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HJ - I got a C70 recently, great car with some nice touches particularly the superb alloys. Horror, as I see they have balanced the wheels by clipping unsightly weights to the outside of each wheel - which I can already see has damaged at least two of them. I complained, asking why they didn't put them on the inside (even Kwik Fit do that!) and got a jobsworthy answer along the "that's how they always do it" line. Eventually, Volvo customer service sent me £100 toward a re-furb but surely it is totally unecessary to do this in the first place?
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My Vectra GSi has gorgeous 17" alloys, and rubber band profile tyres.
Wheel weights are fitted to both the inside and the outside of the rim, because a wheel often needs balancing in more than one axis. Both weights however are flat, and stuck on to the tyre with double sided adhesive tape.
They are therefore compressed on to the wheel with increasing force as rotation speed increases, but are also easy to remove - and cleanup the residue of with white spirit - at wheel change time.
Hope you get yours sorted.
The *only* two scratches on my allows have been done by Vauxhall dealers placing the wheels 'face down' at servicing time, despite me asking them not to. The spokes stand proud of the tyre sidewall, ergo, they damage easily!
/Steve
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Steve, I assume you meant this query to appear under Technical, not Discussion. Some of us (myself for instance) seldom look at the Discussion threads.
It is possible to dynamically balance wheels by putting weights only on the inside of the wheel but precise balancing is more easily and reliably achieved by using both sides of the wheels. It is not just a case of time-saving to use both sides, the results are usually better and high quality tyre fitters will not use the one-side method (unless, perhaps,under pressure from the customer to do so).
I prefer the stick-on weights with one proviso, that the adhesive does not melt into any lacquer that might on the wheels. I have twice lost clip-on weights from my alloy wheels, and at relatively low speed, though on a very bumpy Fenland road in each case.
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I always make a point of asking for the stick on weights and if possible mosey around the workshop while work is being done chatting to the bloke doing the work, therfore any if any damage is done there is no dispute!
While I was getting my slow puncture fixed yesterday (see thread below, no tube fitted BTW, the fitter found the puncture that was caused by a very fine piece of wire, not dissimilar to an office staple) I found out that the tyre pressure monitor valves as fitted to many new cars eg new laguna, cost £20 ~ £30 and only tend to be replaced if damaged. They are also not held in stock at the fitting center and have to be sent in a van when required, to date they have done 'loads' and only damaged 1 when removing the tyre. If you have these fitted make sure the fitter knows before he / she starts to remove the tyre. more idle chit chat more irrelavent knowledge!!
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I go through a similar routine to Big Vern. Over the years I've had no end of problems with the clip-on weights on alloys. I now always have the stick on variety and always on the inside of the wheels (actually about halfway across the width on my current wheels). Even with a tyre that that obviously had a "lump" and required 100g of weight this worked fine.
Just one further observation: I have found that better quality tyres tend to need less weight to balance when new and seem to be less prone to going out of balance as they wear.
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Steve
It's strange how different makers use different techniques. My BMW has the conventional clip on weights on the alloys, but the somewhat cheaper Vauxhall uses hidden stick ons.
Now for a perfect balance the weights should be fitted on either inside or outside of the rim, but in many cases (eg my Vauxhall)the rim design prevents either stick on or clip om weights being used on the outer rim.
Regards
John S
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It's interesting to see the replies. My (admittedly basic) understanding of the physics tells me that you should be able to balance wheels perfectly adequately by clipping the inside rim. Having now taken more notice of it on other cars, I note that specialist alloys like AMGs & BBS don't usually wear this type of damage, possibly because they realise that anyone paying extra is not going to appreciate it! However, I've seen lots of BMWs, Volvo's, Audi's and the like, with top of the range boots scarred in this way. I guess standing over people while they fit wheels is good advice.
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Steve
My BMW appears to have come from the factory with clip on weights.
Regards
john
Regards
John S
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>>I guess standing over peoplewhile they fit wheels is good advice.
>>
A search of this site will bring up many horror stories about wheel-fitters - common complaints are over-tightening nuts, jacking at the wrong place, putting uni-directional tyres on the wrong way etc etc.
Like anything, it pays to go somewhere you can watch the work in progress...
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There's nothing thicker than a ****-*** fitter.
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With fancy alloys we always 'invisible balance' them putting the (stick-on) weights on the inside of the wheel.
MG-Rover Questions? Click on www.mg-rover.org
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A good wheel outfit uses the measuring bar associted to the balancer to tell the machine where the inside surface and the maximum outside stickable surface is. The appropiate weights are applied then checked again. Ideally get the guy to check your wheel as is then rotate it 180 degrees, if different figures are measures, i.e. more that 5gms get him to clean the mating surfaces and check he is using the right boss. My local guy lets me use the machine and I get perfect results.
Scarring an Alloy should be made an offence under the raod traffic act and give the fitter 3 points and a slap on the head.
Peter
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I think the advert tag-line started with "You can't get..."!
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Surely if components were balanced properly before leaving the factory no more balancing would be necessary?
Why can't a wheel be balanced perfectly when it is made, likewise a tyre, also incidentally disks, hubs, etc? Then when one perfectly balanced component was attached to another, the result would be bound to be balanced too?
Isn't sticking weights on afterwards just an admission that the parts have been sent out half-finished?
I bet Rolls or Royce or Bentley or some other mechanical perfectionist would have had a thing to say about wheel-balancing!
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You've got to join the steel bands in the tyre together somewhere, and this leads to a slightly heavier point on the tyre. Although small, the valve also has weight of its own, and this must be counterbalanced. There is no way that a tyre could be manufactured to be exactly balance, and then it might not go on the rim exactly central, and then there's the weight of the valve. It is not possible to get this right when the tyre manufacturer doesn't know what sort of wheel you are going to fit it on, and how many times that wheel has been bounced off the kerb and had its weight distribution changed - hence the need for balancing weights.
Richard
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I suppose you must be right Richard. It just struck me as a very primitive way of correcting for what seem to be perfectly measurable variations during manufacture. Afterall, all other bolt-on car components come ready-balanced - propshafts, flywheels, starter rings, brake disks, not to mention pistons etc.
And what about wheel covers/hub caps? They must have a significant weight in relation to say a tyre valve, and they are just stuck on any old how after wheel balancing. Or should wheels be balanced with these in place?
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I have noticed that new BMWs and Audis have plastic coated weights which must minimise the potential damage of lead and alloy in contact. However the clip still appears to be metal so it's not the perfect solution. My recently purchased approved BMW was fitted with new tyres (wrong speed rating as well!) and they have also used clip on weights which drives me mad but most people rarely look at their wheels let alone care about balancing weights hence the number of mashed alloys on used cars.
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