Tech Tips
Date: June 21, 2013

TT 44-13-01
2011-2014 Touareg – Vibration or Steering Wheel Shimmy at
Highway Speeds
March 7, 2014: Update to Information.

The suspension characteristics of the Touareg make it more susceptible to variations in the rim and/or tire. For this
reason a diagnostic balancer is necessary to balance, force match and/or select tire placement so that the vibration
may be improved.

Note:
Vehicles in dealer inventory should be maintained per the recommended 30 days maintenance procedure to prevent
any flat spots forming on tires.
Tip:
For vehicles in dealer inventory the tires should remain at the transportation pressure. Please reference the
recommended 30-Day maintenance sheet on ServiceNet.
WARNING:
Tires should be lowered to normal operating pressure before sale or any test drive.

Page 1 of 20

ver1.2

© 2014 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual
property rights of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this
document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these
materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.

Service Information
Radial force variation (RFV)
The radial force or wheel load is the force with which a tire is compressed (Figure 1) Tires have softer and stiffer
areas along their circumference, which is illustrated using springs (Figure 1, A and B). Figure 1 shows the same tire
at different points of rotation (A and B), as it rolls on level road with constant load (radial force).

Figure 1. Wheel position (A), wheel position (B), wheel load (1), compressed amount (2), and rise and fall
difference (x).
If this wheel rolls, with constant wheel load / radial force (Figure 1, arrow) the center of the wheel rises and falls on
level road because of the different spring hardness of the tire by the amount x. The change by the amount x can be
felt in the vehicle as vibration or shaking of the steering wheel. The change of the compression force of the tire is the
RFV.

First Harmonic
The wheel force fluctuations during the turn of the wheel can be mathematically divided into individual harmonic
vibrations. For an objective assessment of the tire stiffness the first harmonic (the basic vibration) is used. The first
harmonic is the share of the radial force fluctuation which causes the strongest vibrations.

Service
1. Test drive vehicle to confirm vibration.
WARNING:
When attempting to duplicate the customer concern, DO NOT exceed the posted speed limit.
2. Label the position of the wheels on the vehicle.
3. Remove wheels.
Page 2 of 20
© 2013 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual
property rights of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this
document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these
materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.

Service Information
Note:
Do not remove any wheel weights before attempting balance procedure.
Below you will find the procedures for the 2 balancers (Hunter GSP9700 and John Beam RFV-2000) that Volkswagen
recommends. Find your balancer and perform the procedure described.

Tip:
Flange plate with stud kit

Page 3 of 20
© 2013 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual
property rights of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this
document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these
materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.

Service Information
HUNTER GSP9700 (VAS6230B3/4)
Note:
For most accurate measurements the vehicle should be driven right before measuring tires.
1. Install wheel on balancer using the flange plate with stud kit.

Tip:
Centering cones or collets should always be installed on the inside of the wheel. Make sure that they fit securely to
wheel with no play.

Correct Fit

Incorrect Fit

Note:
Performing the centering check is critical to obtaining accurate measurements.

Page 4 of 20
© 2013 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual
property rights of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this
document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these
materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.

Service Information
2. Select Centering Check in the upper right. See figure
1.1.

Figure 1.1
3. You can select one of the following to measure the
centering of the wheel.
- Use Runout Mode
- Option seen in upper right in Figure 1.2
- Use Balance Mode
- Shown in figure 1.2
4. Follow the prompts for measurement.
Figure 1.2
5. After the machine is finished spinning, position the
valve stem at the 12 o’clock position and press the foot
pedal. As shown in figure 1.3.

Figure 1.3

Page 5 of 20
© 2013 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual
property rights of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this
document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these
materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.

Service Information
6. You will now need to dismount the tire, rotate it, and
then remount it. Screen will display as seen in figure 1.4.
Tip:
Rotate wheel 180 degrees without rotating arm of
balancer.

