RoadForce Tire Balancing

[MENINBLK]

I've read many posts mentioning this and not everyone knows what it is or what it means...

First, here is the Hunter GSP9700 RoadForce Tire/Wheel Balancer :up:
http://128.242.141.111/
Please watch the demo once you arrive at the site.
It explains everything the balancer can do for your tires.

Second, here is where you can LOCATE a shop that has the Hunter GSP9700 installed... :up: :up: :eek:
http://128.242.141.111/pub/search/FindGSP9700.cfm

Happy Cruising !!!

[Sactown]

Thanks for the info. I used the LOCATE feature and now I know why the tire shop a mile from my house sucks doing a balance as compared to the one near my job. Same brand shop, different equipment.

[Mongoose]

Thanks for the info Pete. :up:

I was experiencing the oft mentioned steering wheel vibration after I put some mileage on the last pair of BFG's. I put two new tires on the front last week before heading to MM'ville and had them balanced on a Hunter GSP9700 (at a Chevy dealer of all places) as you mentioned. One balanced within 7# and the other was 40#. According to the tech, less than 10# was good. So I called TireRack (place of purchase) to find out what the OEM limit was. On the BFG T/A for our MM's, it's 25#. TireRack has sent me a replacement at no charge with return shipping on the defective tire included. I'll probably have to eat the remounting and balancing. :bs:
I guess the point I'm trying to make is that the tires would have been able to be balanced on a regular balancer and noone would have been the wiser if they didn't experience any vibration initially. :rolleyes:

[Dan]

Whoa. I am experiencing a steering wheel pulsation with my car now at 14K. I haven't seen this mentioned earlier. Will someone provide more info as to the cause and solution?

Thanks,

Dan

[Mongoose]

Whoa. I am experiencing a steering wheel pulsation with my car now at 14K. I haven't seen this mentioned earlier. Will someone provide more info as to the cause and solution?

Thanks,

Dan
Dan,
I'm no expert but here is my opinion.

My front tires continually show excessive wear on the innner edge I'm guessing due to the alignment specs. But this time it was an uneven wear pattern just the opposite of "cupping". When the tires were new and balanced on a regular balancer, there was no vibration in the steering wheel. As the tires wore, a vibration in the steering wheel could be felt at speed and would gradually worsen over time. Alignment was checked and found to be in spec. I therefore attributed the vibration to the tires going out balance due to the uneven wear and the uneven load force. With the new defective tire on my car, I still have a slight vibration. I'm getting it replaced this AM. I'll let you know the results.

From the Hunter GSP9700 website:

"Today’s vehicles are ultra-sensitive to road feel and potential vibration. Many owners of today’s expensive vehicles have higher expectations. The dealer performing tire service must deliver perfection........

The GSP 9700 extends far beyond the traditional functions of a wheel balancer and "road tests" the wheel before it's placed on the vehicle to eliminate vibration problems and comebacks. It addresses wheel balance and also NON-wheel balance related vibration issues of the tire and wheel.

Hunter's exclusive Road Force Measurement™ System utilizes a "road roller" to measure non-uniformities of the wheel and tire, simulating a road test and verifying if the assembly is "round when rolling."

The GSP 9700 uniquely identifies and locates tire and wheel non-uniformity problems caused by (1) stiffer or weaker areas of the tire under load, (2) runout in the wheel and (3) the random position between the two when mounted. These items may potentially cause vibration that a traditional wheel balancer can not address."

Steering wheel "pulsation" on the other hand can be caused by other factors such as warped brake rotors (most noticeable when braking to a stop).
Charlie....

[Ross]

Cool! Found a shop about 2 miles from my house!

[Haggis]

Cool! Found a shop about 2 miles from my house!

...and I found one out my back door. Thanks!!

[jaywish]

Funny,

My favorite body shop, which is just a roll down the hill, has one.

I never think to use them for mechanical.

Thanks Pete.

Jay

[Mike Poore]

I bought a set of Firehawks for the '97 Cobra and the "latest and best" tire shop guys said one of the four was way out of spec. Tire Rack had the bad one picked up, and replaced it with a new, good one. No questions asked. Take home lesson? Don't just put 'em on and think they're gonna be OK. While I'm on the soap box, torque the lug nuts by hand. Don't let some fool get near your wheels (and rotors) with an air hammer.

[Marauder04]

Thanks for the information...

[SergntMac]

While I'm on the soap box, torque the lug nuts by hand. Don't let some fool get near your wheels (and rotors) with an air hammer.
My local shop uses "torque sticks" on their impact guns. I've double-checked their accuracy with my own torque wrench, and I'm impressed by how well they seem to work. Anyone know more about how they work?

[MENINBLK]

My local shop uses "torque sticks" on their impact guns. I've double-checked their accuracy with my own torque wrench, and I'm impressed by how well they seem to work. Anyone know more about how they work?

The Torque Sticks are designed to "TWIST" at the torque they are created for.
You can use an air gun to install the lugs and when the torques is reached, the stick will "twist" and not allow any further tightening.

GM shops have been using these for at least 15 years, I would imagine that Ford has also been using them this long.
It's up the the technician to us them when re-installing your wheels.

[captJ696]

:rock: Great info on the tire balancer, now anyone know which Hunter alignment machine we need to avoid scrathing our Marauder rims? :confused:

[carfixer]

:rock: Great info on the tire balancer, now anyone know which Hunter alignment machine we need to avoid scrathing our Marauder rims? :confused:

Any of the more modern Hunter aligners will work. The more important point, the shop that does the alignment needs to use special adapters. They hold the "head" or "target" to the tire instead of the wheel. It also comes with plastic covers that go over the head's "touch" points so no metal actually contacts the wheel. The adapters are about $1500 for the set and a lot of shops won't spend the money. Be sure to ask if they have them.

At our shop, after turning away several Marauder alignments, we finally bought the adapters. I've since done quite a few with no wheel damage.

[captJ696]

Any of the more modern Hunter aligners will work. The more important point, the shop that does the alignment needs to use special adapters. They hold the "head" or "target" to the tire instead of the wheel. It also comes with plastic covers that go over the head's "touch" points so no metal actually contacts the wheel. The adapters are about $1500 for the set and a lot of shops won't spend the money. Be sure to ask if they have them.

At our shop, after turning away several Marauder alignments, we finally bought the adapters. I've since done quite a few with no wheel damage.

:up: carfixer.. thanx forthe info

[Mongoose]

With the new defective tire on my car, I still have a slight vibration. I'm getting it replaced this AM. I'll let you know the results.
After replacing defective tire (load balanced to 40#) with the replacement (load balanced to 12#) vibration is virtually gone. Hope to get alignment checked later this week.

[Mongoose]

Waiting on a call from my local Hunter service rep who should be able to direct me to a facility that has the necessary alignment tooling and adaptors.
To find the nearest service rep in your area, you can call Hunter at 800-448-6848. Hopefully I can find one place that can do it all (authorized tire mounting for TireRack, load-force balancing on a GSP9700, and a satisfactory wheel alignment without damaging the wheels). :rolleyes: