Question on aftermarket wheel issue?

[sbmrinaldi]

I bought Momo wheels a year ago for the wifes CX9. The steering wheel vibrates/shakes at speeds between 40-65, but is butter smooth otherwise. I had a similar issue with my wifes old Audi. They wheels had to be balanced perfectly for the wheel not to shake. They were Road Force balance and were good to go.

My wheels were bought from Discount Tire and they screwed up my order and had the tires/rims sent to me balanced etc but sent the wrong color rims. I had the proper ones sent to me and the paid for a local shop to do the switch. I don't wany to go back to the same shop locally and don't have a place locally I trust. Also the closest Discount Tire is 3 hours away.

Not sure if this is a balance issue or does the CX9 need to be re-alligned. Any input?

 

[ceric]

There is a natural freqeuncy in the steering assembly. It amplifies vibration when the speed is around 40-50mph. This is usually caused by either flat-spotting or tire being out of balance. One way to tell these two apart is that flat-spotting only happens when tires are cold (first 2 miles). Bad balance, however, is not going away.

Alignment? Alignment is a suspension issue, not likely to be affected by having a set of new wheels. On highway, on a straight stretch of road w/o much traffic, let you hands of the steering for a few seconds to see if the CX9 drift off to either side. It it goes straight forward, the alignment is OK. However, there are many aspects to the alignment, one still need to check toe-in/out, camber, etc. If you have uneven wear on the tires, that is the 1st sign to check alignment.

Usually wider tires have more flat-spot issues, especially in early morning communt.

 

[sbmrinaldi]

Ceric thanks. This doesn't go away so I think it is most likely a balance issue. I may plan on driving the CX9 back to the Discount Tire I used to live near (3 hours away) just to make sure it is done right.

I have to say as well I cannot rule out an alignment either. The car seemed to driift to the left for some reason. This just may be a secondary issue. My wear is so minimum on my new tires I will not be able to tell with tire wear.

 

[danz75]

It's probably a balance issue. I had some BFG Traction T/As that for some reason, had so much trouble balancing that discount tire swapped them out.

 

[RVC]

Do the wheels require Hub Centric Rings? I had the same issue on my Acura TL with aftermarket wheels. had them road force balanced twice still same problem. i found out that these particular wheels required hub centric rings. Here is the link to explain what they do. Basicly, they center the wheel on the hub, especially if that wheel is used for other applications. http://www.justforwheels.com/index.jsp?cat=hubcentric&sub=how

 

[Davicho]

I second that! Get yourself hub centric rings for your wheels and make sure the wheel shop balances both sides of your wheels (inner and outer). Aftermarket wheels are made with a large center hole to fit many car makes and so in order for the wheels to properly be hub centric you need these rings that snap into the wheel to make the opening smaller and fit snugly to your hub. Lug nuts alone sometimes do not always center the wheel properly. I guarantee if you do both (rings and balancing) your shimmy will be gone. I have always done the rings with any aftermarket wheel since I learned with my first set back in the 90's and I will not install a/m wheels without them.

 

[sbmrinaldi]

They do have centering rings. I think it is a simple balance issue, but just don't trust anyone locally and it should be covered by Discount Tire. Maybe I will head back to my home town for the holiday and get it resolved. I love the wheels and even the Pirelli Scorpion Ice and Snow tires are whisper quiet compared to the stock tires.

 

[Touring9]

Pretty common problem with alloy aftermarket wheels with flat seat lugs.

 

[sbmrinaldi]

Well another reason I love Discount Tire. Took it back over the holiday and they balanced them properly and now no problems. Locally I called a larger tire center and they would not even attempt to balance the wheels. They said due to the fact they were aluminum, aftermarket and 19" they would not touch them. Discount Tire has always been helpful. I love their attitude I continued to hear call after call while waiting on my CX9, "price is not an option-we want your business."