Road Force Balancing Performed ** BIG Fan ** - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

JoeFromPA · 07-30-2010, 04:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by j.fro

Ditto! Road force balancing is definitely worth the $100. And, it's for the life of the tires.

What do you mean for the life of the tires? A weight can still fall off. Do you mean they guarantee it stays balanced for the life of those tires?

Just curious man

landrovered · 07-30-2010, 04:20 AM

Road force balancing refers to the way the machine turns the tire. On old machines the tire was spun on a spindle and there was no contact between the tire and any surface as there is when you drive. Road force balancing uses a drum to turn the tire like a road surface. This allows for the natural deformation of the tire side wall just like you have when the tire is on the ground.

The computers are more sophisticated and can tell you if the wheel is out balance, if the tire is flat spotted or if the tire is out of round. This is in addition to better balancing.

backman_z · 07-30-2010, 04:41 AM

Never heard of road force balancing before. Learn something new every day. Thanks.

JoeFromPA · 07-30-2010, 05:13 AM

It's become more commonly available at higher end performance shops, as their customers are running wider tires with thinner sidewalls, which tend to exacerbate balancing issues and there is no "softness" to dampen any issues that come up.

Honestly though, I've seen it for ~$50 but not for $100. There's not much additional labor involved, it's simply the cost of the machine needs to be amortized so they increase the per-wheel/tire cost.

I think some shops are still figuring out what they can charge for it. Kinda like shops that offer to fill your tires with nitrogen for $25.

Dragonwind · 07-30-2010, 03:54 PM

I had mine done at Toyota and I love it! Highly recommended. You can see who has thenmachine at Huner's site.

Chris

tboyer · 07-31-2010, 02:45 AM

Hey Dino! Glad the Box is working out for you! Sounds like you may be enjoying it too much! HaHa, just kiddin'! The best $100 bucks and hour spent on a pcar was having this road force balance performed. Absolutely lovin' thie ride in the Cayman now. Feels so much more level, flat, and straight with no shaking. Highly recommended!

Johnny Danger · 07-31-2010, 05:42 AM

I've been extolling the virtues of "road force balancing" for years. Simple dynamic balancing is not sufficient. Tboyer is correct in saying, "might as well as thrown the weight from across the room and hoped for the best" !