Balancing Vixen Fins

[Moto]

If anyone is running a set of Vixen fins and struggling to lose the steering wheel wobble due to them being out of balance, there are two solutions.

The problem is that garages who offer wheel balancing no longer offer 'on car balancing' as all the machines are free standing and require the wheel to be removed to put on the balancing machine. These machines attach the wheel through the centre aperture covered by the 'TVR' badge, not the 4 x wheel stud holes. This central aperture is usually not central in the wheel and therefore the wheel cannot be balanced successfully.

Option 1 : find a spare hub to bolt to the wheel using the 4 x wheel studs and fit the wheel hub to the balancing machine.

Option 2 : take your car to VibrationFree in Bicester. They provide on car wheel balancing

Once you have them balanced, mark the wheels so they are always fitted to the same corner and mark one stud to a stud hole on each each wheel to ensure the wheel is always put back in exactly the same position.

Moto

Edited by Moto on Friday 5th August 08:39

[Adrian@]

Steve, there is a (as such standard) wheel balancing machine tool called a closed centre wheel mounting kits, commonly supplied with the machines. Not so common is the ability for the staff at places that fit/balance to even be able to install it on the machine.
Q. were they able to balance the rears on the car? A@

Edited by Adrian@ on Friday 5th August 10:02

[Moto]

Adrian@.

Thx, I didn't know such a tool existed. Something no garage has ever offered. I guess it must be adjustable somehow to fit different stud counts & spacings?

Yes they were able to balance all four wheels. It's wasn't a low cost task - it took 2 hours to do. But the results are worthwhile.

Moto

[Adrian@]

Cool, yes to a 4 and 5 stud version... there is a guy in Warwick that has the one of the on the car machines and the skill set to use it, which he uses for wire wheel cars. I have an obscene amount of weights on a set of Wolfrace that I want rebalancing, and he was going to pick the best pair to go on the back and then rebalance the two fronts on the car for me. (A trip to Bicester might be on the cards). A@

Edited by Adrian@ on Friday 5th August 12:05

[phillpot]

Sorted

[Adrian@]

Mike, the difference being that on the car includes the hub/nuts etc. as a dynamic balanced assembly, rather than statically balanced. The party trick at Warwick was to place a glass of water on the bonnet before (it would start to vibrate off) and after when it would be perfectly calm and still. I can see the need for it on old school cars. A@

Edited by Adrian@ on Friday 5th August 13:29

[phillpot]

My suggestion was a little "tongue in cheek"


If the hole is not central on those fin wheels it won't work but I'd have thought the normal way to make a wheel would be to bore the centre hole and datum everything from that?

[timelord]

I've balanced my set of finned wheels is my own garage, one on top of the other

[Dollyman1850]

timelord said:

I've balanced my set of finned wheels is my own garage, one on top of the other

I am sure all the money using balancing services could have almost stretched to a set of minilites

[Moto]

Dollyman1850 said:

I am sure all the money using balancing services could have almost stretched to a set of minilites

You're not far wrong, it would have bought 1 mini lite. But 4 x full balances would pay for a set of 4 x mini lites ........ or I could have a set of loverly fins. No comparison IMHO

Moto

Edited by Moto on Monday 8th August 14:35

Edited by Moto on Monday 8th August 14:37