How well are these truck tires balanced at the factory?

[Racindave]

Who would do that? Discount tire? It’s not a really bad out of balance but i can feel it. Honestly, the specs show that the rfb was close but not perfect. At 30,000 miles on the set of tires dealer said it was no longer under warranty (which I understand). I have never had any luck with Goodyear tires balancing and will never buy a set on my own. 

[L86 All Terrain]

Do any of you T1 guys have the "Chevy Shake"? it was notorious on the K2 trucks, you could road force balance all you want but the axle shafts mounting face was slightly off straight, some reported having to balance the driveshaft. Many owners had a hard time getting them solved, some would get parts under warranty only to find it didn't help the issue. GM even rode along with many owners with a Picoscope to see if they could pinpoint vibrations. The cure for most trucks was to replace aforementioned OEM parts with aftermarket parts. There are videos on YT that show how bad the axle faces were machined on the rear of the truck. Hopefully yours is a tire issue, hope to hear back after your RFB. 

[Bikeman]

23 hours ago, Sin City Trail Boss said:

Thought about that, but if I take it to dealer they'll do a regular balance. I'd prefer road force.

Most Chevy dealers have a road force balancer, I The one I worked at did. I would recommend taking it to the dealer and get the service manager involved so you'll get a good tech. A true road force balance involves dismounting the tire a couple times per wheel and indexing it. They have to mark the wheel and tire, mine had those marks along with the road force number written on the tire. That's how knew they had been done, weather the dealer did during PDI or done at assembly IDK. I highly doubt the tire jockeys at Discount or any other big box tire chain will do it right, the ones around me have a bunch kids working there pumping tire out as fast as possible. Good luck buddy.

[Sin City Trail Boss]

1 minute ago, Bikeman said:

Most Chevy dealers have a road force balancer, I The one I worked at did. I would recommend taking it to the dealer and get the service manager involved so you'll get a good tech. A true road force balance involves dismounting the tire a couple times per wheel and indexing it. They have to mark the wheel and tire, mine had those marks along with the road force number written on the tire. That's how knew they had been done, weather the dealer did during PDI or done at assembly IDK. I highly doubt the tire jockeys at Discount or any other big box tire chain will do it right, the ones around me have a bunch kids working there pumping tire out as fast as possible. Good luck buddy.

Thank you.

 

It's at the dealership now for that, a tranny shift concern, and misaligned bed. 

 

Will report back what I am told.

[jay webb]

On 8/1/2019 at 5:02 PM, Sin City Trail Boss said:

Thought about that, but if I take it to dealer they'll do a regular balance. I'd prefer road force.

no at the dealership we do a road force balance. i have a 2019 2500 in my stall for a road force balance. why would you think the dealership wouldnt do it? it is the 1st thing that you are suppose to do for a vibration issue. and if they tires have excessive road force they will replace the tires under warranty. 

[Wheelguy]

2 hours ago, jay webb said:

no at the dealership we do a road force balance. i have a 2019 2500 in my stall for a road force balance. why would you think the dealership wouldnt do it? it is the 1st thing that you are suppose to do for a vibration issue. and if they tires have excessive road force they will replace the tires under warranty. 

That’s been my experience although I feel some dealerships are better than others when it comes to following through with some troubleshooting - like some will work until they find the root cause & some might not be able to find cause and tell the customer something is normal.

[Grumpy Bear]

Road force balance. Hum... I believe that is a technique that permits tires that should be on a scrap pile to remain on the road. In 50 years of driving I've never had a need. Meaning I never had a tire that would not spin balance go on one of my cars/truck. Yes that means I have rejected some tires but very few. I also reject tires that take an abnormal amount of weight to balance. Now dad has 25 years on me and finally ran across a set that balanced out nicely with minimal weight but felt out. After several attempts and going so far as to match balance them they now have a life on a farm wagon. So between us over 125 combine years, not a single road force balance required. 

 

I expect the first person to reply to this post will have had 20 sets in a row. Good for you! 

 

My current set has 100K on them and almost half the tread left. 5K rotations, 10K spin balance. Factory rubber and rims

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 8, 2019 by Grumpy Bear

[Z45]

Tires are mounted and balanced all by automation at the assembly plant, not by humans.

 

 

 

Edited September 8, 2019 by elcamino

[Jsdirt]

35 minutes ago, Grumpy Bear said:

Road force balance. Hum... I believe that is a technique that permits tires that should be on a scrap pile to remain on the road. In 50 years of driving I've never had a need. Meaning I never had a tire that would not spin balance go on one of my cars/truck. Yes that means I have rejected some tires but very few. I also reject tires that take an abnormal amount of weight to balance. Now dad has 25 years on me and finally ran across a set that balanced out nicely with minimal weight but felt out. After several attempts and going so far as to match balance them they now have a life on a farm wagon. So between us over 125 combine years, not a single road force balance required. 

 

I expect the first person to reply to this post will have had 20 sets in a row. Good for you! 

