Should hammer on balancing weights be used on alloy wheels?
Discussion
I had 4 new tyres fitted last week, and today I noticed the fitters have used stick on weights on the outside (behind spokes), and used hammer on weights on the lip on the inside of the rim.
On the back they have used stick on weights on both the inside (back of wheel) and outside of the rear wheels.
I thought only stick on weights should be used with alloy?
I have used the same fitters in the past and they had previously always used stick on weights.
On the back they have used stick on weights on both the inside (back of wheel) and outside of the rear wheels.
I thought only stick on weights should be used with alloy?
I have used the same fitters in the past and they had previously always used stick on weights.
bgunn said:
No, never. They damage the rim and cause corrosion.
Stick ons should be used.
This. Stick ons should be used.
Some tyre fitters resort to bang on weights when they can't be bothered to clean the inside of the alloy to allow the weights to stick on. Having fitted a few tyres in my time it can be annoying and time consuming cleaning up a wheel, but that's part of doing the job properly.
They should be stick ons but on a number of rims the stick ons won't cause a massive issue, depending on the finish of the rim.
OTOH when people object to paying £10 a rim I guess every minute counts with staff to pay and overheads etc.
Jonmx said:
This.
Some tyre fitters resort to bang on weights when they can't be bothered to clean the inside of the alloy to allow the weights to stick on. Having fitted a few tyres in my time it can be annoying and time consuming cleaning up a wheel, but that's part of doing the job properly.
Agreed here.Some tyre fitters resort to bang on weights when they can't be bothered to clean the inside of the alloy to allow the weights to stick on. Having fitted a few tyres in my time it can be annoying and time consuming cleaning up a wheel, but that's part of doing the job properly.
OTOH when people object to paying £10 a rim I guess every minute counts with staff to pay and overheads etc.
I actually prefer hammer on weights for the mini. I think a few things, (always covered in grease and oil inside, poor quality DIY paint, and the smaller circumference of the wheels) means the stick on ones seem to disappear after not too long. Thats from several places as well that have tried.
I don't mind the look of them, and they match the wheel colour so not easy to see, and they stay on better in my experience!
Saying that, I'd not be keen if they were fitted to one of my newer cars though.
I don't mind the look of them, and they match the wheel colour so not easy to see, and they stay on better in my experience!
Saying that, I'd not be keen if they were fitted to one of my newer cars though.
Frances The Mute said:
Sheepshanks said:
Honda clip weights on the inside from new.
Correct. Some OEMs will use knock-on weights for the inside as they're cheaper than adhesive weights.
Thanks for the feedback, I was going to ring them up and have a moan, but I don’t think that will get me anywhere.
Annoyingly the supplier I used had a guarantee not to damage alloys, that promise seams to have disappeared from their website.
They did apologise for making me wait for so long (took 2 ½ hours to fit 4 tyres!), saying they took their time as the car was really clean and obviously cared for so didn’t want to do any damage……
.
Annoyingly the supplier I used had a guarantee not to damage alloys, that promise seams to have disappeared from their website.
They did apologise for making me wait for so long (took 2 ½ hours to fit 4 tyres!), saying they took their time as the car was really clean and obviously cared for so didn’t want to do any damage……
.Do the right prep and use Stick on weights with allow wheels. Also mark with a Sharpie on the wheel where it goes and what weight was used should it ever fall off.
I had a new tyre fitted at Wembley Tires to a Ronal Alloy, and they made a mess of my alloy wheel with a hammer on weight. It did not hold air after that.
After about a year of pumping up the tyre every time I used the car, I was fed up. I put the wheel in the bathtub and sure enough, bubbles coming out at the weight.
Giving the benefit of the doubt, I though that maybe the wheel was a little corroded or the paint was flaking, or something along those lines, but that was not the case:
I called the mobile tyre fitter out to have the tyre removed from the wheel and changed over to another rim, and we see two large gouges where the weight had been hammered on creating two channels for the air to escape!
The Reason I decided not take it back to Wembley Tyres for them to correct, is because I once had the tyres changed there on my wifes Ford KA and the muppets who changed the tyre using a trolly jack, tore out the bushes on the front suspension lower arm (Imagine adding springs and dampers to a skateboard. That is the ford KA suspension). He did not place the jack on any normal jacking points on the body of the vehicle but on the lower suspension arm. I point out what he did, and he replies "You won't be keeping this car forever will you". And the suspension clunked all the way home.... I'm not going back there again.
So I will be cleaning and filling the gouges with epoxy filler and then sanding it down to smooth again. I spent one morning under the car replacing that lower arm on the KA. lesson learned, but I'm not getting any younger! Stay away from unskilled tyre monkeys!
The problem is endemic among tyre fitters. On another occasion at a different shop the fitter struggled to balance one out of the four wheels. It took him ages, as the owner bragged about how expert they are. In the end, he basically said it was the best he could do for the troublesome wheel and left it at that. What did he fail to notice? an old stick on weight!
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff