vibration after tires were rotated..

Sunliner · 03-19-2006, 09:37 PM

I was looking through the records on our 97 Camry & realized that it's been almost 11,000 miles since the tires were rotated (oops!)

So I have Saturday morning with nothing to do anyway, and I do the rotation myself, make sure everything's put back together good & tight.

Now, when we hit ~60 mph, there is a very slight but definite vibration. I looked again at the tires, & there's no more wear than one would expect at the mileage we have (they were new tires 11,000 miles ago).
Didn't see anything obviously out of sorts with the front end.

Could the slight vibration just be a result of having gone so long before rotating the tires?
Just wondering before I drag it into the shop...thanks
-Mike

gator2764 · 03-20-2006, 05:13 AM

After 11K miles you might want to get them balanced. If you have hit a pot hole since you rotated them last check for a bent rim as well. I had one that was bent a little and when I put it up front it almost shook the car loose. I didn't know it was bent until I put it up front.

Daniel M. Dreifus · 03-20-2006, 12:57 PM

Don't know if it would create vibration, but I always wire brush the hubs to remove any rust accumulation which could prevent the wheel from seating completely flat when rotating the tires.

Mike Gerber · 03-20-2006, 03:19 PM

It is most likely caused by the lack of rotation. On front wheel drive cars, where most of the weight is in the front, this is a common occurrence. The tires that are in the rear don't have as much weight on them. They will actually "bounce" when on the rear. If left on the rears too long, this bouncing will cup the tires a bit. You won't feel this when the tire is in the rear. When you move the rear tires to the front, the vibration caused by the cupping becomes more noticeable. It may go away on it's own as they wear on the front a bit. This is why proper rotation is so important today. I know of one individual who rotated his tires front to back and back to front after 30,000 miles. He thought that the place that did the rotation did something to his front end to cause this. The place he took the car to switched the tires back to the way it was, to show him it was the tires now in the front causing the problem, due to the lack of proper rotation.

That said, I would still take them in and have them rebalanced. They do require rebalancing periodically and there is always the chance that one of the balancing weights fell off. Check your paperwork from when you purchased the tires. Most places will rebalance and rotate them for free.

Mike

Sunliner · 03-20-2006, 05:50 PM

Good advice guys, I appreciate it!

Gonna get the wheels checked tomorrow. The guys at the local tire place are pretty solid people & rotate and balance the tires they sell free of charge.

Thanks again!
-Mike

lenjack · 03-21-2006, 07:45 AM

You may have knocked off one of the balence weights when you did the rotation.

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