Equal balancing compound and tire wobble?

[@minutemen]

I have a bit of an odd situation. I had my Cooper STT Pros balanced with Equal compound at the local Town Fair Tire. I didn’t think to specify what pressure I will be running and the shop “balanced” them at 40 psi. I lowered the psi to 28 and get a considerable amount of steering wheel shimmy/wobble between 40 and 50 mph, as well as vibrations above 65 mph. Airing up to 35 psi helps a little. Airing back up to 40 to 42 psi eliminates most if not all of the shimmy and most of the vibrations. Could the pressure be causing the shimmy? Or is this Equal stuff just crap? Shouldn’t it “balance the tire” regardless of pressure since the compound is theoretically a dynamic system?

A few specifications that might help narrow down the cause:

· Tires are STT Pros 37/13.5/17 E rating (I know about the cons involved with an E rating).

· Wheels are KMC Machete 229 beadlocks.

· 2in Mopar lift but with rock crawler spring perches.

· Axles centered front and rear with synergy trackbars (along with front sector shaft brace).

· Caster at positive 6 degrees set with synergy lower control arms.

· All hardware torqued to spec (and checked post 100 miles).

· I have tried a 5 tire rotation but no changes.

· No death wobble and no bump steer (yet ).

· I believe 10 ounces of the compound was used per tire.

· When there is no wobble or vibration, the Jeep rides incredible.

· I did not do a chalk test for the tires but based on a calculator I found online I should be running 27 psi. This is mainly based on vehicle weight and tire ply rating. Most people having run this tire report street pressures of 28 to 32 psi to be optimal for even tread contact.

Any advice? Should I just disassemble the beadlocks and remove the stuff? Or could there be another culprit besides the balancing compound?

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[freddiegs]

I have a bit of an odd situation. I had my Cooper STT Pros balanced with Equal compound at the local Town Fair Tire. I didn’t think to specify what pressure I will be running and the shop “balanced” them at 40 psi. I lowered the psi to 28 and get a considerable amount of steering wheel shimmy/wobble between 40 and 50 mph, as well as vibrations above 65 mph. Airing up to 35 psi helps a little. Airing back up to 40 to 42 psi eliminates most if not all of the shimmy and most of the vibrations. Could the pressure be causing the shimmy? Or is this Equal stuff just crap? Shouldn’t it “balance the tire” regardless of pressure since the compound is theoretically a dynamic system?

A few specifications that might help narrow down the cause:

· Tires are STT Pros 37/13.5/17 E rating (I know about the cons involved with an E rating).

· Wheels are KMC Machete 229 beadlocks.

· 2in Mopar lift but with rock crawler spring perches.

· Axles centered front and rear with synergy trackbars (along with front sector shaft brace).

· Caster at positive 6 degrees set with synergy lower control arms.

· All hardware torqued to spec (and checked post 100 miles).

· I have tried a 5 tire rotation but no changes.

· No death wobble and no bump steer (yet ).

· I believe 10 ounces of the compound was used per tire.

· When there is no wobble or vibration, the Jeep rides incredible.

· I did not do a chalk test for the tires but based on a calculator I found online I should be running 27 psi. This is mainly based on vehicle weight and tire ply rating. Most people having run this tire report street pressures of 28 to 32 psi to be optimal for even tread contact.

Any advice? Should I just disassemble the beadlocks and remove the stuff? Or could there be another culprit besides the balancing compound?

Remove the compound and have them weight balanced. Problem solved. I had the same experience with balancing beads. I've got 40's and they'll run 80 mph with no problems