All 4 wheels out of balance??

Pat-GB

Member
So, shortly after getting my 2019 STI I got a set of Continental Extreme Contact DWS tires put on to get me through my first winter in Wisconsin (at least until I get a second set of wheels). Anyway, It has been about 4k miles and I was feeling some vibrations so I took it in to Discount Tire for the rotate and balance. They said all 4 wheels were out of balance. Is this normal for a new Subi? or can I assume they just didn't prep the wheels when they balanced them the first time?
 

Batmobile_Engage

Squirrel Meat Aficionado.
Staff member
Seems to me that they weren't properly balanced the first time. Strange... :unsure: What do you think, [MENTION=1172]Alin[/MENTION]?
 

Batmobile_Engage

Squirrel Meat Aficionado.
Staff member
Those tires were brand new, right? I'd definitely take a look at the current tread depths. Maybe your alignment is a little hokey and it wore two tires a bit differently. I hope not, but it's worth checking. Also, what pressures do you usually run?
 

Pat-GB

Member
Doing some reading online, I have not done any hard breaking or acceleration. I have hit high speeds (130) but it was on a freeway without much traffic. As far as pot holes, it is Wisconsin winter so the roads completely suck. I could see one or two go out of balance, but not all 4. This is also my first all wheel drive so not completely sure?
 

Pat-GB

Member
The tires were brand new. I was in a accident shortly before I got them and had the dealer do an alignment check. Everything was within factory specs. I haven't changed the pressure from the set 32-33 PSI.
 

Grinder34

Track Monkey
Even dealers can forget to torque down a bolt and let things get out of alignment. Plus potholes on shitty roads. It's potentially worth having them check again, depending on if they'll charge you an arm and a leg.

It's also possible to bend rims, especially with low profile, stiff tires. All 4 is less common than 1 or 2, but possible. Bends can throw off the balance. You can do a visual inspection around the bead for bends on both the inner/outer faces.

Finally, the wheel weights could've been poorly applied and come off. Any sign of missing wheel weights, like some glue/gunk/residue in the barrel of the rim?
 

Batmobile_Engage

Squirrel Meat Aficionado.
Staff member
For what it's worth, Firestone used to (might still, idk) have a program where you get lifetime alignment checks for a one-time $140 payment. I did that years ago, because there are lots of locations around. Then I can take any vehicle in, any time and have them check it for free. Adjustments are extra though...
 

Pat-GB

Member
Not sure if I should go to dealer or a different place for them to check. But correct me if I am wrong, the alignment shouldn't knock out all 4 wheels?
 

Alin

Diehard Car Enthusiast!
From my personal experience, any location such as a Firestone, NTB, Discount Tire, or local automotive shop is complete bullshit. I've had multiple issues in the past where the job was not done correctly (because my guru wasn't available). You have to find a technician from a dealer (preferably a Master Tech) that knows his shit and will get the job done right the first time around! I'm lucky because I met my guru when I first started out with cars back in 2008 and he is one of three people (aside from myself) that is allowed to touch my cars. If you can't find a Master Tech, you need to find an enthusiast (since they will care to get the job done correctly the first time around) who either works in a performance shop or a dealership, and has access to a lift (whether his own or if the dealer allows side jobs).

There are too many variables that come into play, which makes this situation kind of tricky.

-The possibility that your suspension wasn't tightened back entirely after the accident alignment and became loose over time (Always get a print out sheet of the suspension alignment!)
-The possibility that horrible roads loosened the suspension over time if it wasn't tightened entirely
-The possibility that a weight flung off a rim (Not likely seeing as all four wheels were off balance)
-Incorrect tire pressures (I manually check mine every couple of days with a gauge, especially with temperature fluctuations) as I don't believe in TPMS (even though I've never had them)
-Not rotating tires every ~3,000 miles will cause uneven camber wear, thus resulting in vibration

I'm sure I'm forgetting some other aspects, but that's what comes to mind right now. The fact that all four wheels were off balance means only one thing: the person who mounted your tires did not balance them correctly. If you must go to a local shop such as Discount Tire, you need to ensure that you were present next to the person that is working on your car, or wheels in this case. You need to see the screen on the wheel balancing machine with your own eyes. It'll tell you if weights need to be added and how much. You also physically see when the wheels gets spun that it's wobbling.

Whenever you have tires mounted, whether they be new or used, you need to ALWAYS get brand new valve stems inserted and always have them balanced afterwards (non-TPMS wheels). I believe in your case, you have TPMS, which I personally dislike, since it makes the matter more complicated than it needs to be. Also, you need to ensure that whenever weights do get added, that they are the ones that stick onto the inside of the rim. Don't ever allow anyone to put those bulky weights on the edge of the rim because they can fling off. I've had a few flung off some of my rims over the years (one was just recently on my TDI's stock rims), but Ohio's roads are complete crap (even with me trying to dodge all of them).
 

Pat-GB

Member
Miss alignment or even going out of alignment should only affect wear of the tires (front). The dealer just put the car on the rack and it didn't need an alignment so nothing was changed (i.e. nothing should've been loosened?). I'm guessing they didn't prep the surface correctly or didn't balance them right the first time.

Going to take it to the dealer for the 6k oil change when I hit that and I'll talk to them about an alignment check and balance. If off again, then I know it's Discount Tire.
 

Alin

Diehard Car Enthusiast!
Miss alignment or even going out of alignment should only affect wear of the tires (front). The dealer just put the car on the rack and it didn't need an alignment so nothing was changed (i.e. nothing should've been loosened?). I'm guessing they didn't prep the surface correctly or didn't balance them right the first time.

Going to take it to the dealer for the 6k oil change when I hit that and I'll talk to them about an alignment check and balance. If off again, then I know it's Discount Tire.

I suppose I could've formatted my response in a better way. :lol:

I'm sure I'm forgetting some other aspects, but that's what comes to mind right now. The fact that all four wheels were off balance means only one thing: the person who mounted your tires did not balance them correctly. If you must go to a local shop such as Discount Tire, you need to ensure that you were present next to the person that is working on your car, or wheels in this case. You need to see the screen on the wheel balancing machine with your own eyes. It'll tell you if weights need to be added and how much. You also physically see when the wheels gets spun that it's wobbling.
 

Pat-GB

Member
Driving today and still had Vibrations. Took it back to Discount Tire and took your advice and watched the guy. Turns out 2 of the tires were out of round past their specs. They are ordering replacements for free.

Thanks for the advice!!
 

Alin

Diehard Car Enthusiast!
Driving today and still had Vibrations. Took it back to Discount Tire and took your advice and watched the guy. Turns out 2 of the tires were out of round past their specs. They are ordering replacements for free.

Thanks for the advice!!

Whew, that's a relief! I'm glad they're taking responsibility and replacing them for free. Were the two wheels that were off balance both on the front axle?
 

Pat-GB

Member
I'm not sure. They had all 4 off before I got back there. But one on front and back would throw all 4 off.
They are on the back until replacements come in. And car is in the garage.


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