I brought my minivan in to have the tires balanced to correct a vibration I've been noticing over 60 mph. The guy at the shop said the alignment must be off because the tires appear "feathered" and the feathered tires are causing the vibration. I've had the tires rotated AND balanced every 5-6,000 miles since I had them installed (about 15,000 miles on the tires...Bridgestone Serenity Plus which have been great so far)
. I can't see the feathering...tires look good to me. The van steers straight...no pulling, etc. and the steering wheel is straight. The guy at the shop "shook out" the front end and said everything was tight (lower ball joints have been replaced and everything else is original from what I can tell).
I'm tempted to call the local shop that did the last alignment and confirm that they're setting to factory specs...and not their own.
In any case, I know that a alignment issue doesn't typically cause a vibration...but a tire wearing unevenly might (due to alignment issues). My other alternative is to have the tires balanced and see if that makes any difference (rotation/balance was just done 2,500 miles ago) and get another opinion on the "feathering" issue.
. I can't see the feathering...tires look good to me. The van steers straight...no pulling, etc. and the steering wheel is straight. The guy at the shop "shook out" the front end and said everything was tight (lower ball joints have been replaced and everything else is original from what I can tell).
I'm tempted to call the local shop that did the last alignment and confirm that they're setting to factory specs...and not their own.
In any case, I know that a alignment issue doesn't typically cause a vibration...but a tire wearing unevenly might (due to alignment issues). My other alternative is to have the tires balanced and see if that makes any difference (rotation/balance was just done 2,500 miles ago) and get another opinion on the "feathering" issue.