My front passenger wheel has a wobble. It could be a bent rim, or something else.
Question- would you advise I go to a tire dealer for diagnosis, to my dealer, or to some specialty repair shop?
Second question- if I need a new wheel, where is the best place to purchase one for the least amount of pain to my wallet?
Thanks for your suggetions.

 

Your dealer should cetainly be able to diagnose/fix the problem; it's your preference if you wanna take it somewhere else.

To get a new wheel at a good price, call Trevor at H&A (a forum sponsor):
http://www.handa-accessories.com/s2000.html

 

ditto. I'd probably just take it to a tire shop though to make sure the wheel is straight and balances out well.

 

Yeah, I'd go to a tire shop first to see what they say. Not sure if there is a Wheelworks up there, but I do think there is an America's Tire on Trancas. They should be able to determine if you have a tire issue, or if its a bent wheel, or something more serious. I also concur that if ordering a rim, H&A has a great price.

I hope this did not happen on your first day at the track. Glad to see you finally made it out there though!

ed

 

Thank you all for responding. Think I will have Big O look at it first. They mounted my tires I recently received from Tirerack. It is definately not the tire or the balancing.
I discovered this the night before the Friday track day, Ed. On my way to Willows I ran up to 120 MPH to see if it felt bad, and it didn't, so I ran Friday with the wobble. (Before I get flamed, it was 10 at night, on I-5 and nobody was around)

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Morris
[B]I discovered this the night before the Friday track day, Ed. On my way to Willows I ran up to 120 MPH to see if it felt bad, and it didn't, so I ran Friday with the wobble. (Before I get flamed, it was 10 at night,

 

Thanks for the suggestions, Joshua. I will check the rims tonight. I was also concerned about taking it on the track. I asked a couple of guys there who are much more knowledgable than I. They checked it out and felt it safe to track. I also rechecked it after each session to make sure there was no movement at the hub.
I'm sure it is not the tire itself. I jacked up the car and turned the wheel while measuring the in/out of the RIM, and it was about 3/16ths of an inch.
Will post again when I find the problem.

 

Well guess what. I couldn't find the rim size on the spokes, or anywhere, so I took a tape and measured each rim at the same place. The front and rear have been swapped! I am going back to Big O tomorrow and have them swap tires and places, then check for wobble.
CoralDoc, thanks for the tip.
ALL OWNERS: watch for this when you have tires mounted. I knew tires were different front and rear, but did not know the wheels were different sizes as well.

 

I'm glad that you discovered the source of the problem and hope that your tire store will make it right! It's surprising to me how often tire technicians mount tires improperly on our wheels. I've seen it with my car too - tires mounted on the wrong rims like you experienced, and tires mounted the wrong direction.

The rims are marked with their size on the inside of the spoke, something you can't see unless the wheel is dismounted from the car. The fronts are 6 1/2 J 16 and the rears are 7 1/2 J 16. You'll also discover that our cast rims are made for Honda by Einkei .

Double check to make sure that there is no damage to the improperly mounted rim. As you now know, front rims will fit on the rear, but rear rims will not fit on the front. That is because the center bore of the rim is smaller on the rear. The center bore is an important machined surface that must fit snugly on the hub flange. If your improperly mounted wheel does not fit properly any more (but I suspect that it will) the wheel shop owes you a new rim. This is called a hub-centric design and allows much more precise alignment of the road wheel on the hub compared to a lug-centric design that you may see on aftermarket rims.

Once the tires are installed correctly, the wheels should be rebalanced. Clip-on weights can be used on the inside of the rim, but stick-on weights must be used on the "outside".

BTW, the service limit on axial runout (side to side wobble) is 0.08", WAY less than 3/16" which is about 0.19". Let us know what happens at the tire shop. I'll be interested to hear how they explain and deal with the problem. It should be very straightforward, though. Good luck!

 

Just back from Big O. Since I identified them, I owe it to them to tell you all that they handled it very professionally. They did not question me at all- just said they would take care of it and inspect it for damage. I looked at both front and back, and one looks slightly angled, on the spindle (?), but it appears that it will fit snugly as it should. I will have Honda inspect it the next time I take it in. One lug bolt broke while they were taking the wheel OFF, so I have to return tomorrow and they are replacing all five nuts and bolts. I haven't actually looked to see if the wobble is gone, but I will. There is little doubt that was the problem.
There is also little doubt about the value of this forum. Thank you one and all, esp. CoralDoc, for your suggestions and input. My hat is off to you all.