Tire Balancing with Drag Radials

[PhantomX]

Ok so I have the Nitto NT05R's on my car. 19" 305's. I can not keep these tires balanced to save my life. Ive been back 3 times to 3 different places and the tires just end up out of balance again. I can't imagine its the rims, the runout is fine on them and the tires look good on the balancer but still feels like a mini chair massage when I'm on the interstate and it's driving me nuts.

Low speed is fine till about 50+ then you get this gentle shake in the pants that comes and goes depending on speed. Now it's not like a shake the car to peices it's more of that annoying little shake that shouldn't be there but is. Of course stock everything is glass smooth. I've run it up to 150mph and it stays pretty smooth with no noticable vibration, nothing that makes the car feel awkard or unsafe just annoying as balls when I'm just cruising down the vet trying to go to work...

Anyone else have these issues on DR's? Am I doomed to live with it as long as I run them? I recall my NT555R's on my 17's (04 cobra) were just fine. And yes they've been road force balanced as well as standard machine balanced and then again on the $10000 machine at the dealer balanced... That shit gets expensive...

 

[scotmach]

Are you sure the issue is in the rear and not the front?

 

[Scott8583]

Have you been launching on them? My tiers would spin on the rim 2" when I would launch it. After awhile it slowed down till they didn't spin at all. Then I had them rebalanced. I was told to tell the tire shop to use just water to lube the tire on install. The soapy water lets them spin for a bit...

If that's not it, then must be the rims...

 

[Booky]

Every set of Drag Radials I have run on my Shelby have a slightly "rough" ride to them at highway speeds or greater. It feels like a light thump, thump, thump and it is never consistant.

I ran the Nitto 555r's and I currently have a set of Mickey Thompson ET Street Radials, same thing.

Around town they run smooth, but once on the highway I definetely feel the slightly rougher ride, but nothing way out of hand.

When I switch to my second set of wheels w/ Michelin Pilot Super Sports, the ride smooths out dramatically on the highway and the Shelby rides like a dream.

I just think a softer Drag Radial will always run rougher at higher speeds then a performance street tire.

 

[RAZRS EDGE]

Make sure they are not using a road force balancer. I prefer using a bubble balancer on radials/slicks.

As others have stated, if you have tried several times with no success, I am betting it's the wheel. One other thing to remember when balancing, if it is taking a lot of weight, try rotating the tire 180 degrees. Sometimes you get the heavy spot on the tire and the heavy spot on the wheel in the same general area. That will make it take far more weight. And unless you have a beadlock wheel, drag radials/slicks will rotate on the wheel with a solid launch.

 

[PhantomX]

Cool thanks! I figured it was more related to the tire rather than the rim. The fronts are pretty good the wheel stays nice and calm I can feel it in the seat of my pants and it's just as Booky described that inconsistent thrum at highway speeds and nice good at low speeds.

 

[slagburn]

From your description that sounds like high frequency imbalance, not low frequency. What is the driveshaft setup?