• From: Boulder, CO
  • Registered: 2010-11-12
  • Posts: 602

Topic: Perfectly balanced wheels without weights?

I just got a set of wheels back from my tire guy and there's not a single weight on any of them.  I don't think I've ever had a wheel that didn't need a weight, and certainly never a whole set.  I'm thinking they forgot to balance them, but before I show my ignorance I thought I'd ask.

These are 13" wheels (which I don't have a ton of experience with) and presumably smaller wheels need less weight than bigger wheels, but still...?  Also they are 3-piece wheels if that makes a difference.

Anyone have experience w/ similar wheels not needing weights to balance?

-Victor
  • RobL
  • RobL
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  • From: Philly area
  • Registered: 2009-04-30
  • Posts: 2,721

Re: Perfectly balanced wheels without weights?

Depending on the machine, top of the line Hunter tire mounting can mount rims, mount tires, and spin them and then the machine can do a logic puzzle that puts the best tires on the best rims in the best position so that they use a minimum of weights.  Even with those, I've never seen a set of wheels come back without weights.

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  • From: Atlanta Georgia
  • Registered: 2010-12-12
  • Posts: 41

Re: Perfectly balanced wheels without weights?

In three hours worth of work I mounted my set of Michelins for my tundra to only use a single 15 gram weight, but Im going to guess they didn't spend that amount of time for you.

  • From: Baltimore, MD
  • Registered: 2010-05-20
  • Posts: 1,745

Re: Perfectly balanced wheels without weights?

Another possibility is that they balanced them and used the wrong weights - which promptly fell off.

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  • From: VA
  • Registered: 2010-05-05
  • Posts: 920

Re: Perfectly balanced wheels without weights?

I got a pair of wheels back with no weights on them.  But that was different...the guy stuck the weight on the dirty wheel, taped over it with the metallic tape, and the tape fell off while the wheels were riding home in the trunk.  Went back and waited while they balanced them again and stuck the weights on so they would stay.

They probably didn't balance them.  Are they street tires or race tires?  I don't balance my autocross wheels, but I would balance race tires for road course use.

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  • From: Boulder, CO
  • Registered: 2010-11-12
  • Posts: 602

Re: Perfectly balanced wheels without weights?

I haven't even bolted them on the car yet so I don't think the weights fell off.

I'll ask them to check 'em.

-Victor
  • Registered: 2009-07-19
  • Posts: 1,585

Re: Perfectly balanced wheels without weights?

Out of eight wheels that we brought to our last race, two of them required no weights. They worked fine, no problems at the track.

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  • From: Da Nati, oh
  • Registered: 2009-10-07
  • Posts: 218

Re: Perfectly balanced wheels without weights?

I work at a dealer ship it's rare but it happens. you can get a wheel that doesnt need any weights but you'd be dam lucky as hell to have a full set of 4 with no weight needed.

I'd say they didn't get balanced. I've done the tire mounting for the 2 cars I've raced and only one time have we skipped out on it, but that was because of a suspension flaw that caused us to eat 2 new tires ( blasted through in approx. 2-4 hours on the track and our spares were previously raced tires that weren't mounted to any wheels)

  • From: Frisco, Texas
  • Registered: 2009-05-02
  • Posts: 1,430

Re: Perfectly balanced wheels without weights?

Some years ago, Yokohama's on panasports match mounted balanced perfectly every time on my race car (14" wheels)... BFG was the worst, other inbetween... just depends on the quality of the wheels/tires and skill to put them on.. rare, but not impossible.

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  • sergio
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  • Registered: 2009-04-30
  • Posts: 1,185

Re: Perfectly balanced wheels without weights?

Tires come marked with a colored dot on the sidewall, indicating the lighest spot of the tire. Mount the tire with the dot at the valve stem and the wheel balance can come out 0. 4 of them though is a stretch.

  • Spud
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  • From: Cleveland, OH
  • Registered: 2009-05-25
  • Posts: 180

Re: Perfectly balanced wheels without weights?

Run them unbalanced. The vibration will only add to the 'entertainment value' while you are at speed.

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  • From: CT
  • Registered: 2010-09-20
  • Posts: 258

Re: Perfectly balanced wheels without weights?

What kind of tires did you get? Who even makes a decent 13" tire?

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  • From: Bloomington, IN
  • Registered: 2009-08-14
  • Posts: 1,525

Re: Perfectly balanced wheels without weights?

Not balanced.  No way that all 4 of them came out perfect.  Not that it really matters.  Last race we had the tires were so flat spotted from the first driver, first day that the car felt like it had square wheels.  Every one of us ran the best times we had ever run.  And got a back massage at the same time.

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  • From: Boulder, CO
  • Registered: 2010-11-12
  • Posts: 602

Re: Perfectly balanced wheels without weights?

St. Mary wrote:

What kind of tires did you get? Who even makes a decent 13" tire?

These were Toyo Proxes for my non-Lemons A110.

Lemons-treadwear-legal 13" tires seem to be a problem.  I want to run the stock 13" Renault rims on the front of the R5Blurbo (the rears have the 15" from the donor drivetrain), but I haven't found a tire that works yet.

-Victor
  • Registered: 2009-10-25
  • Posts: 1,993

Re: Perfectly balanced wheels without weights?

it can happen......one set of our stock 1984 wheels balanced just fine.....

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  • fabtoys
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Re: Perfectly balanced wheels without weights?

I've done tires for 20 years now and see it a lot.

When you see the painted spot on the tire that is from factory saying to put that at the valve stem which means opposite needs weight.

Actually wheels are out of balance  a lot . Seen wheels take 2 ounces before tire goes on.
I mount up to 44" tires in which they take pounds. I've actually marked the tire where all weight was needed and dismounted tire put weight patches on inside of tires. I have even put weights on the wheels with duct tape to help hold on.

I usually don't waste my time balancing the tires for Lemons or other racecars  due to vibration usually happens at 35 65 95 and 115 and if your accelerating you won't notice.

So don't worry

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  • From: Issaquah, Wa
  • Registered: 2009-09-06
  • Posts: 1,246

Re: Perfectly balanced wheels without weights?

I run airsoft pellets in the wheels/tires in my off-road Jeep, balances great.  I doubt the tire shop did that in this case, just saying.

-Matt

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