tire problem query
 

so I bought 4 used tires, continental contisport for my civix dx. now the car has vibrations at high speeds. the steering wheel has a shimmy(?). it vibrates left to right about 1/2 inch. its almost as though the tires loose their balance at high speeds?
talked with a mechnic, he thinks the tires are probably bad, and maybe belts have seperated. he says, either there were balanced right and the tires are defective, or the tire installers didn't know or do their job.
any input would be appreciated. I will go back to the tire store and see about their customer service this weekend.

has this problem been present the whole time you have had the tires?

the tires could not be balenced properly, or if they were the weights could have just fallen off so they need to be rebalenced. its possible the tires are out of round.

there are a few different problems that can cause that. whoever you bought them from used, did they roll fine when they used them last?

less than 1 week. didn't drive faster than 50mph till after they had closed for weekend (can take backroads).
I thought maybe one or more is OoR.
Another mechanic thinks that it could very well be alignment, especially if my previous nearly bald tires were not wearing evenly. car is 3 years old, 60K miles, and never had an alignment done, a few auto-x, and I like the hear my tires sqeal.

To really diagonse if the tires/wheels are out of round or just out of balance, you should find a place with the right machine. [URL=http://209.176.154.132/pub/search/findgsp9700.cfm]Click Here[/URL] to find an installer using the Hunter GSP9700. It's worth your while if you can't live with the vibration.

wouldn't the vibration increase bearing wear?

I'll buy that

So let me get this sorted out: Civc DX with 60k miles on it... never had an alignment, yet you AUTO-X it... ran your previous tires until they were bald... bought USED tires for your poor abused car, even though perfectly good new tires can be had for $45-$75 apiece... then you came to a Subaru forum to whine about them?

You need to get your priorities straight, man!

EDIT: forgot to put the smiley! :)

That machine is AWESOME! I was having problems with my rims and tires not balancing properly. Took them back to the place where I had them mounted and balanced and they used this machine. Took about 2 hours of work, but when they were done...perfect! This thing measures everything...wheel runout, wheel trueness, tire runout and tureness, balance, road force, and will tell you whether or not the tire you have will work with the rim it's on.

So I am not allowed to ask questions regarding other cars' tires on a subaru site's tire forum? So ALL your cars are subarus, or you just belong to 3 or 4 sites? How much time do you spend online?
Personally I would rather spend my time elsewhere. I was hoping to get some info regarding tires. I got some good info, and some 'tude.
Yer right I need to get my priorities straight and stop wasting your precious time by posting worthless questions on your personal forum/site. So sorry to have bothered you.
To the people on the board who are helpfull, thanks, please don't stop helping us unfortunates who need to get our priorities straight.

I think 'tude is part of the game. You're always welcome here, as are SRT4 and EVO owners - but a slight ribbing should always be expected. Feel free to ask questions but also contribute answers and ideas - we all want to make the forum better.

I did put a smiley in the post -- I was just yanking your chain; no offense was intended. Actually in this case I speak from experience! I was a Honda Civic DX drive for three years... ;) and I know from personal experience that if you use that car for anything more than 65 mph highway commutes or trips to the grocery story, the damn thing is going to fall apart. By the time my Civic was traded in (along with my Trooper) to pay for my WRX, that thing had a rattle in every interior panel, a few bent suspension members, cracked coolant hoses, a loose steering rack, chunks missing out of the belts, several oil leaks, missing front CV boots and a toasted clutch...

My favorite part (SARCASM) was getting it on the highway -- you'd think I was prepping the Space Shuttle for liftoff. I'd shut off the AC, turn off the radio, close all the windows and be WOT from the stoplight until I got to the end of the acceleration lane, and at that point I'd barely be hitting 60! :D