Are my tires out of balance?

[S-Man]

I bought some new Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revos about 500 miles ago, and have noticed a noise from them in the last 200 miles or so. They kind of go "Wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa" down the road instead of a constant "waaaaaaa". does this mean they are out of balance or is it just the agressive tread doing its thing?
I've heard jeeps with big swampers sound like that only louder.
Anyone help me out here?
Are my tires out of balance?

[just4play]

I bought some new Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revos about 500 miles ago, and have noticed a noise from them in the last 200 miles or so. They kind of go "Wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa" down the road instead of a constant "waaaaaaa". does this mean they are out of balance or is it just the agressive tread doing its thing?
I've heard jeeps with big swampers sound like that only louder.
Anyone help me out here?
Are my tires out of balance?

I keep tellin people that Bridestone is lame. I had a set of the Bridestone Dueler AT's and they were loud as heck and I could never get them balanced correctly. I hope you can get your situation solved. Good luck!

[S-Man]

I have the "p" load range tires, so i would think they should be easier to balance than the "D" or heavier load tires. but we'll see. Maybe i need a "Hunter Road Force Balancer" thing done to it.

[LGL002]

If you're not feeling any vibration or shake in the steering wheel it's not a balance issue. It might be an alignment problem though and that has absolutely nothing to do with the tire maker. You might search for DJ's alignment specs.
My Tundra will make that noise on some highway surfaces but for the most part they're relatively quiet and they certainly perform well in rain and snow. Over thirty years I've always had great performance from Bridgestones and lousy luck with Michelin, Dunlop and Pirelli.

Larry

[just4play]

If you're not feeling any vibration or shake in the steering wheel it's not a balance issue. It might be an alignment problem though and that has absolutely nothing to do with the tire maker. You might search for DJ's alignment specs.
My Tundra will make that noise on some highway surfaces but for the most part they're relatively quiet and they certainly perform well in rain and snow. Over thirty years I've always had great performance from Bridgestones and lousy luck with Michelin, Dunlop and Pirelli.

Larry

In my case it was a balance issue, I had a vibration and a shake that I could never get rid off. I don't know how many times I had my wheels balanced but after awhile I just gave up. My BFG's balanced perfectly, No vibrations or shakes!

[jasbus]

Not always a balance issue, it can very often be an out of true issue. High spots on a tire can make alot of noise, and not always have a vibration...

[RobXS]

New tires are going to be louder than older tires. Deeper tread will disturb more air. Typically the more agressive the tread pattern the louder the tires will be. Tires have variable tread block sizes to vary the pitch so that you don't get the constant whine. Wheel balancing has nothing to do with noise except maybe from your teeth chattering together when it is really off.

[S-Man]

Beleive it or not, when i took off my stock tires, they were almost slick, and they made a lot (LOT) of noise and were quite rough. When i drove home after mounting my new bridgestones, they were whisper quiet and smooth as glass compared to the stock worn-out tires.
I think new tires are supposed to be quieter because motor trend always comments about tire noise increasing with age and mileage.

[RobXS]

Tires can increase in noise if as they age if they are not properly maintained. Feathering from improper alignment or cupping from bad shock will cause it. Generally a well maintained tire will become more quiet as it wears.

[SnowTruck]

Not always a balance issue, it can very often be an out of true issue. High spots on a tire can make alot of noise, and not always have a vibration...

This is a possibility - a tire being out of round took out a shock on my father's F-250 and shwabs replaced the tire and the shock. It does happen, but do your HW (call other tire dealers to see what they have to say). Maybe someone has experiance with out of round tire issues and can help you rule it out.

When I had my 265/75/16 BFG Mud Terrains balanced when standing off to the side of the tire balancer you can see the tire going up and down as it spins. I asked the tire guy if the tires had a problem and he said it is very common for larger tires to have this characteristic. And when I drove them they were perfect - no problems at all (nice consistent hum). My point is that if they were further out of round the tire would begin to bounce on the truck. Is it all tires sounding the same or simply just one of them?

[DJ]

[...]

When I had my 265/75/16 BFG Mud Terrains balanced when standing off to the side of the tire balancer you can see the tire going up and down as it spins. I asked the tire guy if the tires had a problem and he said it is very common for larger tires to have this characteristic. And when I drove them they were perfect - no problems at all (nice consistent hum).

[...]

It's called "runout".

Hunter Engineering makes a variety of wheel balancer called a GSP9700 that measures the runout of the wheel and the tire and can match the two to minimize the net runout of the assembly. You can see a full description at http://www.gsp9700.com/pub/features/intro.cfm

What is notable, and the reason for this post, is that the GSP9700 measures the runout while pressing a roller with 1400 pounds of force against the slowly rotating tire, in effect measuring its "loaded runout". The visible runout that you describe does not always match the "loaded runout" that wheel/tire assembly experiences while rolling down the road.

Try it -- you'll like it.

[RBeau1954]

It's called "runout".

Hunter Engineering makes a variety of wheel balancer called a GSP9700 that measures the runout of the wheel and the tire and can match the two to minimize the net runout of the assembly. You can see a full description at http://www.gsp9700.com/pub/features/intro.cfm

What is notable, and the reason for this post, is that the GSP9700 measures the runout while pressing a roller with 1400 pounds of force against the slowly rotating tire, in effect measuring its "loaded runout". The visible runout that you describe does not always match the "loaded runout" that wheel/tire assembly experiences while rolling down the road.

Try it -- you'll like it.

The above information about the Road Force Balance is great information for the very sensitive front ends on the Toyota's. If you take it to the dealer ask them if they do us a "hub centric adapter" or a "lug centric adapter". I had my Tundra back at the dealer 4 times for vibration trouble and the last time I took the above information along with the information I got from Gadgetonline.com and demanded a lug centric type balance and now my truck drives like glass up to 90 mph.

Rick

[DJ]

The above information about the Road Force Balance is great information for the very sensitive front ends on the Toyota's. If you take it to the dealer ask them if they do us a "hub centric adapter" or a "lug centric adapter". I had my Tundra back at the dealer 4 times for vibration trouble and the last time I took the above information along with the information I got from Gadgetonline.com and demanded a lug centric type balance and now my truck drives like glass up to 90 mph.

Rick

The use or non-use of the adapter depends on the wheel you use on your truck. My Tundra and Sequoia use Toyota OEM alloy wheels, which are mounted hub-centric to these vehicles. I used a front centering cone with outstanding results. My Tundra uses a steel spare (i.e., the same Toyota OEM steel wheels used when the truck doesn't come with alloy wheels) which is a lug-centric mount, so I used a Haweka lug adapter on it. I've used the spare once and it was vibration-free.

Your point is correct and well made, but you have to make sure how your wheels mount on the vehicle to know what kind of mount to use on the balancer. It should be the same on both.

Road-force balancing sure makes a difference, doesn't it?

[Diego]

S-Man I have Revos on my Tundra and they make the same noise you describe BUT if you don't feel any vibration the balance should be ok.