skylolow

Ouch!!!

Never had it done. But that seems quite high to me. If I had to guess I would've said more like $75 to $125 tops. Maybe try working with your dealer saying you'd hate to pay $230 and it solves nothing. Ask if they guarntee it will solve your problem.

I think I'd email Hunter direct and ask if anyone in your area has the equipment and if they could tell you. I'm sure they'll be more the happy to tell you. Smaller shop I doubt would charge more then $20 a tire.

meatzorb

My RPM gauge bounces some on my 545i at idle but the engine feels smooth ( maybe 50 - 75 rpm range) I hate that. I am a wanna be vibration freak. I can't stand a vibrating steering wheel at any speed. I can't stand an off-center steering wheel either. Nothing pisses me off than to have an alignment done and the wheel be at the 1 o'clock posiiton when I head down the road.

Anyway, had the road force balance done at a goodyear dealer. Tires are Contitracs but this goodyear dealer only uses roadforce and even takes car from other car dealers with tire complaints.

I believe he said 15 to 18 pound was the max acceptable on road force. I had two tires come in at 22 and 23. He said those where my problems and probably the contitracs as it is the usual for the brand. Anyway they balanced them with the road force and I was impressed on how much better the drive is. Cost was 79.00 bucks and includes lifetime rotation now.


So check around as 300 bucks is steep, ( unless it is lifetime balance and rotation)

DrLev99

Goodyear it is! That's a more reasonable price. I've watched the actual balancing done on the road-force machine and it's not that much more complicated than a typical balance. There's a roller on top that applies pressure to the tire as it spins, trying to replicate actual driving conditions on the road. If the pressures come out uneven as it spins, then there's an issue with the tires and/or wheels....more likely the tire if any issues at all come up.

Good luck and keep us posted!

alpinewhite

lol. go to America's Tire.

sigma

If you're still looking for the road force machines Hunter maintains a list of shops with one:

http://www.gsp9700.com/pub/search/findgsp9700.cfm

Thullz

Here is my update.

Had them roadforce balanced at local BMW dealer...$70 for all four, so very reasonable. However, it solved nothing. I went back today and rode with the foreman, he felt the vibration but thinks its the tires, in other words, he thinks my goodyear tires suck. The tires are brand new and he didnt think they were out of round. He balanced them again, checked the front end suspension but there is still absolutely no improvement.

The tech thinks the vibration I feel is just the tire tread and is not a balancing issue. The vibration is very noticable and gets worst as I speed up.

Can this be the case, that the tires are just crappy design?

Will running them slightly underinflated improve the ride?

I will replace them if I can be certain thats where the problem is, any input from you folks is appreciated. The drive is absolutely shite because of this vibration.

DrLev99

It took a while for the update!

All I can say, coming from vibration on my old xi that never really went away from day 1, is that there definitely is more "road feel" with the 5 series at least. You will pick up subtle vibrations from the road in the steering wheel. Other cars I've driven have ZERO feel in the steering wheel which also made me worry initially. Now that I've had 4 bimmers, they all feel about the same as far as road feel and slight vibration in the wheel.

If the road-force test proved nothing wrong with the wheels or tires, why would he suggest the tires are bad?

________
p.s. My 1000th post!

Thullz

Tires are goodyear eagle RSA on OEM 17s

Thullz

Well, he thought I was being picky....maybe.

He thinks the vibration can be a lot better if I went with a better or softer tire. Basically, there were no flaws with the tire, i.e. flat spots, etc, but there definately is a lot of vibration and thats because of tire design.

They have no reason to lie, I mean I basically told him to fix it regardless of the cost but they didnt even charge me for a second roadforce. I have to say I was impressed with that since my car has no warranty.

Its not just the vibration in the wheel, thats acceptable, its the up and down bobble felt through the seats and floor thats driving me bonkers. All of this developed over the last month or so, just as the tires crossed 5K.

DrLev99

Is it lowered? What kind of suspension are you running...base or sport? This sounds awfully familiar. Do you feel like you are getting kicked under the seat....thumping?

Does your headrest on the passenger side do the cha cha as you drive at highway speed?