Tire shops

Rmktim

Rmktim

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need to get tires balanced. haven't jacked car up yet ever.. heard it can be tricky. Can a guy trust a tire shop to do it right to balance tires and rotate them???? Any thoughts or experiences here?
 
Yeah no worries at all. It's The first thing I actually learned in automotives. The main consideration is if you have rims that are expensive and really low profile. You might want to look for a scratchless tire changer in your area.

Otherwise this is pretty straight forward job--I'd say changing oil might be a bigger challenge (which was the second thing I learned in automotives class :-)).
 
I took the tires off the car myself and took only the rims to the tire shop in two trips (First the fronts, then the rears) as I've heard too many stories about shops cracking the rocker panels.
There should be a lot of vids on how to properly lift your C4 if you want to remove the wheels yourself.
But, if you want to take the car in, before you go, phone and ask the shop if they have experience with Corvettes. I had three shops at least admit the Corvette was too low for them which was nice as opposed to them just figuring it out how to do it on the fly.
 
Rmktim....
I'm with Riley on this one for a couple of reasons.
Take the wheels off yourself and take them in to be balanced.
This way you can learn how to do it and don't let tire-monkeys touch your car!!
The shop manuals show the proper place to jack the car, get some stands and a good jack.
Ask us some questions....
This is good knowledge to have in case you have-to some day.
I do not let tire-monkeys near my cars... They also tend to use air-tools!
I have a sticky-label on my wheel lock sockets that says 'No AirTools'.....!
I also ALWAYS use a torque wrench to put the wheels back on... Shops seldom do that.

Graham
 
Bought a nice Solara some years ago from someone who had apparently been serviced by a "tire monkey" ...
Time to get the wheels back off to inspect things for certification and voila: one broken ABS sensor and 3 nuts frozen on the studs which promptly broke off on removal. The torque wrench required a setting of over 200ft-lbs to get some of the other nuts off.:Rage:
........and people wonder why a lot of us do much of our own work..........and yes torque wrenches are a good addition to anyone's toolbox. -- one in ft.-lbs and one in inch-lbs.

C.
 
CCO said:
Bought a nice Solara some years ago from someone who had apparently been serviced by a "tire monkey" ...
Time to get the wheels back off to inspect things for certification and voila: one broken ABS sensor and 3 nuts frozen on the studs which promptly broke off on removal. The torque wrench required a setting of over 200ft-lbs to get some of the other nuts off.:Rage:
........and people wonder why a lot of us do much of our own work..........and yes torque wrenches are a good addition to anyone's toolbox. -- one in ft.-lbs and one in inch-lbs.

C.
Click to expand...
Torque wrenches are a NECESSITY. I was looking at mine today and I have four, two with 3/8" drive and two 1/2". With our '05 the manual calls for 100 ft/lb torque on the lug nuts. You see clowns with impact guns going at cars and they are the ones that I avoid like the plague. I even take the nuts off in steps and in a criss cross pattern. Who needs warped rotors or weakened studs from over torquing. Wilson Tire in Lindsay, Ontario has the proper mounter and they installed new tires on our chromed rims last year without marking anything. Good guys and you can stand there and watch while they do the job.
 
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Nice to find someone who respects your car as if it were their own......I've got my favourites here in Cambridge too, one of which is Active Green and Ross on Franklin Blvd --- They're a specialized tire shop who know exactly what they're doing and how to do it. They've treated my family very well over the years and not made a single mistake. That says a lot about attitude.

.......oh yes: and they don't mind if you want to watch.:)

BTW Keith -- I've heard that torque wenches can get out of adjustment and need checking occasionally for accuracy.....That's something I have to address soon. I'm sure my friends at Active Green and Ross know all about that and will help.

C.
 
Interesting method for checking the wrench. So that algebra stuff really does work.:Biggrin:

I was told that the proper way to store a torque wrench is to move the adjustment spindle down to zero pounds. I guess it takes the strain off the internal mechanism.

Thanks for sharing the information Colin.:thumbs:
 
you are most welcome Murray -- I found the Harbor Freight tester very interesting. I see that it can convert any breaker bar/socket wrench into a torque wrench. I actually ordered one from ebay earlier and look forward to using it. I'll let you know what I think of it.

I love new 'toys'.:)

C.
 
This is all great info. The thread has been a few different areas now! Almost like three conversations in one.
it's funny, as I am known to obsess about my vette, but have always taken my tires to a carefully chosen tire shop. Never an issue for me.

And am I wrong thinking that if you can find the frame that you can find the right spot to jack any car up?

Just curious. Please feel free to put me in my place if I'm out of line here.
 
Not 100% sure I understand the jacking thought but I do know you can do a lot of body damage, at least on a C5, by jacking on the frame in the wrong spot. I use hockey pucks on my jack and I keep one in the car just in case. The puck fits nicely into the half round shaped opening on the rocker panel that curves underneath the car.
 
The shop manual will show acceptable locations for jacks, Jack-stands and lifting hoists.
I make/use/sell these jacking pucks for use on C5/C6/C7 Vettes.
image.jpeg

Easy to make...
They can save you from damage.
I'm not sure what pucks are required on the C4 series.

Graham
 
nascar03 said:
The shop manual will show acceptable locations for jacks, Jack-stands and lifting hoists.
I make/use/sell these jacking pucks for use on C5/C6/C7 Vettes.
View attachment 5157
Easy to make...
They can save you from damage.
I'm not sure what pucks are required on the C4 series.

Graham
Click to expand...

Nice pucks Graham -- I seem to remember that you do make them and even offer to sell them for a reasonable price. Good to have for the C5's and C6's.

The C4 has marked individual jacking points near each wheel and must be used should one get a flat on the road. At home I use a low profile floor jack under the frame supports to lift either the front or rear of the car. I don't like the frame to flex unnecessarily if I can help it.
I use 2 pucks on the C6 and jack one side or other up (2 floor jacks are needed) to avoid that some frame flex.

RmkTim: check around in your area. There will be someone who knows a good shop that knows how to do the job right.
Alternatively get your own jack(s) and do the job yourself. Good low clearance floor jacks can be had for a decent price and the job is not that difficult. Don't forget the torque wrench for reinstalling the wheels. A good shop will reinstall your wheels with one should you go that route.

Colin.
 
CCO said:
Nice to find someone who respects your car as if it were their own......I've got my favourites here in Cambridge too, one of which is Active Green and Ross on Franklin Blvd --- They're a specialized tire shop who know exactly what they're doing and how to do it. They've treated my family very well over the years and not made a single mistake. That says a lot about attitude.

.......oh yes: and they don't mind if you want to watch.:)

BTW Keith -- I've heard that torque wenches can get out of adjustment and need checking occasionally for accuracy.....That's something I have to address soon. I'm sure my friends at Active Green and Ross know all about that and will help.

C.
Click to expand...
Our son-in-law is a heavy truck mechanic. He tells me that it is seldom that his torque wrenches need any adjustment when they are checked, and they are checked on a regular basis. Now, if you drop one or use it for a hammer, they may not like it much. I always back off my click style torque wrench to zero when done using it.
 
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