Figure 1.4
7. Once the wheel is remounted follow steps 4 and 5
again.
- If the mounted wheel is centered on the balancer, the
screen will display as seen in figure 1.5.

Figure 1.5
8. Make sure balancer is setup to measure Road Force,
StraightTrak and to use SmartWeight. Figure 1.6.
Tip:
Enable Road Force and StraightTrak - Touch the roller till
it shows Road Force with StraightTrak.

Figure 1.6

Page 6 of 20
© 2013 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual
property rights of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this
document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these
materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.

Service Information

Figure 1.7

Figure 1.8

Tip: SmartWeight Enabled

Tip: SmartWeight Disabled

9. Lower hood, set tire pressure and start the measurement.
10. Once the measurement is complete you must perform the following steps to optimize the tire and rim
combination.

11. Does the balancer show the wheel needs to be
balanced?
• Yes – Remove all current weights from wheel and
move on to Road Force section. Figure 1.9.
• No – Move on Road Force section.

Figure 1.9

Page 7 of 20
© 2013 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual
property rights of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this
document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these
materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.

Service Information
A. Road Force
Note:
Only perform this section if the Road Force is greater than 15 lbs.
Note:
If Road Force Matching is performed please E-mail a picture of the Road Force before and after
measurements to VWGoA.Chassis@vw.com.
12. Select Road Force, and then select Measure Rim Run
out and follow prompts to measure run out. Figure 1.10.

Figure 1.10
13. The Machine will give you two locations. As shown in
figure 1.11.
a. One on the Tire
b. One on the Rim

8. Align the first mark to the top and mark as indicated.
Repeat for the second mark.
Figure 1.11

14. Dismount tire and using a tire changer break down the tire and rotate it on the rim till the marks line up.
15. Reseat tire on the rim and reinstall the wheel on the balancer
16. Rerun measurements and proceed to Wheel Balancer section.
Page 8 of 20
© 2013 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual
property rights of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this
document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these
materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.

Service Information
B. Wheel Balance
17. With SmartWeight enabled, install all recommended weights.
18. Once all recommended weights are installed, lower hood to run the check spin.
19. Add any additional recommended weights and move on to the StraightTrak.

Page 9 of 20
© 2013 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual
property rights of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this
document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these
materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.

Service Information
C. StraightTrak
20. Open StraightTrak screen and verify tire is present.

21. If Tire is not present rerun the measurement of
balance, Road Force and StraighTrak.

Figure 1.12
22. Once you verify tire is present in StraightTrak screen, move on to the next tire.
Note:
DO NOT move to Step 18 until all 4 tires have been through all of the previous steps.

23. Select positioning the tire placement for least vibration
and install wheels in the recommended pattern on the
vehicle.

Figure 1.13

This concludes the Hunter GSP9700 step by step process for reducing tire vibration.

Page 10 of 20
© 2013 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual
property rights of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this
document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these
materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.

Service Information
Note:
If the Vibration is not reduced to the satisfaction of the customer Please contact the Volkswagen Technical
Helpline at 1-800-678-2389.

Note:
If Road Force Matching has been done, before and after measurements must be available upon request.

Page 11 of 20
© 2013 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual
property rights of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this
document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these
materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.

Service Information
John Bean RFV-2000 (VAS 6311A)
Note:
For most accurate measurements the vehicle should be driven right before measuring tires.
1. Install wheel on balancer using the flange plate with stud kit.

Tip:
Centering cones or collets should always be installed on the inside of the wheel. Make sure that they fit securely to
wheel with no play.

Correct Fit

Incorrect Fit

Page 12 of 20
© 2013 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual
property rights of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this
document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these
materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.

Service Information
2. Make sure balancer is setup in 3D Diagnostics mode
and that Opti-line is enabled.
Tip:
Enabling 3D Diagnostics – From the home screen press
F3 and select 3D Diagnostics Figure 2.1

Figure 2.1

Tip:
Enabling Opti-line – From the home screen press F6 and
select settings (Figure 2.2). Select Optima Settings,
Select tire pull measurement and enable (Figure 2.3).
Return to the Home Screen and press F1 to go into the
balance screen, then F3 to go into the optima screen,
then F5 to open the Opti-line menu and select Enable
Opti-line (only option).

