[BMW49]

Hey Forum,

I just recently ditched the OEM Goodyear Eagle LS2 RFT's for a set of (4) brand new Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 tires.

The difference was night and day as far as comfort, handling, and ride quality. Unfortunately, I was experiencing vibration as soon as I had the tires put on so I knew it had to be a balancing issue (they were put on at Costco).

I took it to get Road Force balanced on the Hunter machine and it came back with high readings (but apparently within spec, according to the reputable independent BMW shop).

Road Force readings
(2) Tires read at 8-9 lbs which is good
(1) Tire read at 19 lbs
(1) Tire read 26 lbs

I was always under the impression that anything under 15 lbs is good for BMWs but under 10 lbs is best, since our cars are highly sensitive. The two tires that are at 19 and 26 lbs imo are causing the vibration.

FYI - I went ahead and got all 4 replaced under Michelin's 30 day warranty and switched to Michelin Primacy MXM4's to see if a less sporty tire would provide a better ride and less vibration.

My question is - Can anyone provide any feedback regarding who's had road force balancing and what their readings came back as? Mainly what should be acceptable.

Thanks!

[ndinh]

I'm getting my wife's car road forced balanced this Friday because of the same issue. Vibrations past 60mph. I put 2 new Pirelli's + 2 almost new Pirelli's on the car last weekend so I hope I'm not going to have to replace them....$$$. They're charging me $100 for the balance. I'll get back to you with the reading.

[BMW49]

Originally Posted by ndinh

I'm getting my wife's car road forced balanced this Friday because of the same issue. Vibrations past 60mph. I put 2 new Pirelli's + 2 almost new Pirelli's on the car last weekend so I hope I'm not going to have to replace them....$$$. They're charging me $100 for the balance. I'll get back to you with the reading.

Thanks for the feedback and maybe I can help you out a bit. To update, I switched my tires from the A/S 3's to the Primacy tires and road force balanced them again. The readings came back as follows:

(1) Tire at 2 lbs
(1) Tire at 7 lbs
(2) Tires at 15 lbs

I was hoping all of them came in the single digits but this was definitely better than the previous tires. So far I don't have much vibration but the ride was a little rough as the shop over-inflated the front tires. I drove on the highway on the way home and the ride was a little bumpy, but no major vibrations and I took it up to 80+ mph.

I would recommend you tell the shop to flip the tires (mounting the high spot of the tire on the low spot of the rim), if they notice a high amount of road force. A good shop will know to do this. Make sure you also ask for the printout afterwards, so you can verify the road force readings. If they come back high (over 15 lbs) you may have your answer and Pirelli should hopefully replace them at no-charge under warranty (Michelin did for me).

I paid $75 for the balance just FYI. Hope everything works out! I highly recommend road force balancing anytime you're having vibration issues.