Quick couple questions about wheel balancing

[bus_ter]

When you get new tyres fitted, and thus balanced. Should the tyre fitter remove the existing weights and start with a fresh alloy? or do they just add more weights?

Also will they hammer on weights to the rim edge? My factory alloys have weights that appear to have been glued down onto the inside of the rims. I would rather this system than the nasty clip on weights you see on the outside rim that ruins the look of the wheels.

I'm planning to get my tyres fitted at Hi-Q if it makes any difference.

[ShropshireMike]

bus_ter said:

When you get new tyres fitted, and thus balanced. Should the tyre fitter remove the existing weights and start with a fresh alloy? or do they just add more weights?

Also will they hammer on weights to the rim edge? My factory alloys have weights that appear to have been glued down onto the inside of the rims. I would rather this system than the nasty clip on weights you see on the outside rim that ruins the look of the wheels.

I'm planning to get my tyres fitted at Hi-Q if it makes any difference.

They should strip off all the existing weights and start afresh. I also prefer the stick on weights on the inside of the rim.........depends on how tight the caliper/rim clearance is on some cars though, whether they can do it!

[Avocet]

Ask them when you go in. If the design of the rim is not suitable for hammer-on weights, they shouldn't be able to make them stay on anyway.

[ukkid35]

I usually remove wheels from the car and remove old weights before getting them balanced. But occasionally I forget to remove the old weights and they come back with weights in multiple positions. Does that mean they're not truly balanced?

[CoolC]

They should remove all weights before balancing. They should also line up the coloured dot with the valve to minimise the amount of weights required, but most staff don't know what the coloured dots mean.

The vast majority of modern balance machines can be set to position the weights behind the spokes of the wheel, but again most staff don't know how to use these settings on the machine.

Take the weights off before you go too. It's a pet hate of mine how they go at the wheel with an old screwdriver to remove weights and invariably scratch the paint at the same time exposing an area for future corrosion.

[Matt Seabrook]

Wheels with correct vibration control has nothing to do with dots on side walls. Sorry this is internet b****x

[one eyed mick]

Matt Seabrook said:

Wheels with correct vibration control has nothing to do with dots on side walls. Sorry this is internet b****x

Was taught [many years ago ] that the dot should ALWAYS be aligned with the valve when fitting new tyres ,always did it [better than a knucke in the ribs if not done in early days] wether it made any diff I dont know

[ukkid35]

My 928 has a red coloured stud that is also to be aligned with the valve stem when fitting the wheel.

[Matt Seabrook]

For correct vibration control the wheel and tyre need to be fitted together in the best orientation regardless of where the valve and dots are. See the video in the link.

http://www.hunter.com/videos/index2.cfm?v=235&...

[mrmr96]

ukkid35 said:

I usually remove wheels from the car and remove old weights before getting them balanced. But occasionally I forget to remove the old weights and they come back with weights in multiple positions. Does that mean they're not truly balanced?

I think they have to add weights to the inside and outside edges of a wheel, usually starting from scratch, to fully balance a wheel. So this might be one reason why there's two sets of weights, if they're on different axis'.

On the other hand it could be that they just left the old weights on your wheel and added more. So long as the old weights were present on the wheel when it went on the balancing machine it will be properly balanced once the new weights are added. Could be neater if they took the old ones off, but that doesn't mean they're not balanced.

[one eyed mick]

Leaving old weights on is being sloppy but it probably ok with NVO [ not vrty qualified ] spotty tyre fitters

[Peterson]

They should remove off all the current loads and begin a new one. I also choose the keep on loads on within the rim . . . . . . . . . depends on how limited the caliper/ rim approval is on some vehicles though, whether they can do it or not ! . . .