Wheel balancing

[gunrac]

Was tellin a buddy, which worked in a tire shop a couple yrs. about a slight vibration in my steering wheel, at around 65 mph. On going issue, as 1 wheel always needed more weight then the other. Said I should be running it' on the back.
 I don't want to replace the rim, if I don't have to. I've sand blasted an painted em' all up pretty nice a while back.
I have different size tires on the back. So I will be doing some swapping.

Long story short, he suggested I find a old school garage that still has the old tri-pod balancer, he claims they do a better job then the new super spinners they have out today.

Thinking about this!    Back in my high school days, I could make a perfect balance job w/the old tri-pod..... If I couldn't, then it was junk. There was no spinner machines back then. He swears the ol' school is the best way to go..........any thoughts on this?
 

[82silverado]

I had a similar issue a while back and found a shop that balances the tire and wheel while it is on the vehicle. Problem was solved.

[SkinnyG]

I machined some Chevy dually hubs down to run normal wheels on a friend's CJ that he was building.  The original bolt circle on one of the hubs was not concentric with the bearings - in that case it wouldn't matter how well the tire was balanced, it would always tramp.

Static balance won't remove a shimmy where one SIDE is heavy - the side will always try to pull the wheel to the wheels' centerline while spinning.

Not saying you can't do a good job with a bubble balancer, but it can't do the whole thing. 

Many dynamic balancers back in the day used needles to tell how much weight to add - these were good, because you could trim weights to get it perfect.  Modern ones are electronic, and I find the "round" the weights to whatever is close.  You likely won't get them AS perfect, but you likely won't feel a 0.25oz imbalance.

And, as tires wear, you're wearing through heavy and light spots of the tread - they should be re-balanced once a year or so if you feel you have to.

[VileZambonie]

A static bubble balance will never be as good as a dynamic balance which will never be as good as a road force balance. Anyone who believes ancient dated technology is better is usually not a good source for advice. If the wheel is not bent have the tires rebalanced. Have them check before removing any weights if it in fact was out of balance. If you want a road force balance, find a shop using the locator. http://www.hunter.com/gsp9700

[80Chevy4x4]

I put equal( i think that is the way it is spelled) in my 35's and i have no vibration at all in the front end end...even when i get mud on the tires thety stay balanced.

[roundhouse]

Could be a bent wheel
You can check that pretty easy

Could be a defective tire
The road force machine will show that
It is a spinning balancer that  presses a roller on a tire to simulate it being on the vehicle , you'd be surprised how many tires are defective from the factory , where a section of the sidewall is weaker than the rest , and while the fire will balance fine on the machine , it will still bump when you drive it


You can use equal , or ceramic beads, and a lot of people use airsoft pellets


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[gunrac]

Could be a defective tire
The road force machine will show that
It is a spinning balancer that  presses a roller on a tire to simulate it being on the vehicle , you'd be surprised how many tires are defective from the factory , where a section of the sidewall is weaker than the rest , and while the fire will balance fine on the machine , it will still bump when you drive it


You can use equal , or ceramic beads, and a lot of people use airsoft pellets


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I think this may be the issue as I was watching when they were balanced, with new tires.

[Dr_Snooz]

You can use equal , or ceramic beads, and a lot of people use airsoft pellets

Say what???

[Irish_Alley]

equal? like in sugar?

[roundhouse]

equal? like in sugar?

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[roundhouse]

You can use equal , or ceramic beads, and a lot of people use airsoft pellets

Say what???

these beads are small enough to fit thru the valve stem

But if you break the bead you can use airsoft pellets

A lot of owner operator independent truckers use golf balls

Here's a link to some airsoft info
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/general-4x4-discussion/516446-airsoft-pellet-tire-balancing-including-charts-calculators-2.html#/topics/516446?_k=zru2jx

Pirate has loads of tech info
And lots of bad language and insults
The pirate members are probably the largest collection of automotive innovators on the planet

You have to Sign up as a member to eliminate the ads ,
And don't ask a question without using the search function several different ways
Or you'll get seriously insulted

[80Chevy4x4]

equal? like in sugar?

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We use this stuff in all the tires on our school buses and we never have a vibration on them....same thing i use in my 35's 

[Irish_Alley]

so thats all you use, not weights on the side or anything?

[80Chevy4x4]

so thats all you use, not weights on the side or anything?

Nope no weights at all.....even when i get mud or snow on my tires they are still balanced...i don't ever get any vibration....i just learned of this stuff 2 years ago....i love it...no ugly wheel weights and the tires balance themselves as you drive 

[gunrac]

been searching, some guys are using bb's....in my line of thinking, why couldn't you use steel shot. it certainly wouldn't break down, such as lead or glass beads. You also wouldn't worry about it clumping do to condensation.....just thinking