Is this shoddy balancing? Pic Included

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I had a tire changed over to a new one (carry in) and I see that they left the old sticky weights on (3/4oz total) and balanced it adding 2oz of new sticky weights about 8inches circumference gap away. Is this bad practice? Shouldn't they have just "started fresh" or was there a reason to leave the old ones? Surely the old ones take all of ten seconds to gouge off.

Tell me what you think. Any helpful comments are welcome.

 
That's shoddy alright. The fact that an additional 2 oz of weights were added to balance the tire means the tech didn't match mount or the tire's defective.
 
Thanks for popping in with answers folks.

Just to reiterate (solely for information reasons, not second guessing anyone) in the picture the weights do not continue behind the spolk. They are separated by 8 inches or empty rim curve.
 
A good tire tech can split them between two spokes so they hide.

This is the exact opposite.
wink.gif
 
Is it a front or rear wheel...

If it runs smooth, don't worry about... if it vibrates... point it out, and get them to do it again...

It looks like the tech just forgot to remove the old weights.
 
The weights on the bottom appear old, if that is the case they should have been removed prior to balancing. You end up with unnecessary weight. This being said its likely they just placed weight where the machine wanted it and got it to zero out. Mention this at your next service or if you get any vibration and they'll correct it. In a busy tire shop it is not uncommon for them to miss stripping a few weights!
 
It's a front tire. Those three weights (3/4 oz total old weights) at bottom are original from last tire. They then mounted the new one and even cleaned te area for the new (2oz worth) weights which I'd think woulda made them see the old ones.

Anyhow, as long as you guys dot think this is a 'dangerous for the bearings' or something amount of total weights....I suppose well enough left alone hey.

No rumbles or womping that I can feel at this point.
 
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Why's it gotta be sticky weights anyway? Won't the wheel take hammer weights?


You can see in one of the pics there's no outside flange.

A lot of the time they'll have an inside flange though.

Since the weights are near the spokes I can hope OP got a 2-plane balance, though a static balance often works too.
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Why's it gotta be sticky weights anyway? Won't the wheel take hammer weights?


You can see in one of the pics there's no outside flange.

A lot of the time they'll have an inside flange though.

Since the weights are near the spokes I can hope OP got a 2-plane balance, though a static balance often works too.


Does this mean that I basically have to feel some weights on the inside of the rim and if I don then it is a messed up job for certain?
 
Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
Lots of tire techs do [censored] quality work.

No wonder why you never see the same people 6 months later

Ain't that the truth.

The worst is when they have improperly-trained techs operating the sensitive Road Force balance machines. Happened to me on several occasions. I paid a premium price for the service and ended up with a [censored] balance than I came in with.
 
At my work we call this "counter balancing." The weight should be placed in one spot, not in multiple. I see this A LOT on wheels that come in, it is s****ty work. The tech should be slapped, this is tire training 101. Basic stuff! It almost looks like the tech didn't even check to see if there were old weights and just stuck new ones on.

These kind of techs make me want to punch them for making us who work in the same field look lazy!
 
Originally Posted By: SumpChump
Originally Posted By: eljefino
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Why's it gotta be sticky weights anyway? Won't the wheel take hammer weights?


You can see in one of the pics there's no outside flange.

A lot of the time they'll have an inside flange though.

Since the weights are near the spokes I can hope OP got a 2-plane balance, though a static balance often works too.


Does this mean that I basically have to feel some weights on the inside of the rim and if I don then it is a messed up job for certain?


Not necessarily. Some tires/wheels will balance out without needing weight on both sides (inside and outside). A lot of weight on either side (average 2oz or more) usually means that the wheel is either bent or the tire has a hop (could be from uneven wear/broken belts, etc). A good tech can tell you if the wheel or tire has issues.
 
Originally Posted By: SumpChump
Originally Posted By: eljefino
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Why's it gotta be sticky weights anyway? Won't the wheel take hammer weights?


You can see in one of the pics there's no outside flange.

A lot of the time they'll have an inside flange though.

Since the weights are near the spokes I can hope OP got a 2-plane balance, though a static balance often works too.


Does this mean that I basically have to feel some weights on the inside of the rim and if I don then it is a messed up job for certain?


No because they could have done a static balance which would be "good enough" and if you have no inner flange you'd pretty much have to accept your weights where they are.

Often the inner part of the rim doesn't have a flat spot for the sticky weights where centrifugal force would help keep them glued in place.

As much as it may seem like "not a favor" the old weights sometimes come off roughly, with a screwdriver making marks etc. Or the foamy glue attracts junk. (You can dissolve mere adhesive, but the foam adds trouble.) They sometimes look more acceptable just left there. Imagine the tech getting flack for gouging vs "derp you need those weights there" and the gamble that the customer accepts that line.
 
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