Tire Balance

[Prakash]

My Prius seems to shake a little bit on the highway, a bit of a dull but significant shake in the steering wheel. First thought was just poor road, but it seems more than usual. I imagined that it was the alignment that was off, because when braking it pulls to the left, or steering wheel forces it to... In any case Toyota said not to worry to much about that, and wrote "could not duplicate customers concern" I still feel the dull and annoying shake...I began to think that perhaps that the tire balance was my problem. I was looking at my wheels and none seem to have those little tire balance weights, does this mean I should balance immediately?

I will be driving some 3000 miles in the next two weeks, and would like to put this issue to rest. Thanks in advance for any help..

[AAWADKE]

Even i have that issue at high speeds....
Went in for first service last week and got it checked ....but i was told everything was fine and they could not find anything.....anyone with some insight

[troe]

The weights are glued to the inside tire rims. If you don't see any, I would get the ballance checked, because every tire/wheel needs some weights to be right.

[tnthub]

If it pulls to the left when braking you need to have your brakes checked. You could have a warped rotor or maybe the pads have not worn evenly. Shaking can also be caused by a warped or out of round rim.

[Orf]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pcflorida @ Jul 14 2006, 09:28 AM) [snapback]286189[/snapback]</div>

The weights are glued to the inside tire rims. If you don't see any, I would get the ballance checked, because every tire/wheel needs some weights to be right.
[/b]

I am surprised to read that the weights are on the inside. Usually, the weights are put where they are needed. Wheels should be balanced in two dimensions - around the wheel and across the wheel. If one part of the wheel is lighter than the opposite side the balancing equipment should be able to determine if the lightness (for want of a better term) is on the inner side or the outer side. Sometimes if considerable weight is required some will be put on the inside and some on the outside.

[Bill Merchant]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Prakash @ Jul 14 2006, 05:57 AM) [snapback]286163[/snapback]</div>

My Prius seems to shake a little bit on the highway, a bit of a dull but significant shake in the steering wheel. ... In any case Toyota said not to worry to much about that, and wrote "could not duplicate customers concern"[/b]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(AAWADKE @ Jul 14 2006, 07:21 AM) [snapback]286187[/snapback]</div>

Even i have that issue at high speeds.... Went in for first service last week and got it checked ....but i was told everything was fine and they could not find anything.....anyone with some insight[?][/b]

Get a second opinion from another dealer. Take them for a ride to demonstrate. This is a warranty issue. Many Prius need an alignment when delivered, and you should not be charged for it. The Integrity tires are of inferior quality compared to the rest of the car, and a bad tire could cause your problem, but you should not have pulling to either side when braking.

[jrct9454]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Orf @ Jul 14 2006, 08:14 PM) [snapback]286550[/snapback]</div>

I am surprised to read that the weights are on the inside. Usually, the weights are put where they are needed. Wheels should be balanced in two dimensions - around the wheel and across the wheel. If one part of the wheel is lighter than the opposite side the balancing equipment should be able to determine if the lightness (for want of a better term) is on the inner side or the outer side. Sometimes if considerable weight is required some will be put on the inside and some on the outside.
[/b]

Well, this is no longer true. With the new electronic balancers, it is no special trick to be able to balance the wheel / tire assembly with the weights on the flanges, in the middle, or any combination thereof.

I replaced the standard wheels and tires with new wheels from Tire Rack, and Michelin Xs from Costco. The local America's Tire store did the mounting and balancing, and the weights are entirely within the inner [broad surface] of the wheel, using adhesive weights. It is absolutely smooth, and MUCH better than the OEMs, which of course were the awful Goodyears.

I didn't include the tire pressure monitors, because new ones are ridiculously expensive, and I wanted to leave the OEM tire/wheel assemblies intact - they'll be reinstalled at resale time, whenever that is.

Alignment doesn't cause vibrations - but the pulling can be caused by alignment, brakes, or tires.

I would get the alignment done, replace the tires with new Michelins, and have the brake rotors checked for runout. To avoid future problems with the rotors, it is important to have the wheel bolts hand-torqued with a torque wrench whenever they are put back on the car - no airguns.

Anyway, the placement of the weights [flanges vs inner surface or both] has no bearing on wheel balance, assuming the right equipment was used by a competent tech in the first place.