Hunter Road Force Balancing

I found the following a good refresher on Alignment, Ride Height, Bump Steer and many other conditions for steering, ride and tire wear problems.
I personally have tried to do lateral and radial runout of my wheels and tires to eliminate a vibration problem.
I have also encountered alignment techs telling me my car has no provisions for Caster adjustments (not true).
The info available at Hunters site in video clips for many different possible problems, I found to be very useful in remembering for instance which way is Positive Caster and how it effects the driving dynamics, etc.
Anyway, I hope others find this info valuable, I know I did.
With the changes to ride height, either by using lowering springs or having worn out springs, the info on this site is very useful as to how to detect and correct it and correct the alignment to accommodate the lowering springs.
Also click on all the tabs available for further information about a lot of useful data. Some of it is marketing of their products but surprisingly a lot of it is educational information for the technician and non-technician alike. This info can be used by all to bring to a "so called" Alignment Tech and make him smart or to let them know that you are smart when it comes to vehicle alignment and balance.

http://www.hunter.com/pub/product/videos/index.cfm?cat=2

Has anyone here actually had a shop use this? What was the end result?

I ask because I recently put new tires on my Riv from Walmart, Goodyears Viva 2's. I know they don't have a great reputation, but they performed superbly last year in the snow. I've now got a vibration that I didn't have before. It goes away if I turn the wheel. I'm thinking about having Discount Tire use road force balance them for $12/tire. Is it worth it?

the one thing i learned about high tech equipment is..it aint the machine,its the tech.

I can understand that, especially being Walmart. That being said, I'm wondering what kind of experience people have had with the machine. Debating on spending the $50 to possibly eliminate the very annoying vibration at almost all speeds.

i had a Hunter session done for me back east.a few years back.the tech couldnt read the damn thing,this was brought into light because the car fell out of allignment days later.in the summer.and me avoiding every damn bump in the road so as not to ruin my new allignment.
I then had another alignment done at a little ma and pa shop in ,Kansas,damned if that alignment didnt last a few couple years.all done with simple sight instruments and hand tools.
talk to people in your area and find the best place. go to your local speed shop and ask there who does the best job in your area. iT AINT THA MACHINE,ITS THE TECH.

Agreed! Gotta have a good tech! Had my tires done on a road force and they came out great.

The shop that machined and drilled my rims also filled the tires with nitrogen and did the Road Force Balance. I do not have even the slightest shimmy whatsoever. However, I'm with Robo, I believe it has more to do with the tech than the machine. I'm glad it's Saturday ...

manofmany wrote:

Has anyone here actually had a shop use this? What was the end result?

I ask because I recently put new tires on my Riv from Walmart, Goodyears Viva 2's. I know they don't have a great reputation, but they performed superbly last year in the snow. I've now got a vibration that I didn't have before. It goes away if I turn the wheel. I'm thinking about having Discount Tire use road force balance them for $12/tire. Is it worth it?

I agree with Dave. One key is to have a tech who will actually take the time to reposition the tire on the rim to minimize variation, not simply to get the variation within Hunter's so-called "spec." If that repositioning is actually done then it's kinda worth more $ per tire than a regular spin balance.

As for the Nitrogen -- well, regular air, when dry, is about 78% nitrogen 20% oxygen. I roundly suspect the key with tires is to get the air **dry** and I am not sure why a nitrogen fill is of interest. It's a bit much anyway, as the tires are mounted in regular air conditions anyway, although they supposedly "purge" them if they are doing it right. So the fill at STP is not pure nitrogen. So if the tire holds say 10,000 CCs of air, even when you start "filling" it with nitrogen it will still have the compressed equivalent of 2000 CCs of oxygen inside, less whatever could be evacuated IF the tech purged it and IF the purge was done right.

Bottom line for me:

Nitrogen fill is definitely not worth it, unless it's free, or you are out on the NASCAR track.

Hunter Road Force Balancing - if your rims are true, than this just corrects for a bad tire (IMHO). If you have a slight out of round on the rim and an off tire, it can help, but for most cases it is not necessary.

And yes, the tech matters. It would be nice if the salespeople let the customers speak directly with the tech when it comes to stuff like this. The techs will often recommend something the salespeople aren't supposed to (like a better tire). Or you can get an immediate feel that your tech doesn't know how to help you, in which case you need to move on. Force the shop to acknowledge that this is their issue. Problem is that you are dealing with Walmart. Not only do they get the same-ish model tire cheaper, but their techs are bottom of the barrel and tend to suck. Not that they all do, but most. Plus it's likely that if you push the issue they may tell you to get lost, because they don't have to give a crap about repeat business. Their reputation is already established...

Looks like I will need to get my new tires balanced again.

My buddy who did it was using a pretty old machine at a school and he wasn't sure how close he got it. The result is pretty apparent over 70mph on this car. Shakes like a mofo now.

So what people are saying here is the Hunter equipment is probably better but the big deal is to be sure that the technician who is doing the work is competent. Hmmmm..... Now to find a shop that is decent. Easier said than done around here. :/ Town Fair Tire or Firestone I guess...

taking a ride to Boston anytime soon? Having my own balancing machine lets us spend time getting each wheel right... we can also spin the rims separately to see if they are straight. We can also swap wheels with another set that I know are balanced well, just to rule out other issues.

Thanks Derek! I might take you up on that. Will let you know

I'm a believer in Road Force Balancing, provided you get a qualified tech.

I'm getting the tires on the Reatta Road Forced tomorrow.