Can anyone recommend or comment on various wheel balancers?

I can get a Coats 1001 in good shape. Is this a good machine? Does anyone have any recommendations.

It is always a fight to get the tire store to balance my wheels the way I want them done. I have found only two people over the years who can properly get the job done using a combination of regular weights on the inboard lip and tape in the ID as close to the outboard as possible. You know, if you want it done right, you do it yourself.

Anyway, does anyone know about the older units that I might could buy?

Thanks,

Hunter GSP-9700 is the best.

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1988 Mercedes-Benz 260E

If you remember I also have the same dissatisfaction with the average tire places (let's not mention Sears here ) and have been on the lookout for wheel balancers.

I managed to pick up a Snap-On balancer at a good price - and I can beat Sears quality on balancing wheels myself now. I can't really say that I would make any money doing it, because I wanted it so right I probably spent 90 minutes on one wheel. But that's the luxury - I kept working on the balance as long as I wanted. Actually most of that 90 minutes was just learning and playing.

It was interesting to find that Snap-On sells a line of balancers that are "hand spun" which I had never heard of before. Instead of a big 3-phase (or whatever) motor to spin the wheels, the wheel holder has a crank and you spin the thing by hand until you get a beep - then you let go and it calculates the solution. It actually spins at about the same speed as the motor-driven ones. The weight reduction by doing this means I can move the balancer around the garage myself - about 158 pounds instead of 350 or so. The hand-spun Snap-On balancers don't have a shield over the tire, so they take up a lot less room too.

So, I have experience with one wheel balancer, and am satisfied. If you go to the Snap-On web site, they have done a really good job of providing specifications and pictures of their units. A new one I could never afford, but I found a good, privately-owned unit that had been taken care of - at a cheap price.

I worry that one taken out of service from a tire shop has seen a hard life, and is probably being taken out of service for a reason.

The one wheel I had that was really bad (let's not mention Sears here ) was over an ounce out of balance on one side of the rim. So it was like throwing an ounce weight around -- -- pretty bad. Plus, after they put the weights on they never verify it with another spin. We have lots of cars in the immediate family so there is some justification economically for having the balancer. But the satisfaction of a good balance situation is priceless.

Sorry I can't add anything meaningful about Coates.

Ken300D

Good day Larry !

I believe everybody is talking about the wonderful results on wheel balancing you can get from the HUNTER GSP-9700.

I am going to quote the opinion from one of our fellow members Paul Smalley (suginami) :

The website for the Hunter GSP9700 Wheel Vibration Control System, http://www.gsp9700.com/ basically summed everything up. It's a fantastic website that I think everyone on this forum should visit.

Their website lists the many causes of wheel vibration:

1. Wheels out of balance
2. Wheel force variation (what I called Radial force variation)
3. Improper tire pressure and / or misalignment causing irregular tire wear which creates and amplifies imbalance.
4. Worn out steering and / or suspension components
5. Wheel to axle mounting error
6. Brake component (pads / disk) wear or failure
7. Drive train or engine component wear or failure
8. Vehicle component characteristics (a seemingly catch all category).

The site goes on to say that a good technician can diagnose any of the above problems, but the only way to rule out all wheel-related vibration is with the Hunter GSP9700 Vibration Control System.

The site shows a video demo of the machine at work. It's huge, much like Smog Diagnostic Equipment, with a large eye-level computer screen, a tire spinning motor, with a rolling cylinder that applies pressure to the tire as it's spinning.

I did a search of shops in my area that use this machine, and a handful of Big O Tire stores came up, along with the Mercedes Dealer (Penske) in Covina.

I believe that Paul already balanced his wheels with this machine, I suggest you to contact him if you have further questions.

Good luck !

__________________
Ernesto Molina

1993 500E Pearl Black / Alpaca Grey
2001 E55 AMG Brilliant Silver/ Anthracite
2007 SL55 AMG Black / Anthracite

The GSP 9700 balanced my tires better than any balance I've had before.

But the damn thing is so expensive, few shops can afford them.

However, I will admit for the most part that it's the technician, not the balance machine, that is responsible for a good wheel balance.

If you have a chance to buy that machine, I probably would. Technicians have probably been using that machine succesfully for a long time, and there's no reason why you can't.

__________________
Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

Ken300D,

Which Snap On model did you find. It seems like there are older manual models like the WB200, WB250 and WB300 or something like this that are manual.

I have 3 phase power, but would be interested in a manual machine because of its ability to save space.

Thanks for any further comments you may have.

I don't think I'll be able to afford a GSP9700 any time before winning the lottery.

Have a great day,

The one I found is a WB260A. I understand the same essential parts are in the WB250, just that the WB260A is built on a wider frame to allow more wheel weight storage and more cones hung on the front pegs.

When I looked through the specs at the Snap-On web site for their current models, I was shocked to find that the balancing accuracy is the same for the hand-spun models as it is for the motor-driven ones. And the spin speed is about the same. So for the hobbiest there is little reason to get a motorized spin balancer.

I also had the early impression that the wheel had to be spun by grabbing the tire and giving it a tug. Not so, the threaded fixture that holds the wheel onto the spindle has a counterbalanced handle built into it. Easy to spin - - - same results.

