Should have bought a spyder with the vibration resistant option code X414.:D


If the car was error free before the tires it's hard not to indite them no matter what the balancer says. I had a set of goodyears once that vibrated as soon as they went on. I was given the same information as you "it's not the tires". As soon as the car received a fresh set of tires the problem stopped.

I would demand to balance run check. Do not pull weights off of wheels, just check the balance if they are off any at all, demand a different tire and then drive that. I expect that to solve your problem.

Good Luck, I remember how pissed I was when it happened to me. The shop was not happy neither but they cant sell you a tire that wont stay balanced.

Okay, as a recap - he purchased his first tires on line and had them mounted locally. Already two cooks. Then discount tire sent him a completely different set of a different make and model of tire. They were also mounted and balanced with the same problem. He has stated that he had his tires balanced at is "Indy" and at Discount Tire. His local tire shop didn't sell him the tires, he got them on line.

You need to read the entire posting before telling him what to do. Some have told him to demand new tires - he already got that. Others have told him to have further balancing done - he's done that multiple times with no success.

The only thing that resolved the problem was a tire/wheel change. Like it or not, it has to be the wheels. Find another set of wheels and tires and run them. If that does it you're done. You solved the problem with a wheel change. We can stop bashing Hankook or Yokohamas as both had the same issue. Somehow you revealed a wheel problem when you changed the tires.

No matter, I stand by what I said, if is was performing well with the old rubber before any of the fiasco started than it means it's got to be the tires. Think about it Steve, what are the odds that some other problem manifests during the "tire go round"? Put some Michelins on it and tell me it still does it, there's a reason sometimes that stuff is more expensive, you know, like Porsches.

PS It's just a blog don't blow an aneurysm , nobody hit the windshield this morning and landed on the trunk...

never stated where to ask for new tires. Kinda figured he would know to go back to seller. Dont expect the shop that balances with out selling them would replace.

I did miss the already changed rubber out but that does not rule out the rubber. I had three tires that the shop went through to stop shake. Again if rims were ok they should still be ok.

Thanks, Steve.
Is it possible the tech dropped a wheel and it bent while mounting the initial set of tires? I know it's a long shot, but you never know.
Hopefully I haven't missed someone already proposing this.

That would be revealed during balancing, especially true of a road force balancer. Here's a longshot, check the rotors to make sure none have warped or are being impinged upon in any manner, again the odds of that happening between changes seems remote but a wobbily rotor will vibrate, should be seen during balancing as well.

edit: You know a pad hanging up can cause this as well and might not show up during a RF balance as nobody is applying the brakes. It certainly could not hurt to drop the wheels, pull the pads and clean all the brakes, grease the articulating points such as where the pad heel sits in the carrier. Remove and clean the springs, ALSO if a carrier spring is reversed or changed from inside to outside you will have problems.

That's what I suggested . For whatever reason, I think that there maybe some wrong with the wheels alone .

I agree with the wheel theory at this point. I agee that it should show up during a rf balance but it is the only thing I have to go on at this point except mechanical. I can't imagine buying 3 sets of tires and having all 3 sets bad. That is why I put a set of Michelin Pilots on, to eliminate it being a tire issue. If they can not get the tires balanced tomorrow then I will again go to my INY and put on another set of wheels and tires and do the test again. I also have a Porsche club meeting this monday night and will see if I can get another early model boxster owner to meet me at the tire store where I purchased the Michelins and do a front rim or tire swap. Test drive both cars and see what the results are. Should tell alot. My ony concern at this point is it is getting very cold here now and running around on Michelin Pilots is probably not such a good idea below 30 degrees.

Thanks for all the comments gang. We'll somehow get it figured out.

I'll let everyone know of the results.

I'm thinking that somehow there's an issue with your wheels not being hubcentric. With that said, although an RF balancing machine may be able to detect a bent or out of round wheel, it does not have the ability to calculate "hubcentricity" .

Yeah, find someone generous enough to let you run his wheels for a few days, I'd swap all 4 with the donor car. Running the Pilots below 30° won't hurt anything, just be aware or the reduced grip,which will still probably higher than most economy tires. Just make sure there's no chance of snow!

No worries mate. It's just that he has changed the tires at least 3 times and the only time it ran smooth is with different wheels. That's good enough for me. Whether the wheel was damaged during mounting or by divine intervention, I believe it's the wheels. It's too easy to grab a set of wheels and tires from Craigslist or Ebay local to him to wait any longer. Trying three different tires (as stated above) is not the same as two full sets of completely different brands and models - AND still having the same problem (but it's close).

I would narrow it even further. I would change out the front tires with a different set of wheels and see what happens. Then change out the rear tires/wheels and also see. This way you not only narrow it down to wheels, but also whether it's the front or rear. Stick with it, you're almost there. Your local Porsche racing club will have guys with many sets of wheels and tires. Someone will let you play with their stuff... for a pizza and beer for certain.

Well, just as I suspected. I have one front rim tha is out of round. A very experienced tire guy where I bought the tires put both front rims and tires on a balancer. Spun it and by holding an ice pic very steady could tell that one of the rims has a slight low spot on it. It left a mark about 6 to 8 inches long on the inside of the rim. He said it is enough to cause a shake at higher speeds. The other one has a very slight high spot but not nearly as bad as the other one. It still does not answer the shaking issue I was getting at 40 mph first thing in the morning but that seems to have gone away with the Michelins. Now only slight shake at 50 to 60 mph and then gets progessively worse as you go up. After rebalancing again today after finding the flat spots it is slightly better but still very uncomfortable to drive at 70 to 75 mph.

I guess I am now looking for an 18 in OEM Boxster wheel. I have to look at the inner rim to see if they are 7.5 in or 8 in. rims and then start my search. If anyone here has one for sale or knows a good source, let me know.

thanks again for all the input. I hope I can get this resolved soon. I may just have to wait until Spring now, but at least i know it is not tires and can wait.

If I've followed this correctly, it sounds like the first tire shop damaged your wheels? That sucks!

Glad to hear it was finally resolved.:cheers:

I ask that question of the current tire store. He said it is very unlikley that the INDY that mounted the first set of tires (Hankooks) could make the wheel out of round when mounting. If they dropped a rim hard enough it could maybe cause a light (dent) in the wheel but you would probably see where it was dropped.

Does anyone have any experience as to whether a tire mounting system has the ability, with poor mechanic, to actually cause a low spot on a rim when mounting?

I went by the INDY today to tell him I found out what the problem was and he didn't seem real interested in helping me solve my problem anymore. Probably thinks I crazy after chassing ghosts for 3 months, but I know what I know, it still vibrates in the steering wheel at high speeds.

Thanks again.

IMO, anyone who cannot ID a bent rim with even an old school spin balancer sucks at using said device. My car arrived with three bent Turbo twists, I had them trued by Keystone wheel and sent the bill to the idiot salesman who took the sport classics off the car and (without knowing according to him) replaced them with bent TT wheels. The company Keystone wheel said Porsche wheels come in frequently, they appently bend very easy. It's also true that if you don't keep the tire pressure right with vigilance a low profile wheel will be far more easily bent.

Good thing he took care of this. I guess he couldn't wait for your troubleshoot.:dance::)

Glad you found the wheel problem. The shops should have been able to figure this out weeks ago. You can get some really good wheel deals on Ebay, and maybe from a local wheel shop near you. Get on to smooth sailing.

All I can do is ask the right questions, if the questions are not answered the troubleshooting process stalls.

I can help you too: were you breastfed as a child? :troll: