I took my front tires (Ribbed Firestones on '35 16" wires) to a shop that another Hmaber thought did his front ribs to have them Road Force balanced. They took one look at the wheels and asid they couldn't do anything with them. Now I'm looking for someone near Kansas City that can do something with these tires and wheels to get them from bouncing like a basketball in the NBA playoffs. Anyone out there have any ideas? I'm running out of time and I really want to drive this thing to the drags. r
How 'bout posting a pic of the front suspension on the said car ? If the alignment is correct, And the wheels ballanced.. there has to be a problem elsewhere. I have never seen so many people with this problem until a came to this board..
Some clarification needed - they can't do anything with the tires? Or the wheels? Did they give you a reason (did you ask?) or did they just say, "nope" and send you packing? Did it have anything to do with the spacer ring you had tack welded to the back? If this is the same place on Broadway... big Michelin man painted in the window, it is where mine were done. The guy actually used to race at MoKan and rules. Sorry I wan't able to get your tires onto my car and down to the shop a couple of weeks ago. That was an insane week... but I definitely would have had time between then and now - when you picked them up I back then thought you needed them for something? Sorry man.
any tires shop should be able balance them. road force only works if the tire is round. most bias ply tires will not road force balance because there is too much run-out on them. just do a good dynamic balance, and hope thm tires are round.
Kevin, I have them in my truck right now. I could drop them off at your work around 4:10. Jay, I may have one of my clubs brothers bring them out. r
Well, problem now is my car is sold - so it wouldn't feel right to use it as a test bed. Sorry. So I'm still courious - did you ask why? Because in my opinion those guys know their stuff. I really can't see them not doing it for no good reason.
They said they didn't have any adapter that would keep the wheel on the machine. Congrats on the sale. r
i thought road force balancing was done on the car? maybe ive got a terminology issue...but when I worked for porsche we used a machine that looked like K9 from doctor Who. you sat on it, jacked the front of the car up, and it had a cone shaped wheel that spun the wheel up on the car to the equivalent of 60mph then told you where to sick the weights..we used it when normal off the car balancing didnt rectify a shudder at freeway speeds. it balanced the whole rotating mass, wheel,hub and brake rotor. damn good machine. if this is the same as road force balancing, they dont understand what it is you want.
radials will fix that ya know ? just took a new set of bia`s off a model a got them balanced ? but the out of round thing seemed a little weird to me? looked like the fuching Harlem globetrotters mobile dribbling down the road !
How about trying to get "Corky" to manufacture some bias ply tires using 2007 technology. I would buy some "round" Coker tires in a minute. Even radials would be o.k....... if they looked like bias ply. 1.Firestone ribs 2.Firestone 450/475-16 3.Firestone 750-16 To start with................Thank You.
Am I the only guy on the H.A.M.B. that thinks way too many guys have to jag around way too much to get a f'ing set of trad. looking tires to work like a $400.00 set of tires should. (Not counting the cost of balancing and rebalancing and shaving), and then having to go through the same drill in 10,000 miles. How about $800.00 for a set that you can balance at any shop, lasts 25,000 miles, and doesn't bounce like a basket ball. Take a good look at all the pic's of trad. style California hot rods on donshotrodpage.net..........there are lots of them with radial tires (on cars you would expect to see bias ply tires on). I guess they like round tires too!
Just because you like "sensible shoes" on your girl doesn't mean we have to. Some of us are willing to jump through the hoops (get it? tires, hoops) to look better than your radials ever will. If this was only about performance we would all be driving new Mustangs (Hondas, Lexuses, whatever).
I know plenty of guys who have zero problems and I think the common thread between them all is they didn't get anxious, did the research to bypass all of the myth and hearsay (very important), have eliminated all other variables by setting up the car correctly, and had reasonable expectations.
"Tires? I was wondering how Rob Fortier became unbalanced in Kansas City." That's not hard to do here... r
I'm talking from first hand experience....Coker 15" ribs, mounted on new "Gennie"15x5 steel wheels purchased from Coker.......not to mention all the owners of "Coker Tire" shod hot rods that I've made it a point to talk to personally. My expectations are that a automotive tire should work at legal highway speeds, and should not take "jumping through a bunch of hoops" to get balanced. It's hard to believe how much B.S. some people are willing to put up with. I don't know if it has to do with old molds (worn out?), or the fact that they are made in China (quality control?), or what ever, but I think there is a lot of room for improvement. Like most things, it will probably take someone getting killed and the lawyers getting involved to change things. Sooner or later a suspension part is going to fail....as the tire goes bouncing down the road like the F'ing Harlem Globetrotters. Back in the 60's I ran 6.70/15 Firestone Deluxe Champions(bias ply) and never had these problems.......So I don't have as low of expectations as some of you who lack those experiences. In my opinion a radial tire isn't much, if any, better than a "GOOD" bias ply tire...... All I would like is a FIRST CLASS bias ply tire.
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