Vibration - 20" Rims to blame? Need Help

[pipnj25]

Need input on this problem. I bought a set of 20" Forte F40 rims and have'm wrapped in Walin 255/70/35 (as recommended by Forte) and had them on my 2005 Mustang for 6months and i thought the slight droning noise was both road noise and maybe worn barrings. i just purchased a 2010 Stang and switched the wheels over and the droning is back at 60+mph and a little vibration in the steering wheel. I have had the wheels balance a number of times.
Someone did mention that it may be the alignment although the car drives perfectly straight. They said i may have to add a camber kit on the front to get the correct adjustment. Can anyone shed a little light on whether they think this may be the cause of the vibration and droning noise. All advice and experiences much appreciated.

Appreciate your input and will update.
Thanks
Phil

 

[STANGmole]

My advice is to stay away from huge rims w/ ultra low profile tires! They're not worth the hassle and 'reasonable' wheel sizes provide a much nicer ride IMO...(I'm speaking from experience here).

It's possible it could be your rims, but another possibility is that it's your tires. Low profile tires can develop flat spots that cause vibration. I had a set of new Continental tires that I actually returned after driving them for a week (and two attempts to rebalance) because of the vibration...replaced them with Bridgestones and the vibration went away.

 

[GDTrumbo]

Many aftermarket rims are not hub-centric. Most of them are designed to fit many different cars/hub sizes. You may have to contact the rim mfgr. and attemp to get the plastic centering rings for your application.

The lugs alone will never center the wheel the same way twice. Personally, I steer clear of them.

GT

 

[pipnj25]

Hub Centric

Thanks, I learned about the hub centric spacers after having the rims balanced twice, then someone at the shop said, you may want to get the centric rings!!!!
I was like......centric who, the provider got me the rings so they wheels fit tight on the hub.
After spending nearly 2k on wheels and tires i need to find a solution for the vibration.
Thanks for the input.

 

[NastyStang113]

No that's not an issue with alignment... 20" wheels are not a problem on the S197. I've got 20" wheels and huge tires with no issues, also lowered 1.5". No vibrations, no shake, no shimmy, no poor ride, etc. There is an issue some where. I suggest you remove the wheels and see if there are clips on the studs. There should be one on each corner. Ford installs clips on the lugs to hold the rotors onto the vehicle while installing the rest of the suspension and wheels. The clips need to be removed when adding aftermarket wheels. If you do not have them than I suggest you try to find someone with a Hunter Road Force balancer to rebalance the wheels.

 

[GDTrumbo]

Oh yes, NastyStang113 is right. I forgot. The aftermarket wheels don't have a relief area between the lug holes like the OEM's for the small clips found on the rotor studs for assembly. Removal is necessary.

Even still, the Ford products are designed for hub piloted wheels. Just because NS113 has no issues doesn't mean the next guy won't. After my younger years of tire installing and balance troubleshooting I will never rely on the studs/lugs to center a wheel.

GT

 

[Wayne K]

If you think it is the wheels/tires and haven't had them checked on a Hunter 9700 then I would advise that you do. It is a road force balancing system that can best match tire and wheel for smooth operation.