokermjcomanche Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 The problem could have occured due to you changing to a bigger size tire . The stabilizer could have been strong enough the accommodate the 215s but not the 235s . Do you see any signs of it leaking? And if you have steel rims jack the truck up and spin the tires to make sure the shop didn't bend a rim . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minuit Posted May 2, 2014 Author Share Posted May 2, 2014 Seems pretty simple to me. Did it shake at 60 MPH with the old tires? No? Shakes at 60 MPH with the new tires? Yes? That's what we call a "clue." FWIW, tire balance problems (as opposed to true death wobble) seem to almost always start to kick in somewhere between 55 MPH and 60 MPH, and then disappear above 65 MPH. If your shake is in the range, IMHO there's about a 99.87 percent probability that the issue is tire balance. It starts shaking at an indicated 60mph (~62.5 actually) and starts getting a bit better after indicated 70 (~73). The problem could have occured due to you changing to a bigger size tire . The stabilizer could have been strong enough the accommodate the 215s but not the 235s . Do you see any signs of it leaking? And if you have steel rims jack the truck up and spin the tires to make sure the shop didn't bend a rim . Good thought. I didn't look at it in detail (but I will tomorrow) but it looked like it could have been leaking. They aren't too expensive so I may order one later on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 I do run a OME stabilizer, but if the tires are properly balanced ( and the rest of the front end is squared away) a stabilizer does very little. While waiting for the OME stabilizer to arrive, I removed the original, and ran my truck a couple of weeks, including plenty of freeway driving w/o one. All was well, no shaking or vibrations. I think a stabilizer is kind of a band aid mainly to mask other steering/suspension system problems. I do consider it a necessary band aid to have installed however to cover imperfections that come along as the tires wear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benjy_26 Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 No mud INSIDE the lip of your wheels? I used to have those same wheels on my ZJ a long time ago and they had a tendency to collect crud in the inner lip where the rim meets the face. It would shake pretty horribly until I would wash em out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee21490 Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 No mud INSIDE the lip of your wheels? I used to have those same wheels on my ZJ a long time ago and they had a tendency to collect crud in the inner lip where the rim meets the face. It would shake pretty horribly until I would wash em out. My stock "Turbine" Rims collect dirt like its gold. had to use a pressure washer to remove it all.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 Pretty sure that when the OP had his new tires mounted and balanced, any substantial mud debris was removed. Unless the shop was really bad......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave92cherokee Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 I would recommend getting a different shop to check the balance of the tires and also perform an alignment. When they do an alignment they will tell you if any steering parts are worn and need replacing. Recently had my 97 with death wobble rotated and balanced and when doing alignment they said the tre's and ball joints were worn. They showed me the play in the ball joints and it was pretty bad, replaced all ball joints and all front steering and ditched the steering stabilizer. Had them do an alignment after and all death wobble is gone and drives smoothly without the stabilizer now, and theres plenty of potholes around that would introduce death wobble if it was there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue XJ Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 I do run a OME stabilizer, but if the tires are properly balanced ( and the rest of the front end is squared away) a stabilizer does very little. While waiting for the OME stabilizer to arrive, I removed the original, and ran my truck a couple of weeks, including plenty of freeway driving w/o one. All was well, no shaking or vibrations. I think a stabilizer is kind of a band aid mainly to mask other steering/suspension system problems. I do consider it a necessary band aid to have installed however to cover imperfections that come along as the tires wear. I agree with this. A stabilizer is there to mask any little issue. I have not ran a stabilizer for the last 8 years and I do not have any wobble or vibration from the front end. If something is worn, you'll get a wobble, but the stabilizer might mask it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BootsNTrucks Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 Mine does it right around 54-56 then disappears to never to be seen again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benjy_26 Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 Pretty sure that when the OP had his new tires mounted and balanced, any substantial mud debris was removed. Unless the shop was really bad......... I have seen shops that ARE that bad. Besides, he might have hit a few puddles in the past 140 miles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benjy_26 Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 BTW, how do you all feel about balancing beads? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dankicksass Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 Balancing beads work, when I was a heavy equipment shop we used them in 19.5s and above, and they definitely reduced cupping and improved ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benjy_26 Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 Nice. I wonder how they'd do on a smaller tire, like a 31 or 33. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave92cherokee Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 I tried balancing beads in a set of 34 1050 ltbs i used to have and were terrible, had 2-3 times recommended amount after some trial and error and still wobbled like crazy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue XJ Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 I've been using airsoft bb's to balance my tires for about 10 years now. You need to figure out how much weight is needed to balance the tire, then throw in some extra bb's. Ive used them on 30's, 32's, and 35's with no issues on any of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shelbyluvv Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 LTBs are bias ply. They flat spot when they sit more than 4 hours. You have to drive on them for about 45 minutes to warm them back up and take the shake out of them. I ran them for about 3 weeks on my old truck. They are a horrible tire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minuit Posted August 9, 2014 Author Share Posted August 9, 2014 Time for a little update. This morning, I took the MJ to a different, much better shop (that does have the aforementioned Hunter wheel balancer) for an alignment (which it needed badly) and tire balancing. The alignment is great now and the steering feels much better, but the shaking at speed continues. This leads me to believe it's a driveshaft/U-joint issue. Any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Bent wheel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metrictonner Posted August 11, 2014 Share Posted August 11, 2014 When I find out a tire dude mounts my wheels with an air gun, they never see me again. I also wonder how anyone will do a stock alignment with non-stock tires. I vote for alignment and bent wheel/disk brake issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 When I find out a tire dude mounts my wheels with an air gun, they never see me again. I've never seen a tire shop that didn't use burp guns, for removing and installing tires. Which is why I never take my car to a shop for tires. I take the wheels (with old tires, if applicable) to the shop in the back of another vehicle and have the shop mount the tires and balance them. Then **I** put them back on the vehicle, by hand. With a torque wrench. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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