How to balance your own wheels!
11-01-2002, 12:16 PM
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How to balance your own wheels!
I got some new front tyres fitted a while ago and the guy fitting them put about 160 gramms of weights on each wheel when he dynamically balanced them (I dont like weights on the outside of the wheels!) which we both agreed was a lot. I had quite a lot of vibration at speeds over 80 mph. Now as I also had some vibration before the tyres were fitted I had the propshaft balanced and was told it was OK. Next I went to another shop and had the fronts rebalanced and when the guy put the first wheel on the machine it visibly spun like it was bent and he also said it needed 160 grams of weight. He said I needed a new set of wheels. I noticed on the drive home that the vibration was better after he had removed all the weights on one side he was going to balance but didnt because it was bent, we didnt touch the other wheel.
When I got home I jacked the front of the car up and spun the front wheels and they looked fine.
I thought I'd have a go at balancing the wheels myself and did this by hanging each wheel using some strong thin cord from a beam in my garage roof. I made a metal disk that fitted in the middle of the wheel with the center cap removed and drilled a hole in the middle for the cord to pass through.
With the wheel hanging with the outside of the wheel upwards I used a spirit level and glued a couple of quite thick steel washers inside the wheel rim so it hung level. Stick on weight would have been a lot easier. I didnt need many weights /washers.
Anyway after refitting the wheels I went for a test drive and my car is now vibration free at all speeds which it never has been!
Simon
When I got home I jacked the front of the car up and spun the front wheels and they looked fine.
I thought I'd have a go at balancing the wheels myself and did this by hanging each wheel using some strong thin cord from a beam in my garage roof. I made a metal disk that fitted in the middle of the wheel with the center cap removed and drilled a hole in the middle for the cord to pass through.
With the wheel hanging with the outside of the wheel upwards I used a spirit level and glued a couple of quite thick steel washers inside the wheel rim so it hung level. Stick on weight would have been a lot easier. I didnt need many weights /washers.
Anyway after refitting the wheels I went for a test drive and my car is now vibration free at all speeds which it never has been!
Simon
11-01-2002, 02:26 PM
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I used epoxy resin to glue the washes on so I should be OK. But like I said it would be easier to go an buy a few stick on lead weight.
When I thought the propshaft was at fault I tried glueing a washer on the propshaft to see if it made any difference which the guy who checked the balance said was a big mistake as he had heard of weights coming off and going throught the floor.
At least with wheel weights the centrifugal force tries to hold them on, not throw them off like with the prop shaft.
Simon
When I thought the propshaft was at fault I tried glueing a washer on the propshaft to see if it made any difference which the guy who checked the balance said was a big mistake as he had heard of weights coming off and going throught the floor.
At least with wheel weights the centrifugal force tries to hold them on, not throw them off like with the prop shaft.
Simon
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