Adding more and more weight - same spot.

[mrsilv04]

I'd like to figure out what is going on here.

Every time that I go into Sam's to get the Michelin's on my Silverado rebalanced, they seem to be adding more and more weight to the rim, just to get them to balance. And the weight always seems to just be needed all in one spot.

I only let them put weight on the inside lip of the rim, due to the amount of salt that they use on the roads here. The techs do not want to use stick on weights on the inside portion of the rim, as they claim that there's not enough clearance for the brakes.

On a couple of the rims, they have 3 ounces, all in one spot.

I'm due to go back in, and want some advice on how to resolve this, instead of kicking the can down the road one more time.

 

[SteveSRT8]

We have a whole fleet on Michelins. LTX MS and MS2's all.

One of the best things about them is very little weight is required to balance them!

I haven't a clue other than maybe Sams is the problem...

 

[suspiciousmind]

Maybe have them check the wheel without a tire on it.....the wheel may be the culprit.

 

[2oldtommy]

IMO three ozs. of weight on a wheel assembly this size is not excessive. Don't concern yourself as it is not a problem. FWIW--Oldtommy

 

[ahoier]

Originally Posted By: suspiciousmind
Maybe have them check the wheel without a tire on it.....the wheel may be the culprit.
+1.

How do you know it's the same exact spot? If the tires are already "in balance" (that is, no vibrations, etc...) - I'd just get them rotated every 6-8k...and be done with it. The tires "shouldn't" need to be balanced every 6k....though a lot of these chains sell these "Lifetime Rotation AND balance" packages, and the consumers believe they are not getting their money's worth if they do not get them "balanced" when they rotate them

 

[mrsilv04]

The tech told me that he was removing a weight, and then putting a heavier weight on at the same spot... and that he was maxing out at 3 ounces.

I think the quick and dirty resolution was for me to let him put weights on the outside of the rim... which isn't going to happen.

 

[JimPghPA]

Rotate the tire 180 degree on the rim might help if both are off and both have lite side on same side.

 

[mrsilv04]

Originally Posted By: JimPghPA
Rotate the tire 180 degree on the rim might help if both are off and both have lite side on same side.


This is the one that I was wondering about. I've seen this done with motorcycle tires, when there was too much weight needed in one spot.

 

[Rand]

why dont you want a dynamic balance? For looks?

 

[JimPghPA]

If the tread is the same regarding the tread rotating direction, and the tire has very low miles on it so that the belts have not oriented due the huge force of breaking, and both sides are the same (both black-wall, or both white wall) so they would match the other tires when flipped, you could consider flipping the tire on the rim so the inside was towards the outside, and the outside towards the inside.

If the wall color is the same and tread or miles prevents flipping, you could swap to the rim on the other side and then put that tire on the rim for that side.

 

[mrsilv04]

Originally Posted By: Rand
why dont you want a dynamic balance? For looks?


I don't want weights on the outside of the rim, due to all of the salt that they use here.

My current rims are 8 years old, and still look new.

 

[Colt45ws]

It sounds like they are doing a static with weights just on the inside lip. Ive seen this done before. Thing is, it does not really work. To get a proper static balance, the weight needs to be split 50/50 between the inside and outside. Now what you are doing is making the dynamic balance worse because all the weight is hanging off one side of the wheel.
I would dynamic them with a weight on the inside lip and a sticky inside the wheel. Should clear the brakes as long as they dont do something silly like stack the sticky weights on top of each other. Try it on one wheel and if it does not work, I would do a static with JUST sticky weights in the center of the inside. This should be far enough away from the caliper to not cause a problem and the weight would be centered like a proper static balance.

 

[yonyon]

Factory wheels other than chromed ones on a Silverado really shouldn't have too much of an issue with road salt. If they're chrome wheels.... can you just drive alongside the roadway instead of on it until spring?

 

[CapriRacer]

Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
I'd like to figure out what is going on here.

Every time that I go into Sam's to get the Michelin's on my Silverado rebalanced, they seem to be adding more and more weight to the rim, just to get them to balance. And the weight always seems to just be needed all in one spot.

I only let them put weight on the inside lip of the rim, due to the amount of salt that they use on the roads here. The techs do not want to use stick on weights on the inside portion of the rim, as they claim that there's not enough clearance for the brakes.

On a couple of the rims, they have 3 ounces, all in one spot.

I'm due to go back in, and want some advice on how to resolve this, instead of kicking the can down the road one more time.


Here's what I think is going on. You have a balance problem and between you and the shop, you are putting restrictions on the procedure to prevent it from being resolved.

First, you need to consider that if you only put weights on the inside flange, you are creating a dynamic imbalance. While it is understandable not to want clip on weights on the outside for appearance reasons, your concern about corrosion is mis-placed. Corrosion will occur on the inside as well!

Second, since the shop won't use stick on weights - well, that's just wrong headed.

So what happens is that every time you come in, the machine says "I need weight on the outside" and the technician isn't smart enough to realize he is just making things worse.

If you are going to insist that no weights be on the outside, have the tech do a static balance only. You should expect a vibration problem, but static balance will be the best you can do.

 

[MNgopher]

As noted, there are about three "correct" answers here:

-Allow clip on weights on the outside of the rim.
-Use sticky weights in the outside of the rim
-Static balance only and live with any vibration it causes.

By not allowing the weight to be placed on the outside of the rim, (either as clip ons or sticky weights), you are chasing a balance that results in exactly what you are getting - a large amount of weight to that isn't in the right place to provide the best balancing. Its nice that your rims still look new, but I know for me anyways, by the time the rims start looking bad from salt, so does the rest of the car - I'm getting up there in miles and years, so its a wash from my perspective.

 

[HerrStig]

Ya can't compensate for a heavy spot in the center of the tread with a weight on one side of the rim. Two are needed to deal with that, one on each side.