Wheel balancing

[WoodlandsCamper]

I contacted the dealer whilst awaiting the build of our new caravan to find out if the wheels would be balanced or not, to which they said no. I would have thought that this would be a more important selling point than:
thicker pile carpets
chrome grab handles
mood lighting in the kitchen
heavy duty steadies (on a lightweight caravan???)
etc
all of which the salesman was waxing lyrical about.

Each to their own

 

[Damian]

Just tell the dealer that you want the wheels balanced before you pick the van up.

If he tries to argue that it is not necessary,tell him its your money, your van and YOU want them balanced.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Woodlands

Vibration caused by imbalanced wheels can be quite severe, and certainly it will stress parts of the caravan and can cause uneven tyre wear.

Certainly ask your dealer to get them balanced, but if they seem uncommitted, then I'm not sure I'd trust them to do it properly any way. Rather than cause a massive upset, just make an appointment at your local tyre depot to get them balanced.

Some caravans are now sold with dampers (shock absorbers)fitted. these also massively improve the towing characteristics of most caravans. But if yours doesn't have them, it may be worth considering having them fitted.

 

[Surfer]

Makes you wonder why the wheels are not balanced prior to delivery. As this could be an "inherent fault" if worded correctly, I wonder if the dealer would pick up the tab for tyre replacement 4 or 5 years down the line? A lot of vibration at 50mph does no good to the caravan. I wonder if it would have any affect on the towball hitch causing premature wear?

 

[ProfJohnL]

It is highly unlikely that a dealer would have any legal responsibility for vibration damage done to tyres more than a few weeks after purchase. Tyres are an item and are classed as a consumable and subject to wear and tear that no supplier can be expected to fully predict or be responsible for.

When a hitch is properly engaged with the tow ball there should be virtually no play in the coupling. Because of the standards of design the materials used for the ball and hitch there should be minimal wear, and very resistant to impact damage as you might expect if there were any play.

Providing the is normal tolerance in the coupling, then any vibration caused by wheel imbalance will be transmitted through the coupling and not produce excessive wear at the coupling.

It is a slightly different matter with the friction hitch based stabilisers, but again as with the tyres, the friction pads are classed as consumables, and thus any dealer liability will be very limited.

At 4 to 5 years it would be reasonable to expect the caravan will have been serviced several times, and any worn parts replaced before they were dangerous.

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

Some caravans are now sold with dampers (shock absorbers)fitted. these also massively improve the towing characteristics of most caravans. But if yours doesn't have them, it may be worth considering having them fitted.

Hi Prof
Yes, the van will come with shock absorbers fitted, but I still think that I will get the wheels balanced. Have you ever tried driving a car at 50mph with the front wheels not balanced (before days of power steering). Certainly a 'white knuckle ride'

I took the wheels off the current van to have them balanced and temporarily used winter wheels.

 

[DeliDave_]

we paid to have our wheels balanced and think its money well spent,shockers as well

Think its bad they are not done as standard.

 

[lreagan]

This would be really important and actually when coupled with wheel rotation, will just ensure that you are going to get the most out of the life of your tires and make sure that they are going to be reliable even with a lot of things going on right with you.

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

Perhaps Nigel could start a campaign in the Magazine for manufacturers to balance wheels before delivery ???????

 

[PaulRT]

Hi All (and Nigel),
I quite agree with Woodland Camper that PC should campaign for manufacturers to automatically balance wheels/tyres before they are fitted to new caravans. Car manufacurers do this, so why not for caravans? An unbalanced wheel at 60mph will cause considerable vibration to the van, even with shock absorbers fitted. I bought my Coachman 460/2 new last year and took the wheels to my local tyre dealer to check the balance and they were both way out of balance. The fitter said it is not unusual for van tyres to be quite a way out of balance.
Manufacurers should take tyre issues much more seriously. Their (lack of ) approach to balance was replicated by their casual approach to the safety critical faults on Matador tyres a few years ago.
Nigel - speak up for us!!!
Cheers
Paul