Please suggest something. At my wits-end!

R

Rockettman

New member
:confused:

I really need some suggestions here, on a tire issue.

I recently (in May), replaced the stock BFG tires with some new (staggerred) Khumho Ecsta PA31 tires (here in Canada).

Here's my problem:

At about 110kms/hr (70mph) and up, I begin to get a shake in the steering wheel.
The tires have been balanced: twice on a "traditional" balance machine; and now twice have been "Road Forced".

I've pulled the discs, to make 100% sure the mating surfaces are perfect. They are. When applying the brakes from that speed, there is NO pulse in the pedal what-so-ever. So that part is good. (But I know I'd feel that issue - if present - at any speed also).

I can't really complain anymore to the tire place/shop, as the tires DO infact balance on their machines. But on the car at speed, they don't seem to be. Yet it's been done 4 times now.

The problem too is that my old/original BFGs, never did this. At 140-145kms/hr (80mph+)...they were absolutely fine. So Im "pretty sure" its not the car.

I need help on what to look at or do next. Maybe an alignment? :(
This is very frustrating, because now it's just disappointing everytime I drive the car. And what good is that?:mad:

Please...advice? What to do next.
 
I asked about that alignment in the past actually.
I can't find a shop that'll do it, because of the time and how much work it involves over just lining up to stick settings. (That's what two places have told me anyway).



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Well an alignment is not going to help unless it were to find a worn out component. Here is what I would do......using an available spare tire and wheel that has been balanced, I would substitute the spare tire and wheel for the right front tire and wheel and go drive the car. If the vibration disappears you may have an "egg" shaped defective tire and you have found your issue. Repeat the process for the left front. This is a crude method that I have used in the past to find unsolvable vibrations.
 
Speed Shops

Rockettman said:
I asked about that alignment in the past actually.
I can't find a shop that'll do it, because of the time and how much work it involves over just lining up to stick settings. (That's what two places have told me anyway).



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Click to expand...
Is there any Speed Shops there that can do that type of alignment.
May cost more, but nothing is cheap for the MM's.
 
Thanks "Fastbob".
Wow! Just wow! That's unbelievable. As you say, I guess I'm not alone in this with these tires!


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To note:
One thing I DID notice for the first time last night...
After a 30 minute highway drive at around 130kms/hr, the tires were hot to the touch when I got home.
Only strange because my BFGs never heated up like that!
Weird


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You would think roadforce would show it, but the roadforce machine I used did not spin the tire very fast. I am thinking the forces applied to the tire at actual speeds (your 70 mph) may be triggering the imbalance. Just a thought....
 
Fastbob said:
You would think roadforce would show it, but the roadforce machine I used did not spin the tire very fast. I am thinking the forces applied to the tire at actual speeds (your 70 mph) may be triggering the imbalance. Just a thought....
Click to expand...



I had the same thought too. I wondered if it was the "heating up" at highway seeds that do not show up on any balancer.


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Fastbob said:
Read the 3rd post at the link. Seems others have the same issue with those tires as you.
Click to expand...


After reading about 10 of those reviews, I wouldn't touch Kumho tires with a 10-20 foot pole. Every review cited out-of-round tires with tread separation or belt separation and bulging. Several reviews cited sidewall or tread blowouts at highway speed in tires with low mileage along with sidewall overheating/melting. Customer Service was of no help at all. The cited problems would manifest itself in the vibrations you are feeling. Consider this as an advanced warning to a catastrophic failure. Get rid of those tires soon and get something recommended here on this site. Hope you can recover some of the cost; but the reviews on that are not encouraging at all.
 
Last edited:
I'm running those tires and happy as heck. Very smooth and the handling is perfect for what I'm doing with the car.

You either have yourself a defective tire, the person balancing the tire didn't set the machine up correctly (can't count the times that's happened) or their balancer needs to be recalibrated.

Take it to another shop and ask them to check the balance for you.
 
I replaced OEM Michelins on an E150, mostly driven in town with Goodrich Comml Truck tires.
They were POS, the steering wheel never stopped moving on the Interstate because the sidewalls were flexing so much.

No more cheap tires for me.
 
Bluerauder said:
After reading about 10 of those reviews, I wouldn't touch Kumho tires with a 10-20 foot pole. Every review cited out-of-round tires with tread separation or belt separation and bulging. Several reviews cited sidewall or tread blowouts at highway speed in tires with low mileage. Customer Service was of no help at all. The cited problems would manifest itself in the vibrations you are feeling. Consider this as an advanced warning to a catastrophic failure. Get rid of those tires soon and get something recommended here on this site. Hope you can recover some of the cost; but the reviews on that are not encouraging at all.
Click to expand...



I actually had to stop reading them too. SOO many!
You have some good advice there..."advance warning".
I'm kinda nervous about them now.
I'm almost 100% in that fact that it'll be a "live and learn" experience (with trying to recoup any cost, unfortunately).
(They're NOT inexpensive up here).


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JustRight said:
I'm running those tires and happy as heck. Very smooth and the handling is perfect for what I'm doing with the car.

You either have yourself a defective tire, the person balancing the tire didn't set the machine up correctly (can't count the times that's happened) or their balancer needs to be recalibrated.

Take it to another shop and ask them to check the balance for you.
Click to expand...



Honestly...its been two different shops for the four times they've been balanced.


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sailsmen said:
I replaced OEM Michelins on an E150, mostly driven in town with Goodrich Comml Truck tires.

They were POS, the steering wheel never stopped moving on the Interstate because the sidewalls were flexing so much.



No more cheap tires for me.
Click to expand...



I'm not saying the BFGs are the best (I know that many here don't like them - although I did)...
It's just that they NEVER showed any of these problems.
They were just 12 years old, and ironically, I wanted newer/safer tires! Jokes on me!


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Your Kuhmo load rating in the 235-50-18 is 97 or 1609 lbs. the load rating of the Cooper RS3A, and I believe the BFG OEM was the same, is 101 or 1819 lbs. Your sidewalls are too soft for the heavy car is my bet.
 
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