I have Falken Wildpeak AT tires on our Grand Cherokee. I have a rotational thump that I hear a lot of times. When I had the dealer service the Jeep last year it needed a hub bearing which was done. They told me any noise you have is from the tires. I had the tires rebalanced and they said they balanced out. They tell me there's no way to find out if one is bad. Need some advice on this issue guys. If I have a bad one how do you determine it?
2018 G3 Sportsman 17 90 SHO
Change the position of the suspected tire and see if the noise changes location would be my first try. If the noise doesn't move it's not the tire likely.Originally Posted by Big Al
Sounds like a broken belt. Depending on the severity, it may be hard to detect by eye. Run your hands around the tread to see if you feel any high or low spots. Def don’t want that blowing out at highway speeds.
I would go this route. Sometimes a road force balancer can work as well, but those are not fool proof either in my experience.
2008 Skeeter 21I. Yamaha 250 Series II.
2011 Toyota Tundra Crewmax 4x4.
Use the spare on all four positions to see if there is a difference.
I should have thought of that! I may have to do that Just sucks doing all that work at my age
If it is a separated tire it can be identified by tire inspection and judging radial and lateral run out. Based on the fact that your complaint is a "noise", I would lean more towards irregular or mechanical wear. If you were complaining about low speed wobble or high speed vibration, then I would more suspect a failing tire. Someone did mention road force which will find any excessive force variation but that typically will be related to higher speed vibrations (60 to 80 mph).
If the dealer said there is no way to find out if one is bad they don't know much about tires. Consider the internal forces on the tire filled to 35 to 80 psi. Then think about the separation or failure of its internal components like the inner liner, body plies, sidewall turn-up, apex, steel belts, overlay, bead wedge, chafer and tread. If you know where these components are then you know what to look for when a tire is coming apart.
Last edited by knopf; 09-22-2023 at 04:11 PM.
Definitely high speed vibration right around 75 MPH. Dealer has checked it out previously and mechanically is sound
Twisted belt, small knot or tire wear. It doesn't take much.
2014 Phoenix 721XP, 250 SHO, Bobs Action Jack, Dual Blades, 112 Ultrex, Garmin Echomap Ultra's Networked, NMEA 2000, 2019 Lariat FX4 F150 Supercrew 4x4
2001 Bumblebee 2100 Super Vee Mercury 225 EFI
1988 Hydrasport Kevlar hull 115 Tower of Power
Guaranteed to be the last one you switch it to too
We run Michelin Agelis on our fleet vehicles and see this thumping a lot, bad belt every time on what looks like a great tire at first glance.
The suggestions above prove why you need a full size spare in every vehicle, not a can of spray foam or a donut.
Funny you say that, I always think that will be the 4th. But, when I was looking at them ,I noticed that 3 of them made in China and the 4th made in Thailand. I'll start with the 4th.
Sometimes you can spot it by jacking it up just enough to clear the ground and rotate the tire. It'll touch the ground at the bad spot.
I'd Rather be Fishing
Hi Al, If it is a high speed vibration I would have the tires balanced somewhere else. I would recommend someone who has a road force balancer and Haweka style pin plate adapters for your wheels. The biggest mistake made when balancing is how the tire and wheel assembly is mounted on the balancer (this is where the pin plates come in}. During the spin the tire should be judged visually for runout. Force variation should also be taken and match mounting can be done to reduce any significant force variation. You can balance a square block, but it will never ride smooth.
Wildpeaks, at least in the Toyota world, are a pita to balance. Do a quick Google of "wildpeak shimmy" and see all the posts about it.
I had my wife's 4runner back 5 times for a balance issue. It was never them adding or removing an ounce to the existing weights, it was 2+ ounces different 90-180 degrees different on the wheel.
I finally dug deep enough in the forums and found that if a standard road force balance doesn't work, they need to turn off smart balance. They surprisingly listened when I told them and the vibration is gone
If the weights are moving that much it is not the tires. The tire is either moving on the wheel (slippage) or errors are being made in mountng the wheel to the balancer. The balance process has to repeatable and should mirror the tires function on the vehicle. Tires are easy to balance, making them ride smooth is a different deal. I believe smart balance is program to minimize wheel weight usage. I guess not using it could improve dynamic balance in some circumstances.
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