- Joined
- Dec 7, 2012
- Messages
- 3,560
Some of you may have seen some of my posts over the past few weeks discussing front-end suspension components, tires, vibrations, etc. I have been trying to get rid of a higher speed steering wheel vibration in my 2009 Honda Accord. Around 55+, the wheel would vibrate bad.
I originally had a set of Dunlop Signature IIs on the car... I suspected these to be the culprit. I had these tires re-balanced, no luck. I went to Firestone and had installed a set of new Firestone Champion Fuel Fighter. I returned the Dunlops to Walmart for the full price. Initially the Firestones seemed smooth, however, as time went on they developed a bad shake/vibration.
I went and had a different Firestone location re-balance them in case the first balancer was off, again no luck. I went through my front end with a fine tooth comb and found my tie-rods to be a touch worn. I changed them and had the car aligned. A small difference was noticed but again, the vibration came back. Last Thursday I went to NAPA and bought two brand-new axles. I replaced them even though the axles in the car were only months old. Ironically, the axles in the car were already starting to go bad -- no more cheap axles for me.
While having the upper ball-joint off of the spindle, I inspected everything in the front end of that car. There are no issues whatsoever. At this point it is impossible to have an issue with that car's front end. With that said, I figured it had to be something with the tires. I went back to Firestone and took advantage of their 30 day guarantee and explained all of my past diagnosis and part replacements to the guy. Without an issue, they ordered me in new tires and agreed to take these Fuel Fighters back.
Yesterday, I had put on a fine set, in 215/60/16, Bridgestone Turanza Serenity Plus. So far these tires ride GOOD. No shakes, no vibrations, smooth at high(errrr) speeds. Lets hope no issues arise. I am sick of trying to pinpoint this issue. Perhaps money is well spent on good tires. If all is well, this will make me a Bridgestone fan. I love Blizzaks, have a cheap set of Fuzion Touring (Bridgestone made tire) on the Civic and have always thought positively of Bridgestone.
How many bad (of reputable brands, new, and modern) tires come out there these days? Two sets of Duds, geez.
Here's a summary
-Had Dunlop Signature IIs put on, vibrated
-Had Dunlops re-balance
-Returned Dunlops
-Had Firestone Champion Fuel Fighters installed, vibrated after a couple of days
-Had Firestones re-balanced, no change
-Changed tie-rods and alignment, no change
-Changed axles, no change
-Returned Firestones and had Bridgestones put on, all set
I originally had a set of Dunlop Signature IIs on the car... I suspected these to be the culprit. I had these tires re-balanced, no luck. I went to Firestone and had installed a set of new Firestone Champion Fuel Fighter. I returned the Dunlops to Walmart for the full price. Initially the Firestones seemed smooth, however, as time went on they developed a bad shake/vibration.
I went and had a different Firestone location re-balance them in case the first balancer was off, again no luck. I went through my front end with a fine tooth comb and found my tie-rods to be a touch worn. I changed them and had the car aligned. A small difference was noticed but again, the vibration came back. Last Thursday I went to NAPA and bought two brand-new axles. I replaced them even though the axles in the car were only months old. Ironically, the axles in the car were already starting to go bad -- no more cheap axles for me.
While having the upper ball-joint off of the spindle, I inspected everything in the front end of that car. There are no issues whatsoever. At this point it is impossible to have an issue with that car's front end. With that said, I figured it had to be something with the tires. I went back to Firestone and took advantage of their 30 day guarantee and explained all of my past diagnosis and part replacements to the guy. Without an issue, they ordered me in new tires and agreed to take these Fuel Fighters back.
Yesterday, I had put on a fine set, in 215/60/16, Bridgestone Turanza Serenity Plus. So far these tires ride GOOD. No shakes, no vibrations, smooth at high(errrr) speeds. Lets hope no issues arise. I am sick of trying to pinpoint this issue. Perhaps money is well spent on good tires. If all is well, this will make me a Bridgestone fan. I love Blizzaks, have a cheap set of Fuzion Touring (Bridgestone made tire) on the Civic and have always thought positively of Bridgestone.
How many bad (of reputable brands, new, and modern) tires come out there these days? Two sets of Duds, geez.
Here's a summary
-Had Dunlop Signature IIs put on, vibrated
-Had Dunlops re-balance
-Returned Dunlops
-Had Firestone Champion Fuel Fighters installed, vibrated after a couple of days
-Had Firestones re-balanced, no change
-Changed tie-rods and alignment, no change
-Changed axles, no change
-Returned Firestones and had Bridgestones put on, all set