Badly unballanced tire

**Intrepidman** · 04-10-2009, 07:40 AM

Hey guys, does this look like a usual way to weight a tire to you guys? I (and no one I know) has ever seen a tire with this much weight on it before....in total is 6oz.

I didn't actually think much of it at the time, but when a friend of mine, who worked at a tire shop for a few months when he was younger, saw it he said that usually when a tire is this badly out of balance it is because the tire and rim were joined together with both of their peak out of balance points aligned, and that usually dismounting them and rotating the tire on the rim 180 degrees would balance out a lot of that problem and let you balance the tire with much less weight being added.

Anyway, does anyone know if this amount of weight is within the range of (standard practice) or should I be looking to have it adjusted before I bolt this tire on and go flying 150mph around a track?

BTW, the tire shop used the old clamp on weights on my new rims because they said the "stick on" variety would not stick to my new torque trust M's

**TransAm11973** · 04-10-2009, 10:52 AM

i would most definitely get the tire rotated on the rim, your balance should improve, if it gets worse or doenst change I would start making phone calls

**TransAm11973** · 04-10-2009, 10:54 AM

the inside of your rim doesnt look very smooth, that may be the reason they said they stick ones wouldnt work. That may be true, but I dont know for sure. I cant say that I have much exp. with the stick on weights. All you can do is try it and keep a real close eye on it if you really want them

**Smittro** · 04-10-2009, 11:05 AM

Originally Posted by Intrepidman

Hey guys, does this look like a usual way to weight a tire to you guys? I (and no one I know) has ever seen a tire with this much weight on it before....in total is 6oz.

I didn't actually think much of it at the time, but when a friend of mine, who worked at a tire shop for a few months when he was younger, saw it he said that usually when a tire is this badly out of balance it is because the tire and rim were joined together with both of their peak out of balance points aligned, and that usually dismounting them and rotating the tire on the rim 180 degrees would balance out a lot of that problem and let you balance the tire with much less weight being added.

Anyway, does anyone know if this amount of weight is within the range of (standard practice) or should I be looking to have it adjusted before I bolt this tire on and go flying 150mph around a track?

BTW, the tire shop used the old clamp on weights on my new rims because they said the "stick on" variety would not stick to my new torque trust M's

I dunno. Sounds like the tire is defective to me. I would'nt chance it! There maybe a thin spot or something internally wrong with the tire that is'nt outwardly visible. Just my two cents though.

**Intrepidman** · 04-10-2009, 03:11 PM

Originally Posted by Smittro

I dunno. Sounds like the tire is defective to me. I would'nt chance it! There maybe a thin spot or something internally wrong with the tire that is'nt outwardly visible. Just my two cents though.

I'd have a friggin heart attack if this were the case, I had to wait almost a month to get these tires and rims and have them balanced...not to mention having to drive 200 miles each way to pick them up at the CDN/US border.

**Intrepidman** · 04-10-2009, 03:12 PM

So then you guys think I definetly shouldn't run on this tire as is??

I'm sure its going to cause a big hastle if I go back and tell them I need it adjusted. (as in trying the 180 rotation of tire vs rim trick)

**Smittro** · 04-11-2009, 06:35 AM

Originally Posted by Intrepidman

So then you guys think I definetly shouldn't run on this tire as is??

I'm sure its going to cause a big hastle if I go back and tell them I need it adjusted. (as in trying the 180 rotation of tire vs rim trick)

Sorry bud. But there's probably no one good answer. The tire maybe fine, or may not be. The rim maybe fine or may not be. I know this sounds like "WTF", but that does seem like an awfull lot of weight on one side to get it to balance out and spin true. But that's just my thinkin' on it. Yes it maybe a hastle to mess with but so is a smashed car, or a severe injury to yourself, others, or both! Like I was sayin' I would'nt chance it, but it's up to you. I put my kid and my wife in my cars that's what does it for me on safety questions. Good luck with it though.

**kickflippin1** · 04-11-2009, 06:25 PM

Well it looks like they only did a Static Balance. Usually that calls for more weight than the normal Dynamic Balance. Stick on weights shouldn't have been a problem, even with that wheel not being perfectly smooth. They could have used a lighter to heat up the glue on the weights. I do it all the time. They should have used stick on weights just behind the spokes, and could have used either a stick on, or clip on weight like they did for the inside.

Only thing that may happen, is you get a vibration out of it. I definitely wouldn't chance any vibration, especially if you're going 150 mph. That little weight sitting by itself definitely shouldn't be there. That means when they put the initial weight on, spun it to check it, it called for more weight in that spot. Usually referred to as a "counter balance" or "chasing weight". I would say take it back to wherever balanced those, and tell them to do it the right way, or take it somewhere else and tell them to do it the right way.

If you have any questions about anything, you can PM me. I've been doing this for 6 years, so I've got quite a bit of experience with that stuff.

**cammed goat** · 04-11-2009, 06:48 PM

That is a SUK @$$ way to balance a rim. I have dealt with that sh1t before. I had a Charger SRT-8 on my lift yesterday for that same sh1t. I guess I have OCD when it comes to working on cars. The previous shop put bang-on weights on the inside of the rims and let the car go. I assume the owner of the car wanted a second opinion. I rebalanced all four putting bang-on weights on the inner edge and tape weights on the inside(behind the spoke). Called for less weight than they did for the previous balance.

**Intrepidman** · 04-12-2009, 08:38 AM

Well, I went back to the shop (the only one within 100km that would even attempt these tires for me...I was turned away by 5 others) and ask some questions. They had a crew of 4 "tire guys" on at the time and two of them agreed with me that they had never seen that much weight used before. But the other two said they had seen it more than a few times.
One of them even walked me out to the parking lot and showed me his cobra R which had after-market rims and 245 profile tires on it. Two of his tires had more weight on them than mine does and the other two had a significant amount as well (he claimed he ordered them premounted and balance from the place where he bought them..just to show me they weren't the only shop that would use so much weight)

However they did tell me that it was a static balance rather than a dynamic balance (damn it!) and that they could not be 100% accurate or confident in the balance of the tires. They suggested I take the car out and run it, if I feel any vibrations then they will try to disassemble the tire, spin it on the rim and reballance it for me.

**cammed goat** · 04-12-2009, 09:13 AM

Originally Posted by Intrepidman

Well, I went back to the shop (the only one within 100km that would even attempt these tires for me...I was turned away by 5 others) and ask some questions. They had a crew of 4 "tire guys" on at the time and two of them agreed with me that they had never seen that much weight used before. But the other two said they had seen it more than a few times.
One of them even walked me out to the parking lot and showed me his cobra R which had after-market rims and 245 profile tires on it. Two of his tires had more weight on them than mine does and the other two had a significant amount as well (he claimed he ordered them premounted and balance from the place where he bought them..just to show me they weren't the only shop that would use so much weight)

However they did tell me that it was a static balance rather than a dynamic balance (damn it!) and that they could not be 100% accurate or confident in the balance of the tires. They suggested I take the car out and run it, if I feel any vibrations then they will try to disassemble the tire, spin it on the rim and reballance it for me.

And they should do it that way. They should use an "alloy" setting, where "dynamic" and tape weights are used. Shouldn't take that much weight at all.

**BIG GUNS** · 04-12-2009, 09:19 AM

Whoever mounted and balanced that tire should get bitch slapped. I used to work in a tire shop too and there is way too much weight on there.

Rotate it 180 degrees and try that. I have seen tires that will not balance at all and we ended up rejecting them and sending back to the manufacturer.