Figure 2.2

Page 13 of 20
© 2013 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual
property rights of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this
document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these
materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.

Service Information

Figure 2.3
3. Lower hood and start the measurement.
4. Once the measurement is complete you must perform the following steps to optimize the tire and rim combination.
5. Does the balancer show the wheel needs to be
balanced as shown in Figure 2.4?
• Yes – Remove all current weights from wheel and
continue to step 6.
• No – Continue to step 6.

Figure 2.4
6. Go to the Optima screen by pressing F3.
7. Does the balancer state force matching will not improve the radial force?
• Yes – Proceed to Wheel Balance section.
• No – Proceed to the Radial Force section.

Page 14 of 20
© 2013 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual
property rights of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this
document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these
materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.

Service Information
A. Radial Force
Note:
Do not perform this section if the balancer states that force matching will not improve the radial force.
Note:
If Radial Force Matching is performed please E-mail a picture of the Road Force before and after
measurements to VWGoA.Chassis@vw.com.

8. Measure tire pressure and set in machine. From the
balance screen select F4 and select center option. Figure
2.5.
Tip:
Once you see tire pressure on the screen rotate the tire to
change pressure.
9. Select Radial Force Matching from the balance screen
under F4 at the top, as shown in Figure 2.5.

Figure 2.5
10. Position the tire with the valve stem to the 12 o’clock
position.

Figure 2.6

Page 15 of 20
© 2013 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual
property rights of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this
document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these
materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.

Service Information
11. Rotate the tire until the arrows on the screen are both
green (the machine will lock the tire for a moment) Figure
2.7.

12. Mark the tire on the outer side wall at the 12 o’clock
position, Figure 2.7.

Figure 2.7

13. Dismount tire and using a tire changer, break down the tire and rotate it on the rim till the mark lines up with the
valve stem.
14. Reseat tire on the rim and reinstall the wheel on the balancer
15. Rerun measurements and proceed to Wheel Balancer section.

Page 16 of 20
© 2013 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual
property rights of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this
document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these
materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.

Service Information
B. Wheel Balance
16. With the setting to hide weights behind the spokes of
the wheel (F5), install all recommended weights. Figure
2.8

Figure 2.8

17. Once all recommended weights are installed lower hood to run the check spin.
18. Add any additional recommended weights.
19. Proceed to the Opti-line section

Page 17 of 20
© 2013 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual
property rights of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this
document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these
materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.

Service Information
C. Opti-line
20. Open Opti-line screen.
Tip:
Opening Opti-line screen – From the balance screen press F3
(Figure 2.9) to open the Optima screen then F5 to bring up the
Opti-line menu. Select open Opti-line screen. Figure 2.10 and
2.11.

Figure 2.9

Figure 2.10

Figure 2.11

Page 18 of 20
© 2013 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual
property rights of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this
document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these
materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.

Service Information
21. Add the tire to set F3. Figure 2.12

Figure 2.12

22. Now this tire is complete.
Note:
DO NOT move to Step 23 until all 4 tires have been through all of the previous steps.

23. Select positioning the tire placement for least vibration
and install wheels in the recommended pattern on the
vehicle by pressing F5 and select least vibration. Figure
2.13

Figure 2.13

This concludes the John Beam RFV-2000 step by step procedure for reducing tire vibration.
Page 19 of 20
© 2013 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual
property rights of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this
document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these
materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.

Service Information
Note:
If the Vibration is not reduced to the satisfaction of the customer Please contact the Volkswagen Technical
Helpline at 1-800-678-2389.
Note:
If Radial Force Matching has been done, before and after measurements must be available upon request.

Page 20 of 20
© 2013 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual
property rights of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this
document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these
materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.