jrwilley

I'm an old dude-- but like TLs. Problem I have is that I changed to Pilots with AR rims, and have had an 80MPH vibration that no balancing fixes. Dealer won't balance them-- says I should have a spacer which locates the wheel to the hub correctly and since the aftermarket rim people didn't install the spacers, acura won't touch them or even rebalance them.

So OK-- I've come clean and said I'm nearing 50, but this kinda sounds like the dealer is just PO'd that I put other wheels/tires on the TL.

Is their beef legit.? If so, where do I get these spacers? How are they sized?

Many, many thanks!

John

ONAGER

A spacer wouldnt make the vibration go away, take the car to another shop and have them balance the wheels, the dealer for some reason is just being a bunch of lazy asses. a few other quick questions? does the vibration get worse as speed increases? this is a sure give away that the wheels need to be balanced. does it change in turns? braking? did it only occur after u installed the new rims and tires? who balanced them in the first place? if the rims dont have the proper offset, a spacer would be required to keep the geometry of the suspension intact, and to clear all other components (fenders, brakes, suspension components) but this shouldnt cause a vibration, unusual handling characteristics, but not a vibration....

hope i have helped, pm me if you want to talk more

cvajs

it's not a "spacer", it's a centering hub ring, and it does make a balancing difference. the balancer can say dead-on, but if the rim is not centered correctly on the car it's essentially the same as having a unbalanced rim. does the rim require a hub ring?? if so you must use it.

i have never seen spacers used to change offset.

ONAGER

he said spacer not a centering rim, also any compotent wheel shop can set the tire up to be balanced correctly, if the tires werent mounted and balance by one... as long as the bolt pattern is the same and you slip the rim over the ridge thats built into the brakes, i dont see how you can mount them wrong, also if the rim is mounted wrong you would feel that at all speeds, thats why i was asking additional questions. also you can buy and use wheel spacers to get additional clearance or to correct geometry problems with a wheel spacer. the only, problem is you need to watch how thick of a spacer you use as the wheel studs may not be long enough to accomodate the spacer