Preferred type of wheel weight

[y_p_w]

I didn't notice any weights clamped on to my wheel, so I was thinking that maybe the tires were so perfect that they didn't need weights for a proper balance. Then I took another look and saw the adhesive weights stuck to the inside of the wheel.

So any preferences? Any drawbacks to the adhesive weights? my worry is that they might lose their adhesion and then fall off into the brakes. It also looks like most installers prefer to use several of them together rather than one clamped weight. I wonder if that could affect the balance.

 

[yonyon]

If the stick-on weights don't fall off within the first week or so they won't fall off for many years. They also won't make scratches like clip-on weights can.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Adhesive type weights are fine. I've never had them fall off. They are the only way to go on nice rims. I hate the unsightly looks of clip-ons on rim lips.

 

[Kira]

Hello, Given that many of us, "...hate the unsightly looks of clip-ons on rim lips", would it be too much to ask for 2 step balancing?

Spin the empty wheel to see where it's out of balance.
Spin the unmounted tire to see where it is out of balance.
Then mount the tire optimally.

I'm not on drugs as many will accuse me of being.
What would be the big deal if they got paid for their efforts?

Why not make this small service available?
Once the "fathead inertia" was overcome, it would just be "doing it better".
There'd be less lead used worldwide. Kira

 

[Rand]

how do you propose spinning the unmounted tire?

just go get it road force balanced.. if they do it right.. it can also match mount.

Originally Posted By: Kira
Hello, Given that many of us, "...hate the unsightly looks of clip-ons on rim lips", would it be too much to ask for 2 step balancing?

Spin the empty wheel to see where it's out of balance.
Spin the unmounted tire to see where it is out of balance.
Then mount the tire optimally.

I'm not on drugs as many will accuse me of being.
What would be the big deal if they got paid for their efforts?

Why not make this small service available?
Once the "fathead inertia" was overcome, it would just be "doing it better".
There'd be less lead used worldwide. Kira

 

[LotI]

Centrifugal force pastes the tape-on weights in place and they don't come off if the surface is clean. 3M makes a cut to fit weight that reduces waste.

The balance technology has been around for 15 years and works. The balancer looks at the assembly, not the individual components.

Hunter Roadforce

 

[michaelluscher]

Originally Posted By: LotI
Centrifugal force pastes the tape-on weights in place and they don't come off if the surface is clean. 3M makes a cut to fit weight that reduces waste.

The balance technology has been around for 15 years and works. The balancer looks at the assembly, not the individual components.

Hunter Roadforce


Stick on wheel weights are the shizzawoka IMO
The one's that can hide it behind the spokes are damm clever
Combine that with a RoadForce balance, and you've got some good results

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: y_p_w
I didn't notice any weights clamped on to my wheel, so I was thinking that maybe the tires were so perfect that they didn't need weights for a proper balance. Then I took another look and saw the adhesive weights stuck to the inside of the wheel.

So any preferences? Any drawbacks to the adhesive weights? my worry is that they might lose their adhesion and then fall off into the brakes. It also looks like most installers prefer to use several of them together rather than one clamped weight. I wonder if that could affect the balance.

I don't know the exact weight of each and my guess is about 1/8 oz. If your wheel needs 1/2 oz they use 4 adhesive weights and they bend to the curvature of the wheel easily. Now if they use a 4 times long adhesive weight it will be difficult to bend to the curvature of the wheel. Remember the curvature of 14" wheel is much different with 20-22" wheel.

 

[The_Jeff]

They use a solvent to clean the rim before the sticky weights go on. A person can still do a two-plane balance-- sometimes there's a rim crimp on the inside even if there isn't on the outside. Can get the sticky weights "close to" the outside and the good balancers have a button for this. The bad ones make the tech use his noggin and compensate with slightly more weight.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Kira
Hello, Given that many of us, "...hate the unsightly looks of clip-ons on rim lips", would it be too much to ask for 2 step balancing?
Some better tire shops do this already. The process even has a name, but I forget what it's called.

Other shops don't do it because it takes extra time. It's faster to just slap on more weights on the rim instead.

Quote:

Spin the unmounted tire to see where it is out of balance.

Typically there is no need for it. The heaviest part of the tire is typically marked with a special dot by the tire manufacturer. All you have to do is line it up with the lightest part of the rim.

 

[TireDude]

Originally Posted By: Kira
Hello, Spin the empty wheel to see where it's out of balance.
Spin the unmounted tire to see where it is out of balance.
Then mount the tire optimally.

Kira


Hello, are you high?

 

[CapriRacer]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
...Typically there is no need for it. The heaviest part of the tire is typically marked with a special dot by the tire manufacturer. All you have to do is line it up with the lightest part of the rim.



Sorry, but the red dot isn't a standard sort of thing. Not only do many tire manufacturers not use a RED dot, some use different marks and some don't mark at all.

Besides, the dot isn't about weight (light or heavy), it's about uniformity (think "round" and you'll be close) - and if the dot is there it might mean that the location is the radial high point. Then again, the dot might mean something else. Do NOT assume that is what it means.

And wheels? Again, there is no published standard nor is there a common way of doing this. Many wheels are made with the valve hole as the radially low point of the wheel (again, uniformity and not weight) - but many wheels are not made this way at all.

HOWEVER, there is no harm in matching a tire with a red dot with the wheel's valve hole. If both the tire manufacturer and the wheel manufacturer are doing the "match mounting" thing, then the assembly will be more uniform ("rounder"). But the amount of weight needed is independent of this.

On the other hand, "match mounting" tires and wheels that aren't done that way, may not do anything helpful.

Put another way, you can have a "round" assembly that is out of balance, and you can have a balanced assembly, that is "out of round". The 2 things are totally independent of each other.

Besides, once an assembly is balanced, it's balanced. Moving the tire relative to the wheel only changes the amount and the location of the weights to balance it - but it doesn't change the fact that a balanced assembly is a balanced assembly.

Oh - and yes, moving the tire relative to the wheel does change the assembly's uniformity)