hey guys,
has anyone had any problems with there factory tires being out of balance or out of round on a new 2009 1LT. the rear tires feel like they are bouncing and making a little roaring noise.I need all the help I can get. I have about 2000 miles on it.

thanks

 

Hi "Old Man",

I hated my Firestones so bad I took them off and sold them less than 1,000 miles after I bought the car. I bought Kumho Solus KH-16 tires in the factory 17" size. I love them. Quiet, very smooth riding, stick great, and are swell in the rain. However, the forum member that bought my tires likes the Firestones, so your results may vary. God Bless, Marc

 

As Marc states the Kumho Solus KH-16 are a great choice and some may like other brands, the roaring noise can be cause for concern.

You mention "Out of Balance" - Is there any vibration felt in the seat (?), when rear tires are out of balance or there is ply separation in one of the tires etc... you typically will feel a vibration in your seat and it will cycle (come and go). Front tires out of balance will typically cause the steering wheel to shake in a cycling (come and go) manner.

You could try switching front to rear as in a rotation of tires and see if the problem moves to the front. But, you are still under warranty if it is the tire(s) in this case, your dealer will more than likely spin the tires to determine which tire(s) has a problem.

I have the original Firestone Firehawks on my 2LT, even though I like the Kumho tires I have no major complaints regarding the Firestone's, they seem to run vibration free and I am fairly sensitive when it comes to tires being out of balance.

 

I would do a visual inspection of the tires, then I'd be getting that new ride in to your dealer to have them take a look or even a test ride with you..

Be Careful till you know what the problem is.

I still have my oem Firestone Firehawks on (for now). And they run smooth, but are noisey imo..

 

thank all you guys for your input. yes, I will be taking my HHr back to the dealer this week. and yes I do have a viberation in my seats .
thanks again

 

Let us know how you make bout, maybe it's simply thrown a wheel balance weight.

But that wouldn't explain the "little roaring noise" you've mentioned.

 

MY 2009 1LT Factory tires taken to dealership. four tires out of balance. when lowering right back window doing thirty mph. I get a wop wop wop sound very much like a helicopter . dealer said this was normal on the hhr. bad on the eardrums ???
anyway, it rides smoother.
thank's to all you guys for your help.(I need all the help I can get ).

 

hes right.. normal noise.. you don't want to lower any rear windows down by them selves..terrible reversion noises.If the sunroof is open(if you have one) its better but not completly quieter.

 

Glad to hear it was corrected.

Curious - Anyone else have balancing problems with low miles ?

 

I've noticed the past two cars I've had that I'd need all windows down so as not to get a lot of "thumping" in the car and my HHR is one of the worst. In Florida, you mostly run with the AC on and windows up. Last year one of my cars had broken belts in the rear tires causing horrific seat of the pants shaking. The tires did not have that many miles on them, but were old tires.

I guess that any "new" tires could have balance issues if a weight gets thrown off.