wheel weights. educate me
 

I am about to buy my own wheel balancer (Harbor Freight). It seems like the weights they sell are the sticky-backed lead weights. I have only had the clippy type. Are the sticky-backed ok to use on w201 and w123 wheels?

yes. You'll need to clean the rim off first where you apply them.;)

sweet. now do you recommend i buy both the 1/4 and 1/2 oz wheel weight of can i get away with just the 1/4 by doubling up if needed

Sticky weights often are sold in a strip that you cut (usually with side cutters) to the length that you need. There are tic marks every (IIRC) 1/4 OZ so you know how much you're cutting. Remember to place the weights on the flat of the rim such that rotational force pushes the weight into the rim. If you mount them on the edge of the rim like clip-on weights there's a high chance of them flying off at speed.

Dan

Walk into the work area of any tire store and talk to the tire apes.
A few bucks should net you quite an assortment of used wheel weights.

Be aware that for the clip on weights, there are many different styles to match the profiles of the wheel itself.

A nice wheel weight hammer is worth buying if you start to balance your own wheels. These tools can easily remove/install the weights.

Jim

keep in mind, the HF balancer is not really suitable for balancing high speed (above 25mph) tires. it's a static balance, and it'll lead to wobble on most tires.

Save yourself the money.

If the machine isn't at least $2K, with the capability of spinning the tire, it won't b e sufficiently accurate to prevent vibration.

Even if it has the sensitivity, the cheaper machines have a serious runout of the tapered cone and the result is practically worthless.

Another scam to take money from the ignorant.

Don't sugar coat it BC!:P

Try this for dynamic and static balance, it is written for over the road truck tires but the basics still apply.

Bridgestone Commercial Truck Tires

With car tires, they are much smaller diameter, usually narrower and thinner wall leading towards less imbalance. However, car tires do spin at higher speed and higher speed can lead to more vibration. In the past 20 years or so tires are much more consistent in build so less and less balance weight is needed. I'm finding over the years that less and less weight is needed to balance a tire and sometimes I install no weights at all. My old spin balancer has long ago lost it's dynamic function and only finds static imbalance. ( It still spins the tire but does not calculate the inner outer split. ) 195 75 14 tires balance just fine to 85 MPH with no vibration.

For the most part, static balance will get you by. If the tire does vibrate in use, then have it dynamically balanced.

As for stick on weights, I use 3M Trim Adhesive Tape to reuse weights.

But at what speed? People have used bubble balancers for years and before the fancy spinny type.

it seems wheel balancing is only particularly important/annoying at 55 - 60 mph, so just drive slower or faster :)

Bubble balancers would work if you had very soft suspension from the '70s where the vibration is soaked up in the suspension and cannot reach the driver.

Today, with the slightest couple unbalance (equal and opposite forces on either side of the wheel/tire), the forces are transmitted directly to the driver.

Even the machines that rotate are sometimes marginal depending on the tooling used to support the wheel.

^^ I have been bubble balancing my own MB and VW wheels for the last 5 years on the HF bubble balancer (and mount with their manual mounter, too). I don't feel any wobble , but I rarely drive over 60.

what kind of weights do you use? sticky or clippy?

clippy

Answer
 

I have used all types of wheel weights, if they hold balance OK there is only cosmetic variation.

Tire balance was an art back in the day, today a trained chimp can do an average job.

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