I'm not convinced that the factory Goodyear tires are even round. They suck so bad at first. I had quite a bit of vibration for the first 10k miles. I've kept them rotated at each oil change and now at 15k miles, they actually seem to be much smoother and quieter. Good thing since looking at them at 15k, I bet these tires will last 40k or better which isn't bad.

 

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At approximately 13k, and after 2 trips to the dealer, I took my D to a shop that specializes in road force balance and 4 wheel alignment. From day one I was experiencing vibration at 65-70 MPH and a pull to the left and the steering wheel was off-center. What the shop presented to me pre/post was not surprising.

First, all but 3 wheel/tire assemblies were out of balance anywhere from .25 oz to 1.25 oz. Here are the initial road force measurements: 15 lbs; 17 lbs; 4 lbs; and 2 lbs. The shop match mounted the 2 higher wheel/tire assemblies and reduced the road force to 13 and 7 respectively. All 4 wheel/tire assemblies were then balanced to 0. My D rides on the Kumhos. I discussed the results with the shop owner. He mentioned that I might still feel a vibration in the wheel/tire assembly with 13 lbs, but that was the best outcome.

Second, the alignment that the dealer supposedly performed had front toe readings of L 0.07" R -0.00" for total toe of .007". The rear had toe readings of L -0.03" and R 0.02" for total toe of -.02". The thrust angle was -0.05 degrees. The front toe was adjusted to 0.05" on each side for total toe of 0.10" and the rear toe was adjusted to 0.05" on each side for a total toe of 0.10" and the resulting thrust angle was -0.00 degrees.

While I had to pay for this out of my own pocket, the truck goes down the road straight down the road and the vibration has disappeared. Upon the second visit to the dealer my service advisor explained that the pulling and the vibration was likely caused by the road conditions. Really. I even called the Dodge Customer Care and what I was told was that the dealers are the eyes and ears for Chrysler and offered no additional help. In my opinion the dealers first, don't want to spend the time and second, are ill-equipped to properly to fix these types of issues correctly the first time.

If you are are experiencing similar issues I would go to a reputable (independent) shop that has road force balancing and match mount capabilities and a good alignment technician. The D is now much more enjoyable to drive and I am happy with the outcome. However, I am not happy that I had to spend $200+ and multiple visits to fix the problem. I will take that up with Dodge (again).

 

Glad to see u got it corrected unfortunately it seems that the dealerships handle situations like this more often then not which is we none of us have any faith in them.

 

No doubt this type of thing takes time and effort to resolve, and frequently the dealer doesn't have the will or the expertises. Regardless, I'd be curious how much of the road force/balancing issues are in the wheels vs. the tires.

 

In my case both wheels that were match mounted were within spec and did not have excessive runout in either lateral or radial measurements.

 

That's not particularly surprising. Khumo tires are not know for quality construction or a high level of quality control. With your next set of high quality tires you may never have to worry about this issue again.

 

Well said. Sadly, over the weekend I started looking for that next set of high quality tires!!

 

I have same problem on My 2011 D. R/T, Starts at 55-65Mph.
Will try Rotating GoodYears Tires, Were put on in June before I got it.
Balance will be done and I will go from there.
Love My d, has 29,000. Miles, Have had it for two Months.

 

Had all 4 wheels Bal.( Goodyears) and Rotated on My 2011 D. R/T AWD today, Big improvement, Very smooth ride, Discount Tire here in Phoenix did the work, Great job and Service. D. had steering wheel shake at 55-65Mph, Gone $40. Fix