Topgeari4

hey guys i have a 2002 honda civic lx coupe
i just got all new tires from pepboys 2 weeks ago
right away i noticed when i drove the car between 50-60mph it would vibrate then be fine once i went faster until i got to about 80
someone backed up into my passenger side and cracked my wheelcover, threw my alignment off and damaged my fender and apart of the door
so i went back to pepboys and got my alignment done, when he was doing this he told my that my front passenger side strut was bent and that it should be replaced
now when i take my car about like 70mph it starts to vibrate
my car only has 23k miles on it
so should i get the tires rebalanced and change the front struts ?
also at what speed does ur civic vibrate if it does at all ( my car is stock )
thanks guys i need to figure out whats wrong ASAP

greeen01civic4d

iTrader: (7)

first off, balance tires, if bent strut, replace it. then come back if u still have problems

D16Fiend

strut then alignment. immediately

Topgeari4

should i replace both front struts or just the bent one ?

greeen01civic4d

iTrader: (7)

always in pairs alignment wont fix a vibrating tire, unless the toe is severly out. please, please save ur money and have tires balanced first

Topgeari4

ok ill go to another place and have them re balance the tires
but cant they use a machine to see if the balancing is off ?

TRIZ

iTrader: (14)

They use a machine to balance the tires. Then they probably use a machine to do the alignment as well. Machines own.

Topgeari4

ok i found the alignment report he gave me and the toe he was able to fix but the camber on the drivers side is -0.7 and the passenger side ( the side that got hit ) is -1.5
today i will take my car to another tire place and have them check the balancing and if its off to have that redone

greeen01civic4d

iTrader: (7)

u might not be able to fix the camber without a camber kit. but camber is not gonna affect shaking tho. have the tires "road force balanced" and u will get an answer quickly, trust me

Topgeari4

what is " road force balanced " ??
but wouldnt i need a camber kit if i had like switched my wheels for a bigger size ?
how fast can you go in a stock civic before it starts to vibrate ?

greeen01civic4d

iTrader: (7)

its not about speed, its about balance. and a road force balancer is a type of balancer, it meaures forces put on the tire, and pull, and balances better

Topgeari4

ahh i c
so where can i go to have them road force balanced ?

greeen01civic4d

iTrader: (7)

call around to local shops, and ask if they have a road force balancer

Topgeari4

hey ok
so i got them rebalanced and the guy at this shop said that one of the rear wheels had too much weight for balancing, but once he did it it was less then before but still more then other 3 but he said the rim isnt bent or anything?
so now when i take the car up to speed it doesnt vibrate as much as before
but SOMEtimes when u accelerate slowly from like 50 to 60 it will
so should i change the front 2 struts now ?

MidnightCivic

iTrader: (11)

did you check your tires? i had the same issue and it ended up being a bad tire..

Topgeari4

how do i check to see if its a bad tire ?

Topgeari4

anyone know ?
how do i know if its a bad tire ?

Alpha 5

iTrader: (8)

When the guy rebalanced the tires did he use a road force balancer or was it a stupid spin balance job?

If you had them road forced the machine would have told you the tire is bad....

greeen01civic4d

iTrader: (7)

thank you matt, noone listens to me

Topgeari4

yea he used the road force balancer and he let me stand next to him and he told me that the previous guy had put too much weight on to balance the tire. then he told me the same thing that its most likey the front strut because its bent

Alpha 5

iTrader: (8)

A bent strut will not cause you to vibrate a diff speeds.

Do this.
Take your rear wheels and put them on the front, take your front and put them on the rear.
Now go drive the car. Tell me if it still vibrates as much and if the vibration is coming from the same location as before.....

I bet that if it is vibrating in the front now, after you move the tires it will be vibrating from the rear.

Now go prove me wrong.

Topgeari4

hm yea it was comming from the back now its in the front
should i put the spare tire on to see which rim / tire is causing the vibration ?

Alpha 5

iTrader: (8)

You have had the problem a week and you still don't even know which tire it is?????

Topgeari4

nah bro my car was at the body shop

Topgeari4

ok i got the tire road forced balanced from the local honda dealer and he said that one of the rims is bent.
he lowered the air pressure to 28psi for each tire and he put all the weights on the inside
now the hunt begins for a steely on cl lol

greeen01civic4d

iTrader: (7)

told u it would figure it out for u