Hard-Headed Tyre Experiment

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addo
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Hard-Headed Tyre Experiment

Post by addo »

Featuring myself as the test bunny.

Late last year I fitted two new front tyres on the Xantia. Deliberately, I ran them without balancing. The alignment coloured dots were followed.

Tracking was fair; not perfect but not massively wrong.

The results are in - one has completely expired after ten months, the other is well-worn. Vibration was noticeably bad as well. I fitted a part worn from the previous year (stored indoors, and only two years old) and balanced both. The tyre shop have done their dash; whining because the tyres were not virginal and it required an adaptor plate, then overcharging (IMO). Immediately half my driveline vibration went - the other portion is driveshafts, a buckled rim and wheel bearings.

So... Lack of wheel balancing can shorten tyre life. :P
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CitroJim
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Re: Hard-Headed Tyre Experiment

Post by CitroJim »

addo wrote: So... Lack of wheel balancing can shorten tyre life. :P
As well as making the car rather unpleasant to drive I'd have thought Adam.
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addo
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Post by addo »

Compared to what it can be, yes. Still more pleasant than a small tipper, or a Volvo XC70 (this one surprised me with its rubbish ride).

For much of the around-town stuff, speeds are so slow you don't really notice the vibration - it kicked in over 60MPH.
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