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I also carry a spare air tank but my compressor is a portable unit I bought it as a kit complete with 20' coiled hose, air chucks, carry case and misc. other small items that came with it. It hooks to the battery using clip-on like you see on a battery charger 10' long or so. Only bad part about it is everyone wants to use or borrow it and we all know what happens then.
I was eyeing those cheap red/black ones on Amazon, name escapes me atm. Figured it would be good as a backup.
So got to Goodyear @ 1pm. It's now what, 2:45, they have one tire balanced with 10oz of weight and still not zeroed. I said get them as close to zero as possible and I'll take them to Dunn Tire up the road to get road force balanced. If I can't get them to balance there, they're going back to Goodyear and I'm getting KM2's. I've read enough on these tires to not want to deal with that haha.
I know more than half of it is the balancer and the machine used.
So got to Goodyear at 1300. Left at 1630 with tires still not balanced to zero. I said get them as close to zero as possible and I'll take them to Dunn Tire up the road to get Road Force balanced. If I can't get them to balance good there, they're going back to Goodyear and I'm getting KM2's. I've read enough on these tires to not want to deal with bad batches haha.
I know more than half of it is who does the balance and the machine used.
He(service manager) felt bad they couldn't get them balanced good so he gave me each tire for $210 out the door. I have my appointment for Dunn Tire at 1000 tomorrow.
The funny thing is each tire was not even close to zero; one was still +2. I took the Jeep to go grocery shopping, even got it up to 55mph. Didn't shake or shimmy wtf haha.
I had a local shop (pep boys) install my tires when I bought them from them.
When I went back to get them balanced free each year, I noticed the machine wouldn't zero out, and I asked, they said the machine wouldn't since it was out of cal, but that they knew where the weight needed to go.
I told them to just stop and put the tires back on. Went down the road to treadquarters, and they balanced them fine. They said they weren't even close.
Pep boys was using a machine they knew was messed up & out of cal, but they still were using it to sell tires.
I had a local shop (pep boys) install my tires when I bought them from them. When I went back to get them balanced free each year, I noticed the machine wouldn't zero out, and I asked, they said the machine wouldn't since it was out of cal, but that they knew where the weight needed to go. I told them to just stop and put the tires back on. Went down the road to treadquarters, and they balanced them fine. They said they weren't even close. Pep boys was using a machine they knew was messed up & out of cal, but they still were using it to sell tires.
Yeah the service manager admitted their machines were old as fu.
We'll see what happens tomorrow morning. I really like these tires in the 15mi I've driven them so far. No noise up to 55, and I like the tread on them.
But if Road Force fails them tomorrow or they can't balance them they have one more chance; going to try some HD Offroad balancing beads I ordered yesterday. See how those work.
Yeah the service manager admitted their machines were old as fu.
We'll see what happens tomorrow morning. I really like these tires in the 15mi I've driven them so far. No noise up to 55, and I like the tread on them.
But if Road Force fails them tomorrow or they can't balance them they have one more chance; going to try some HD Offroad balancing beads I ordered yesterday. See how those work.
I work at Discount Tire and when I balanced mine it was a nightmare. It took almost an hour for each tire (on my own time at least). Just chasing weights over and over again. I did static wieghts, tape weights, clip/tape combo. Each tire as a different combo just becauseI got so mad at them. I never tried out our Road Force though, might try that my next Roto/Bal. But my coworker who has them in 315/75/16s (35s) on his GMC had trouble with them balancing too.
I work at Discount Tire and when I balanced mine it was a nightmare. It took almost an hour for each tire (on my own time at least). Just chasing weights over and over again. I did static wieghts, tape weights, clip/tape combo. Each tire as a different combo just becauseI got so mad at them. I never tried out our Road Force though, might try that my next Roto/Bal. But my coworker who has them in 315/75/16s (35s) on his GMC had trouble with them balancing too.
Pretty much what I went through today; first spin says like 4.5 and 2, after adding weight next spin said even higher haha.
What did you and your coworker end up doing? Just live with it?
I read in some of the JK forums that riding them around to break them in a little helped some. Also depending on how they were shipped they could have developed minor flat spots.
Pretty much what I went through today; first spin says like 4.5 and 2, after adding weight next spin said even higher haha.
What did you and your coworker end up doing? Just live with it?
I read in some of the JK forums that riding them around to break them in a little helped some. Also depending on how they were shipped they could have developed minor flat spots.
It did that to me too, soo frustrating.
At first I got them as close as I could and just lived with it. I rotated and balanced them a couple weeks ago and they balanced much better, but still a pain to get zeroed, the rears I couldn't get passed .50oz, but they're on the rear so i won't feel as it much, not crazy like the first time though. The most off was 4.5oz. I'm not sure what my coworker did, I'll ask him if there's any tricks on Monday.
It just might be the the fact of a big, heavy tire with the blocky tread on a 15" rim. Or I haven't broken them in as much (~5k miles)
Yeah pretty sure one of my wheels has stickies going all the way around the inside haha. They used the big weights too, the 1/2oz stickies not the 1/4oz ones that have always been on my wheels.
I've decided to try the beads first. Going to cancel my apt tomorrow with the RF balancer. I already ordered the beads so try those first. HD's bead bag is 50oz, so going to throw 10oz in each tire and go from there.
And as a last resort strip everything down and try to Road Force balance.
These things have threads on almost every forum dating back to 2003/4 was the earliest I read about balancing issues. Of course back then it was without Kevlar. But even the newer threads are saying they're a pain to balance and some just don't.
To me that's unacceptable. Not paying $1000+ for tires that can't be balanced haha.
Anytime you have that kind of tread on a tire balancing can/will be a problem mine all have. I might suggest to you is if they are ok on the road for now drive it a few weeks then see if they will do better on a rebalance.
Just tell the service manager at the tire shop what you plan and if they are bad you will return if unpleased at that time.
Anytime you have that kind of tread on a tire balancing can/will be a problem mine all have. I might suggest to you is if they are ok on the road for now drive it a few weeks then see if they will do better on a rebalance. Just tell the service manager at the tire shop what you plan and if they are bad you will return if unpleased at that time.
Yeah I read some threads where they worked the tires by driving them around for a bit and then had them balanced after a few miles.
I'm going to run them like this for a couple hundred miles then give the HD Offroad beads a try.
Got the HD Offroad beads thrown in today, seems to be smooth up to 55mph for the most part. Had some shimmy, but prob due to having the tires aired to 20psi. I'm trying to work the side wall's in a little before some light wheeling this weekend. Going to test everything out!
