by loverguy1, March 16, 2008
I was driving on freeway last week and found out that my steering wheel shakes on 70mph or above. Wondering whether i need wheel balancing.
Well i had my rear brake pads changed in Dec 07. Question though isn't my mechanic who replaced my gear pads suppose to balance the wheel too? I asked him if tyres needs to be rotated, he told me that it's front wheel drive so not required. Now i guess i will have to pay for wheel balancing or shouldn't be covered in tyre rotation. Please advice.
Doesn't matter RWD, FWD, or AWD - tires should be rotated at a regular basis. The only cases where the tires should not be rotated are when there is a specific tread pattern that do not allow rotating or different sized wheels, front and rear with directional and asymetrical treads - mechanic sounds like he just wanted to minimize work for himself.
As for the steering wheel vibration, does sound like a tire/wheel balance issue. Most speed/spin balance machines verify balance up to 50-65MPH - not unusual for tires/wheels to exhibit vibration at higher speeds. Generally speaking - tire balance is independant of tire rotations. Usually have to pay to balance wheels, rotations at many shops are done for free - especially if the wheels have to come off for some reason. Tire balancing and rotations are not needed after brake service - but rotations should be done at regular intervals to keep tire wear even, balancing should be done when vibration issues pop up.
Bikeman982
If the mechanic changed the rear brake shoes, it has nothing to do with tire balance.
A wheel specialist can tell you about balancing and also alignment.
If your steering wheel shakes at 70 then there is probably a balance or alignment needed.
I have read that whenever the tyres are dismounted/ mounted, balancing needs to be done. Is that true??
I have read that whenever the tyres are dismounted/ mounted, balancing needs to be done. Is that true??With the terms - dismounted and mounted - there seems to be a disconnect here with your previous post about rear brake service.
In the cases of tires being dismounted and mounted on the wheel (tire physically separated from the wheel) - then YES, you definitely need to have the balance rechecked.
In the cases of the wheels removed off the car for work to brakes or similar (tires still physically "mounted" on the wheels)- then NO, you do not need to have the balance rechecked.
Max
Since you say in another post you're shopping for tires, if it were me I wouldn't pay for balancing now. Just go get the new tires. You'll get the balance done when the new tires are mounted.
I had a similar problem just AFTER getting brand new tires AND having a rebalancing done and my new mechanic told me it needed new tie rod ends. I did have quite a bit of play in the steering, but never really paid much attention to it.
Worn tie rod ends are an item you don't want to ignore......nasty end results.
I had a similar problem just AFTER getting brand new tires AND having a rebalancing done and my new mechanic told me it needed new tie rod ends. I did have quite a bit of play in the steering, but never really paid much attention to it.
