Welcome to the new TalonTire.com Frequently Asked Questions page. If you have a question not previously asked or want more information regarding one of our answers below, please contact us at info@talontire.com.
- My car pulls strongly to one side. Does this indicate a tire problem?
If the pull began after incurring an accident, a curb or a pothole, have your car's suspension checked for damage. If it began just after your tires were rotated, removed, replaced or repaired, then the pull is most likely tire related. Make sure your air pressures are set to the car manufacturer's recommendation. If they are, ensure that the tires have been properly mounted on their rims. We're amazed at how many tires are incorrectly mounted as garages attempt to get as many vehicles in and out as quickly as possible. Tire installation can be easily checked with a dial indicator (also known as a run-out gauge), a device that detects an out-of-round condition. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of garages in North America either don't own this piece of equipment or don't know how to use it to diagnose tire and wheel problems.
By the way, service people "eyeballing" your tires to determine if they are out-of-round just isn't accurate. Out-of-round is measured in thousandths of an inch! If your tires are out-of-round, several steps can be taken to properly remount them and to eliminate the pull. This will solve the problem 90% of the time. Rarely will you need to replace a tire.
- My tires are losing air and I'm tired of refilling them. What can I do?
We know the routine -- you find yourself constantly adjusting your tire pressure. One garage tells you the rims are leaking, another tells you that your tires are defective. The likelihood of all four tires or rims being defective is about the same as winning the lottery.
Save your money and spend a little time to determine where the air loss is coming from. With a little patience and a water tank, air bubbles can easily be detected. If it's a hole in the tire, it should be patched from the inside, not plugged from the outside. If there is rust or corrosion between the tire and the rim, the solution is to use a high speed grinder with a special wire brush attachment to thoroughly remove the corrosion. Scrubbing the rim with a wire brush by hand just won't do the job. The tire should be sealed using a special rubberized sealer to guard against leakage from tiny pinholes in the wheel. This is a common problem on aluminum alloy wheels used in the winter because aluminum corrodes when exposed to salt, high humidity, or dramatic temperature changes. Finally, alloy wheels should be rebalanced using special nylon, plastic-coated or adhesive weights. Using ordinary lead weights will cause further corrosion.
- My car vibrates at over 60 mp/h. (100 kp/h.). The vibration is most noticeable through the steering wheel. Will I have to replace one or more tires?
Many mechanics or service managers will say it is because all or some of your tires and wheels are bent, worn or out-of-round -- or that you need $1,000 worth of suspension work.
It's a sad reflection on the quality of diagnosis in the auto repair industry, but over 90% of the vibration problems referred to us are resolved without replacing any tires, wheels, or suspension parts.
A Question of Balance.
Contrary to popular belief, an expensive electronic balancer that reads a perfect 0-0 on an impressive looking digital screen does not guarantee a perfect balance. Accuracy depends on how precisely the wheel is centered on the balancer shaft and how well the balancer is maintained.
An electronic wheel balancer should be thoroughly cleaned and calibrated at least once a month. More than half of the vibration problems we encounter are the result of repair shops' inaccurate wheel balancing. Ask your car or tire dealer when was the last time he (or she) calibrated his balancer. If he says it's "self-calibrating" or that the machine doesn't need it, suggest that he reads the operating manual (if he can remember where he filed it the day he uncrated his machine).
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