 

My current set has 100K on them and almost half the tread left. 5K rotations, 10K spin balance. Factory rubber and rims

 

 

 

 

 

I hear that, Grumpy. Been in this line of business a looooong time. Something smells funny with this "road force" B/S. Me thinks it's yet another way to get people to part with their hard-earned money. But what do I know ... my grandpa only did this for 70 years, my dad 40, and me 30 so far ... 

[Bgctrading]

I have been in the tire business myself for 20 years. My grandpa started it in1963. I have found a "few" tires that road forcing helps. But replacing the tire solved the problem as well. We only road force a set if the vehicle comes back with a problem. Road force is not accurate unless the vehicle has been driven and the tires have settled in. I will say that 90 percent of the tires I have a had a road force issue with are Goodyear and bfg Kos and ko2s.

[Sin City Trail Boss]

12 minutes ago, Bgctrading said:

I have been in the tire business myself for 20 years. My grandpa started it in1963. I have found a "few" tires that road forcing helps. But replacing the tire solved the problem as well. We only road force a set if the vehicle comes back with a problem. Road force is not accurate unless the vehicle has been driven and the tires have settled in. I will say that 90 percent of the tires I have a had a road force issue with are Goodyear and bfg Kos and ko2s.

Well maybe to guys can shed some light. My truck has a constant bumpy rear at anything over 30-40 mph, more so than a truck normally has. I honestly think these are out of round. I have to go back to the dealership and have them look at it again since the last balance didn't help. 

[Bgctrading]

To me a 30-40 mph vibration is not a balance issue. Granted out of round, balance, and road force are totally different types of vibrations.

[Bgctrading]

It's also easy to check if it's that bad. Rotate your tires and see if the bounce changes in any way.

[Wheelguy]

Not debating, just relaying some possibly helpful information.

 

Road force takes into account the stiffness of the tires all around as well as lateral runout of the entire assembly with a load applied, something static & dynamic balancing doesn’t measure & is harder to correct using only those methods. Also, there’s a much wider use of tires with lower aspect ratios in recent decades (larger wheels) & a road force machine makes it easier to balance those types of tires since they’re typically stiffer & more sensitive to vibration.  None of that implies that static & dynamic balancing isn’t effective, road force just measures in a more sophisticated manner and puts more emphasis on how each tire behaves when mounted, under load & rotating at high speeds. Auto makers have found those things need to be taken into consideration when trying to make & sell a better vehicle or get one up over the competition.

 

This doesn’t mean it’s intended to be used exclusively nor for every balancing. The intent is to assist techs in being proactive in the balancing process and an attempt to reduce the check, adjust & test drive process which is more reactive and to also possibly increase the length of time a used vehicle maintains a new car-like ride. It also helps reduce vibrations that tend to be felt only at highway speeds (since it’s checking so many aspects of the tire).

 

....and yes, it can allow for less experienced techs to do what a more experienced tech might be able to accomplish since the balancer is using a computer and newer technology that has been found to be effective.

 

Most of this tech started with European luxury car makers who were noted for higher quality rides compared to a less expensive vehicle. Once the cat was out of the bag, the idea was applied to all kinds of vehicles & by most manufacturers.

[Grumpy Bear]

9 hours ago, Wheelguy said:

Not debating, just relaying some possibly helpful information.

 

Road force takes into account the stiffness of the tires all around as well as lateral runout of the entire assembly with a load applied, something static & dynamic balancing doesn’t measure & is harder to correct using only those methods. 

Sort of makes its own point. Before 'Road Force' it was "Match Balance". Before "Spin Balance" it was "Bubble Balance" and before that it was a "Gravity Balance".  Technology will continue to improve that is an undeniable fact. And as technology moves forward solving problems, the problems increase at the same rate. I.E. Because I can balance a tire that is poorly made I no longer need to make a well made tire. I can make it cheaper and charge more for the marketing. 

 

If the tire is truly well designed and made it will be as equally stiff as it need be to give very acceptable service. Ditto rims. Both will be round and free of lateral displacement. In a wheel you call that bent.. In a tire you call that trashed or perhaps mis-mounted. 

 

A really good balance doesn't start with the most sophisticated technology, it starts with a good inspection and selection of your major components.

 

If they built a square tire you could balance it but you couldn't drive on it and the best and newest tech wouldn't change that fact so what we are really dealing with is matters of degree. How sloppy can I be in manufacturing and get by with it. (Six Sigma). 

 

You can match balance with a gravity balance. You can shave a marginally out of round tire. Staigthen a bend rim. All this takes time and patients. People have neither these days as both waste money and money....well....that is the root of it, isn't it?

 

If one did as they ought then he would be called a Craftsman but somehow people take more pride in being a Technician.

 

Brain Wash 

 

Tech's need a fraction of the training and/or talent and they certainly don't have to care. They have a machine and a boss to tell them 'close enough' and service techs telling customers "that's normal'. (bet that ruffels some feathers). 

 

 

 

Disclaimer. This is not a debate, these are the facts. Oh, and YES that information was very useful. Thanks!!