Re:GEN 4 Wobble

Wheel balancing.

If the gen4 is like the gen3 the wheels may be stud-centric and not hub-centric, meaning that the machine that balances the wheels may need an adapter so the wheel can be fitted to it by the studs and not by the hub hole.
Be aware not all tyre fitting places have that adapter - I've asked several local to me and they dont have it (but say they know where to borrow one).

If the wheels are stud-centric and have had tyres changed they may have been done wrong - just a thought...

Someone else here my be able to clarify the wheels on Gen4 being stud or hub centric.

Hi folks, after a long delay I changed all the wheels from 215/75 R 15 fitted with Grabber tyres back to the original 195/80R 15 wheels with Bridgestone Dueler tyres

The car now drives like it should, no wobble. When I discussed this with the supplying dealer they were insistent it was the new wheels that were the problem, not balancing. They could not give me a coherent reason however.

So as things stand I have a surplus set of wheels, maybe take them to be balanced again at an independent tyre specialist but my local one can't balance these wheels due to the hub centres.

Anyone else run these wheel/tyre combinations and if so any issues?

Thanks

Got to be worth trying to get them balanced again. It only cost £15 to get all five balanced after I had the alloys refurbished, so not a big investment.
I did once have a Reliant Scimitar GTE that was impossible to stop the steering shake, no end of balancing improved the situation. It turned out to be the different tyre makes on the same axle, I assume the different tread patterns were fighting each other at different speeds. Same make on same axle sorted the problem. Not your problem as they are the same make, but it does show how the tread pattern can have a big impact on how the vehicle drives, not just road noise.
Good luck sorting it.
Mike

I will get them re-balanced thanks and see what difference that makes. I am still unclear why the dealer considers the wheel/tyre combination to be the cause of the problem rather than considering balancing.
While on, has anyone got a view on the jack supplied with the car? I found it impossible to raise the car high enough to get the wheels of the deck, especially rear wheels without sitting the jack on a piece of wood whereupon it fouls part of the underneath. It also takes an age to wind up and down. Can anyone recommend a decent jack for this vehicle? I wouldn't like to be using this on a roadside in the pouring rain and dark!

Not all tyre places have one or are inclined to use it if they do but there is an adapter for balancing machines that allows the wheels to be bolted on with the actual bolt holes instead of the cone through the centre bore. This is the only accurate way to balance the wheels on a Jimny though some of the alloys can be got close enough with the cones most can't and all should be bolted on. It takes longer to do obviously and so most places will try to avoid it but be insistent and even offer to cover the extra cost as it is worth it to have the wheels correctly balanced. Alternatively you can get balance beads which are loose inside the tyre and spread out under rotation to dynamically balance the wheel in real time.

Hi!

I had the exact same problem on my gen4. I had some A/T tyres put on mine The incompetent tyre garage couldn't balance my rear wheels as they could get the centre caps off. The were trying to push them inwards rather than outwards. My car juddered/wobbled at 40mph. Even though it was my rear wheels it affected the front end of the car massively. Took it to a less incompetent garage who balanced them. Problem solved. Just don't do it around Xmas as I had a week of wobbling before they could get me in. Hope this helps.