Hampton Roads Club Mini

Okay, here's my opinion. Actually, opinions.

What I've found from nearly 40 years of being in the car hobby, when it comes to vibrations, there are LOTS of places to look. If you feel the vibes in the steering wheel, it's probably in the front tires. Not always, but probably. First thing I'd try is swapping tired front to rear and driving on the same stretch of road. If the vibes are still there, I'd rule out the tires/wheels. But for the moment, lets stay with the tires/wheels. If the vibes go away, I'd have all the tires rebalanced and checked for trueness. Both for lateral run out side to side wobble) and radial run out (out of round). That could certainly be an issue. I've seen others with Vetus tires that were out of round, but that likely isn't the cause. I'd agree with swapping out the centering rings, not sure how I feel about plastic ones. Also, the lug bolts probably weren't the problem, but they are often overlooked during a wheel swap. I ALWAYS check and see how many threads protrude through the wheel seat BEFORE installing them. I'd like to see a minimun of 3/4 inch or 19mm depending on your measuring scale. as for torque, I've been told to torque my second gen wheel to 110 ft/lbs. But I've seen that number vary.

So, scenrio #1 given the centering rings and lugs were not the problem and the problem still exists with the new tires in the original positions. The first question I'd look at is did the car have a vibration with the OLD TIRES. You said it didn't. Even with the crappy wear and harsh road noise. To my thinking, that would eliminate a component of the car causing the vibes. Things like tie rod ends, ball joints shocks and mounts and even the alignment. SO like I said, this is where I'd swap front to rear. Drive the same speed over the same road and check for the vibration. Maybe even swap back to the srockers again just to use that as a control.

Scenario #2, swapped tires front to rear, changed the centering rings and the lug bolts. Vibes are still there. Go to another tire shop. Have them dismount the tires and check the WHEELS for lateral and radial run out. Remount the tires, have them check those for lateral and radial run out. Re balance. If the car doesn't vibrate with the stockers on but does with the new wheels/tires, they are most surely the culprit. Worse case, let someone try the wheels on their MINI and see if they have the same problems. To put it simply, you need to divide and conquer. SomeTHING is causing the problem. Ya just gotta find out what it is!


By the way, just an FYI,if you look at ANY new tire, somewhere on each sidewall, you'll see a small red/yellow/green/orange or some other color, dot. Usually no more bigger than 3/8 of an inch. THAT spot is the widest part of the tire or the point of lateral runout. Every tire manufacturer denotes that on a new tire.

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