Wheel Balance and Radiator Coolant

[Socceroo]

Hey guys I'm looking to get my tyres rotated and balanced but my mate was saying its a waste of money to get them balanced if I don't feel any vibration through the wheel. I'm taking a road trip to Canberra and just want the car to be right for the trip.

Also, just wondering what Radiator Coolant people use to top up their cars. I have a Octy 07 2.0 TDI.

[Antiplastix]

If your not getting any vibration, the wheels must be balanced ok. Front wheel balance problems usualy occur in the 80-90 km/h zone and rear wheels over that. It has to do with the rotating mass of the wheel and the natural harmonic rate of the springs, much like a tuning fork. When the out of balance wheel is rotating a the natural resonance of the spring, you will feel a vibration.
The tyre rotation (front to rear only with radial tyres ,not side to side) is a must on front wheel drives at least every 10k kms.
As for coolant any of the Auto Stores will have a product which is compatable with what you have.

[vw_tech]

Rotate and Balance

Hey guys I'm looking to get my tyres rotated and balanced but my mate was saying its a waste of money to get them balanced if I don't feel any vibration through the wheel. I'm taking a road trip to Canberra and just want the car to be right for the trip.

Also, just wondering what Radiator Coolant people use to top up their cars. I have a Octy 07 2.0 TDI.

I think your mate doesn't know what he's talking about. Tyres should be rotated and balanced every 15k in my opinion. This ensures they wear evenly, prevents them from becoming lumpy (noisy). The fronts might be balanced ok but the rear may not be.

Use the genuine coolant. Do not mix with green!!!

Cheers.

[Transporter]

I rotate my tyres every 5,000km but don't do balancing and I never had any problems. The coolant in your Skoda is filled for life (life of the car is 5 years by German's TUV), so I would change it in 5th year using genuine coolant only. Any topping up should be done using genuine coolant or if you need only 0.1 or 0.2L use distilled water. DO NOT MIX different coolants!

[Socceroo]

Interesting that it is filled for life (well, 5 years). Because my coolant has already dropped to just below 'low' so I just wanted to give it a top up.

Also, what is the recommended tyre pressure for the Continental tyres on it? The tyre reads maximum 51psi which is absolute madness...I think the book says something like 40 which I still think is too high.

[Transporter]

Interesting that it is filled for life (well, 5 years). Because my coolant has already dropped to just below 'low' so I just wanted to give it a top up.

Also, what is the recommended tyre pressure for the Continental tyres on it? The tyre reads maximum 51psi which is absolute madness...I think the book says something like 40 which I still think is too high.

I wouldn't use less than 40 PSI and would check the thread wear.

[K1W1]

Also, what is the recommended tyre pressure for the Continental tyres on it? The tyre reads maximum 51psi which is absolute madness...I think the book says something like 40 which I still think is too high.

Look inside the fuel filler flap for the tyre pressure plate.
Having said that imo they are like all manufacturers - on the low side. Manufacturers tend to recommend lower pressures for a more comfortable ride whereas if you talk with tyre experts they almost always recommend harder pressures for better grip and wear.

[mrx]

Around 36-38 PSI seems to be a nice balance between comfort & handling IMHO.

[brad]

To the OP:
I do an X-rotation of my tyres about every 7500km. At 37,000km now & have never bothered to balance as there was no vibration obvious.

Coolant: Only use the genuine, red colored VW stuff. Your dealer will top it up if needed - seems odd it has dropped though. Both my VWs always stayed rock-solid on the mark.

The tyre rotation (front to rear only with radial tyres ,not side to side) is a must on front wheel drives at least every 10k kms.
As for coolant any of the Auto Stores will have a product which is compatable with what you have.

X-rotation is a very good thing for steel belt radials. On a FWD, move the lazy axle (rear) straight to the front; Move the fronts diagonally to the rears so that the direction of rotation is reversed. This will help remove any feathering; also slowly takes the "tension" out of the steel belts; also evens out the wear better.

Coolant: AFAIK, no auto stores sell anything compatible with the VW stuff. VW genuine coolant is quite unique from what I have read. I have a big bottle of Tectaloy sitting on the shelf at home, useless, because of this incompatability.

[brad]

Also, what is the recommended tyre pressure for the Continental tyres on it? The tyre reads maximum 51psi which is absolute madness...I think the book says something like 40 which I still think is too high.

The 51psi is the maximum recomended.

The book & fuel filler flap actually say 29psi. Personally, I run 36psi all round or 36F/34R. (this is on 205/55x16)

[brad]

if you talk with tyre experts they almost always recommend harder pressures for better grip and wear.

Lower pressures (say around 28psi) will give better lateral "grip" (than 40psi) - but it feels weird & jelly-like. I believe the better grip at lower pressures is because the tread conforms to the road better, whereas at higher pressures, the tread starts to "skip".

I've had the "lower pressures = more lateral grip" proven to me but it feels like crap & I'm happy to stick with ~36psi.