Alignment? Tire balance?

[jeffcarp]

Our 2011 Ford E350 coach has a vibration of sorts at freeway speeds even on good road surfaces. This is not a wondering issue or even a bad enough vibration that the passengers notice. However there is a repetitive vibration in the steering wheel (maybe 1/2" total?) and my smartphone that is mounted to a cup holder mount in the center console continuously shakes. We've got 20,000 miles on the coach and I did replace all of the tires under the Michelin recall. Any thoughts of what I have going on?

[whemme]

Did this vibration occur only after replacing the Michelin LTX tires? If so, did the shop balance those new tires when they were installed? If so they may have done a poor balance job and you need to have the balance rechecked.

I also recommend you choose a shop that uses a Hunter balance machine.

[bcope01]

I've always been told that if there is a vibration in the steering wheel, then there is a rear tire out of balance. Was also told that it is a good idea to have new tires re-balanced after the first 500-1,000 miles, even though they were balanced at the time of replacement.

As Bill above suggests, get all of your tires re-balanced.

Bill

[cmeadows]

It sounds like a tire balance problem.

Check the tires for abnormal wear that would cause a balance problem. The root of the problem could be with the alignment –too much toe is a common problem that wears the inside edges of the tires. If the tire tread shows signs of cupping with uneven high and low spots, you might have weak front shocks.

[whemme]

As Chuck above suggests, carefully check the inside edges of your front tires for cupping. Cupping can sometimes cause a buzz feeling in your steering wheel. Once cupping starts it is almost impossible to stop it even with correcting the alignment issues that originally caused it to start.

Front tire cupping seems to be a frequent issue with the twin I-beam front suspension system used on the Ford E350/E450 chassis if front alignment is not kept with specs and/or worn front end shocks.

[Roger H]

I'm a great believer in having the tires balanced and rotated on 4-wheel vehicles every 5,000 miles. It gives the tire guys an opportunity to inspect the tread and catch early signs of alignment and/or shock issues and it extends the service life of the tires.

That said, on my motorhome I have specific steering tires on the front and traction tires on the rear duals which are not rotated. I also had balancing powder installed when the tires were mounted. That stuff can be a real asset when installed properly in the right quantity. My tires are 19.5s, but the stuff works great on 16s as well, particularly in dual tire setups.