I recently bought a manual tire changer and a bubble balancer as the last jacka$$ that did my tires left a lug nut off and didn't tighten 4 others. Something else I can do better?? Changed 4 tires on my F150 and they are just a little off in the balance department. I have seen elsewhere about static (bubble) balance and dynamic forces. Implied that weights applied to the rim are not sufficent as speed increases, the out of balance tire generates more weight being further out from the axle than the weights. Any one know if there is a multiplier factor that should be used to add or subtract from the weights needed to "zero" the bubble? I took the total weight required, and used two weights, each 1/2 the total and placed one inside and the other on the outside of the rim. Another mention of dynamic forces that may produce shimmy if all is placed on one side of the rim. By the way I threw the wife's 2004 Explorer wheel on the balancer and it zeroed dead center, no wheel bounce on her's. Any one know how to get the balance right with one of these?? Thanks in advance.


WDP

 

It ain't rocket science. It won't be quite as accurate as the newfangled RF machines but it should be sufficient. I used one of those 30 years ago in my father's gas station until he bought a computerized one. The method you described is about as good as you will get. If you still have a shake, you can take the wheel off the truck and tote it up to a tire place and get them to balance it for you.

 

Level the balancer, proceed as you correctly described, and expect mediocre results. That's exactly how it was done back in the stone age.

 

One other thing to try, if you can't get the tire balanced, is to unbead the tire (if that is the proper term) and rotate it 180 degrees, reinflate and then rebalance to see if you use less weight. Also weights on both inside and out side may help.
I do agree with you, I'd rather do this work myself than trust some uncaring individual.

 

I spent many years balancing tires before the advent of the computer machines. I could get them to run as smooth at silk. Here is the trick.

When you balance the tire do not place the weight in a single location. Even if you split the weight front and back.

However, splitting the weight is the key. Achieve a general balance with a single weight in a single location. Then...You take two equal weights (each one-half of the total weight needed) and place them on the tire so as to create a triangle with the bubble at the apex. Move them around and mess with the weight needed until the bubble is plumb.

What this does is create a more even division of weight. If you place all of the weight in direct oposition to the bubble you have created two heavy spots on the tire. If you split the weight into a triangle configuration you have now created three weighted spots. (The heavy spot of the tire/wheel and to spots opposed to it. This will create a smoother ride and balance.

I drew a diagram but am not able to copy it. let me know if this does not make sense.

 

Thanks Skipper, sounds like a good plan. Makes sense too.

WDP

 

I am curious if you found any difference with the set up.

 

I have always mounted my tires myself by hand, with a bead breaker hammer, and good tire irons, and I never get them balanced, and I never had any trouble. I can dismount, and mount any tire by hand faster than anybody doing it on a tire machine, and some places will give you a discount buying tires, that you mount yourself. The reason why I mount them myself is because the tire change mechanic always has to break some plastic on my car and truck on the floor jack handle as he's leaving the jack down, the rear plastic on my Honda cost me $600, and another $200 to have painted, I can't afford it when someone else changes my tires. I asked the tire business to pay for it, he just laughed, told me to get lost, and he said he can afford to loose a customer, cause business is good.

 

roll them into a tire shop and spend $40.00 for a computer spin balance and save yourself some aggravation. ask them to check for excessive runout or if any take excessive amount of weight to spin 180 degrees on the rim