Perhaps more cones come standard with the wider WB260A - I sure have quite a selection - probably six or seven types/sizes.

Ken300D

Ken,

I would LOVE to find a manual Snap On machine like yours in my area for reasonable money. What I am finding available in my price range in usable condition is limited.

If you dig around on the hunter.com site, there is some good information regarding weight planes and static vs. dynamic balance and how they relate. Even though the info is there relating to the 9700 machine, it is still very good theory that I think you will find helpful.

As you have probably learned it is imperative to use more than one weight plane. My problem has been fussing with the people at the tire stores trying to get them to put weights inside and outside.

Keep us informed about your experience with the machine.

Have a great day,

I bought a Hunter 700 today. It is a computer balancer with a vertical shaft. I spoke to several people who have one and swear by it. They claim it does a better job than a horizontal shaft machine.

This machine was not well because it is difficult to get the inside weight in place because of the wheel laying flat.

I will pick it up after I return from my final European tour. in late April.

Besides the fact that it was inexpensive on the used market, the configuration of it requires very little shop space while it is not in use.

I am anxious to get it home and start experimenting with it. It will be almost a month before I get to use it, but I will report my success (or hopefully not lack thereof) at that time.

Have a great day,

but I wholeheartdly agree that it's more the human factor than the machine. I've been to all types of shops with the several thousand dollar machines and have yet to find one that did a better job than the old lawn mower style motor spinning them on the car. BTW, I just don't believe you can get the truest running unless they are done on the car. That's not necessarily true if you're running some of the old 14 or 15" wheels. That style, with 65 or 70 aspect ratios, can be made to run just fine without on car tuning. Larry , is the car you're unhappy with the 01? I suspect it may be, as I have been constantly amazed at the cheap quality of thse new OE wheels. Cheap castings, lousy finish, and just plain not round sometimes. Aren't you in the SE US? If your new machine doesn't work, drop me a note and I'll send you to some guys that can get to the bottom of it.
And BTW, who would take any Benz to Sears for anything?
Hope this helps.

Allen,

Thanks for the comments. I agree that spinning on the car can have the best results, but there is a downside to that approach. Once you rotate the tires the balance is sometimes lost. A decent computer balancer will USUALLY get the job done well if the operator takes a reasonable amount of care in their work. Problem is that many of them don't. If the wheel is DYNAMICALLY balanced on one of these machines it most often comes out very well.

The problem is that often the operator just sets up the machine for static balance mode and put the weights only on the back side. You can probably do just as good with a bubble balancer if you are using a computer balancer in such a mode.

BTW. I have had NO problems with wheels and tires on my new car. I have run it to 120 MPH and was as smooth as silk. The current problem I'm having happens to be with my 300E. Every time I've ever had a tire vibration problem, it has been tire related, either imbalance or a defective tire. I personally have never experienced a problem that was related to the particular brand or model car that the tire was on.

Have a great day,

I was at Sears just last weekend. They provide all my batteries and tires. For my part, I would FAR prefer taking my loose wheel rims to Sears for new tires than dropping off the entire car at a Mercedes dealership. For batteries, I always take along the core and pick up the new battery without an installation. I guess its a feeling that in my situation, the Michelin tires and Johnson Controls batteries at Sears are sufficient in quality - and I can do better work on an installation of these items than either Sears or the Mercedes dealerships. And I won't have someone with an interest in "finding problems" working on my car.

It was nice to be able to say "no balancing, please" at Sears. They have good tires at good prices - close by - and mounting is free and done professionally without scratching my alloy rims.

Also of interest, I noticed they use a Coates 1001 for wheel balancing in the local Sears.

Since we are on the subject of static and dynamic wheel balancing, I have a question: When a dynamic wheel balance has been successfully accomplished, should the wheel then be in static balance also?

Thanks, Ken300D

Ken,

In the reading that I've found at www.gsp9700.com/pub/technical it seems that once the wheel is dynamically balanced it can actually not be statically balanced and still be okay. The problem lies in the fact that dynamic balance causes a "wobble" while static imbalance causes an up and down jumping of the wheel. They say that it takes more static imbalance to cause vibration than it does dynamic imbalance. They claim that if dynamic imbalance is 1/4 oz. or less and static imbalance is 1/2 oz. or less, you will be vibration free. This, however, assumes a tire/wheel combination that has acceptable runout.

Although the reading at this site is meant to promote the GSP9700 Hunter machine, there is much to be learned there about wheel balancing.

Have a great day,

I'm a convert with the Hunter GSP 9700.

I started the thread that PR'd that machine, and it was the only machine that as able to balance my tires.

My tires are smoother riding than they've ever been.

You're right about the information on their website. It is a good tutorial on wheel balance for everyone.

In fact, I learned more about wheel balance / vibration than I probably ever wanted to know.

__________________
Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

Static and dynamic is best. I guess I'm just so particular about my ride quality that it's not even a consideration that I require fresh on-car balancing every time I rotate. (Most times I can't anyway, with larger rears.) I further agree that most pople assume that all tires are round these days, which they frequently aren't. Problem is, they usually monkey around with it for 1 or 2k miles, then it's too late for a decent adjustment or replacement. Hope it works out well.