Bad, bad, bad - bad vibrations....

[Doc Vegas]

OK, play on the Beach Boys, but it is how I feel after my 1000 mile journey this week. The rig was purchased use from eBay and I had to replace all 6 tires at an automotive repair shop in some small town in Texas due to a blow out on the way from Houston to Tucson (seller promised tires were like new - not quite - the were original from 2007).

The shop replaced them with Sailin or something like that. On the way home it seemed like there was quite a bit of bumping, but it has gotten even worse. They claimed the added balance sand or something. Looking at the front of the rig, it almost looks like the wheels are not in alignment.

Hate to ask such a silly question, but does the F53 have front and rear alignment issues? The issue is like a thumping that starts around 45 MPH and continues to about 65 MPH and can be pretty bad. Should I take it to the RV repair shop?

Thanks

[mel s]

Originally Posted by Doc Vegas

does the F53 have front and rear alignment issues? The issue is like a thumping that starts around 45 MPH and continues to about 65 MPH and can be pretty bad. Should I take it to the RV repair shop?

Doc Vegas
That sounds like a wheel balance problem.
I would have a tire shop check the balance of each tire on a spin balance machine.......AND have an alignment done.
Mel
'96 Safari

[chboone]

Did it start after the new tires were installed? Can you tell if it is coming from the rear or front? If it started after the tires were installed, I'd find a local tire shop that sell the brand instead of an RV shop. That way if there is a problem with the tires they can do a warranty adjustment. You could carefully run your hand around the tread of each tire to see if you feel a bump in the tread.

Chuck

[Doc Vegas]

Thanks, I will look at them tonight. How do you balance an RV tire??? They are pretty big, not sure if you can spin and weight them like an auto tire, or, is the sand the other thing you can do.

[ga traveler]

Check the sidewall f the tire and see if there is a R in the tire size. It sounds as if they may have sold you bias ply tires. Bias ply tires ride much rougher. It is probably a combination of bias ply and bad balancing.

[Tony Lee]

Also possible that one tyre didn't seat properly on the rim and is running out of true by 1/4 inch or so and that sort of problem won't show up unless you spin balance them. Usually there are concentric marks on the tyre that can be compared to the position of the rim and it is easy to see problems if they bother to look when they mount the tyre..
I had that problem with 4 tyres fitted in Mexico and ended up jacking the back wheels off the ground and running the engine in idle with the parking brakes off (be aware of possible dangers if you do this yourself) to find which one it was.

Balance powder won't help with this problem

(I assume the thumping is from the back and there is no shaking of the steering wheel)

[mel s]

Originally Posted by Doc Vegas

Thanks, I will look at them tonight. How do you balance an RV tire??? They are pretty big, not sure if you can spin and weight them like an auto tire, or, is the sand the other thing you can do.

Doc Vegas
Some tire shops have the equipment to spin balance large tires.
I personally don't care for bead, (aka: sand), balancing.

I've run with spin balanced tires and Centramatic balancers : balancers - Centramatic
on all 4 corners for 12 years, (98k miles).

Mel
'96 Safari 132k miles

[jmckinley]

Originally Posted by Doc Vegas

The shop replaced them with Sailin or something like that.

Thanks

That's the key to this whole problem. Really bad Chinese tires. You'll hear that lots of name brand tires are made in China and this is true. But lots of really bad tires are made in China and are causing big problems for a lot of people.

[ghutch]

My suggestion is to find a med duty truck dealer, have the tires dis-mounted, remove the balance beads, and rebalance via spin balance and weights. Next, have a front end alignment done by the similar med duty shop as well. Take a test drive with the shop foreman after completion. You will have to pay close attention to those tires, such as protecting them from the sun, proper pressures and checking for uneven ware, often. Good luck.

[Bubba1]

As previously suggested find a tire shop that that handles truck tires and have the mountings checked. On a previous coach I had a similar situation after having new tires put on. Had a terrible vibration at speed. To make a long story short, after several trips to and conversations with the RV shop that installed the new tires and couldn't solve the problem, I took the coach to a truck shop where they had the proper equipment to handle large tires. They found two of the tires weren't seated properly on the rims. After the shop remounted and rebalanced the tires the problem was solved. With your tires being an "off brand" you might want to have them checked for trueness, or out of round.

[Doc Vegas]

Wow, thanks guys! This forum is incredibly helpful. So, I called the shop that I paid $1000+ for the safety inspection and learned that they did not test drive the rig . I guess it is my fault for assuming. I cannot believe the valve stem extenders were only finger tight, not much safety in that equation....

I need to look at the tires to see if they are bias, but when we had them installed I Googled the information and they looked OK. It was the only tires we could get and we were in the middle of nowhere.

I called around Tucson and found GCR and WW Williams that can do the alignment. GCR was a tad cheaper and sounded more professional by phone. Probably will go there unless I hear otherwise from you pros. They will do the alignment for $160 and the balance for $22/tire.

Lastly, are the remote sensing tire pressure monitors worth the $? I would have opted not to do this, but now I am worried after one blow out and two flats in just two trips!!!

Thanks

[gruelens]

I had a good experience with GCR tire center in Oregon. They have over 200 locations and there business is heavy duty tires.

[Bubba1]

Short answer, JMHO, YES. I purchased one that not only reads pressures, but also tire temps. It has saved our bacon on several occasions. Was having problems with brake calipers sticking on the coach causing pads to drag. When heat started to build up the alarm would go off letting me know of a problem. One of the valve extenders on rear duals developed a slow leak while driving. Alarm went off when tire got below set pressure. I also bought the sensors for the towed. The cable for the break away switch for the supplemental braking system for the towed broke while on a trip. The break away feature activated and applied the towed brakes. Unfortunately the break away receiver was sitting on the dash in bright sunlight and the warning wasn't noticed. Once again, the alarm went off when temps in the towed tires got too high. I was able to stop and release the braking system before serious damage was done to the towed. If nothing else it gives me peace of mind.
An added benefit of the one I have is the monitor has rechargeable batteries so I use it to check tire pressures before leaving on a trip. I do a walk around and inspect the tires before I leave on a trip. As I do the walk around I loosen then tighten each tire sensor. I carry the monitor with me to check tire pressures. And this shows me the sensors are working properly. The TPMS has become like my American Express card, I don't leave home with out it. Purchased the system in 2008, one of the best purchases I've made for the MH...I think

[jmckinley]

While the problem could be balance, unseated beads or out of round, there is a other problem that can be hard to detect.

When a tire is poorly built, its strength can vary around the circumference. This can cause it to deflect more or less in some places as it rolls. It feels like the tire has bumps on it but the tire is actually round. Its called "Force Variation" and requires special equipment to measure. Most real tire companies check every tire for this problem before they leave the plant.