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static balance?


EviLette

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I've heard that balances done on tires called "static" balances are the ones on the inside? IE there is no metal weight pounded onto the wheel itself?

 

Any information on the reliability of said balance jobs would be awesome, as I'm considering having that done instead of the traditional metal weights...

 

Primarily because I am sick of wetsanding off the corrosion on the aluminum lips I"ve spent time polishing... and I will be able to get them FINISHED if there is no balance on the outside to fight with polishing "around".

 

Input! gogo. :)

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mine have been mounted on the flat surface on the inside of the rim. as you see there are no weights on the outter edge of the rim. i have had no problems with them at all and it makes it look much better.

100_6844.jpg

 

so i would definetly go that way when you get your new tires put on the rims.

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Static balances generally use either sticky weights (these weights stick to the inside of the wheel). The problem with these is alot of shops have problems getting them to stick to dirty brake dust covered wheels.

 

You can also get regular weights just on the inside of the rim.

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i have the sticky ones, and had no problem at all having them installed. although my rims were all cleanned and prepped before i took them down to have them balanced. but it gives it such a nice clean look imo.

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I wouldnt recommend having then static balanced because its not a true balance, a static balance is where you only put one wheel weight on the inside of the wheel. That way of balancing tends to be inaccurate, you could do what i call a two plane balance, which is where you put a wheel weight on the inside of the wheel, and also putting sticky wheel weights on the inner part of the wheel where it cant be seen, this way is much more accurate.

 

So pretty much i would highly recommend the two plane balance since that is what i use on my american racing rims, and my good 17" chrome summer wheels, and i never had a balancing problem with them. I balanced my own tires though also, since i work at a garage.

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Static balances generally use either sticky weights (these weights stick to the inside of the wheel). The problem with these is alot of shops have problems getting them to stick to dirty brake dust covered wheels.

 

You can also get regular weights just on the inside of the rim.

 

The reason the sticky weights wont stick is because the person balancing the wheel doesnt clean that part of the wheel off where the sticky weight will be going. I use a rag with some brake cleaner sprayed on it.

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I'm not talking about nice clean wheels, I'm talking about your typical trashed run of the mill wheel.

 

I would've used them at Wal-Mart, but we never had any of the parts we needed, and even when I cleaned them I couldn't get them to stick.

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why would it matter how its balanced? as long as its balanced you should be fine, I don't understand how the different types of balancing would differ. When you get down to the physics of it, a balanced wheel is a balanced wheel. Its not like the weight being in a different spot is going to give you a false balance....

 

I've seen the static weights, they will be what I use when I get my rims refinished this summer.

 

Jamie

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why would it matter how its balanced? as long as its balanced you should be fine, I don't understand how the different types of balancing would differ. When you get down to the physics of it, a balanced wheel is a balanced wheel. Its not like the weight being in a different spot is going to give you a false balance....

 

I've seen the static weights, they will be what I use when I get my rims refinished this summer.

 

Jamie

 

I just thought "static" was the only way i could balance them without having the icky weights on the outside, though I never understood why they HAD to put them on the outside, since the lip is the same size at the inside/outside.

 

I'll have them mount the weights on the inside of the wheels.

 

Just so i dont have to deal with the weights being there.

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yeah static balancing has the weights on one side, the inner

 

dynamic balancing does both sides and you can either use stick on weights after cleaning the inside wheel, important, or clamp on weights like the other side.

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I've had my crosslaces static balanced since I put them on. Been about two years, or just a bit over. None of them ever fell off... My Maxima was static balanced when I bought it, and I just got new tires, and got them balanced the same way. However, this time I can see some sort of sticky shit sticking out from under the weight, and I never saw that on the Cutlass before. I'll keep an eye on them to make sure they don't fall off.

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I Got Static Balance On My XLaces. I Wouldn't Do Them Any Other Way. Not With The HOURS I Have In Them.

 

QFT!

 

I'm trying to get the project on my X-laces finshed. It won't be easy living here, but I can get it done. The problem just arises when trying to work on that outer lip and fidgeting with polishing around those damn ugly weights.

 

Oh yeah, and on that note.. the next time I get my car back from a tire shop with paint chipped off my Xlaces i'm gonna hunt someone down and make them refinish them for me. >.<

 

Any ideas on how to avoid THAT mess? Other than kindly asking them to be careful, as you've spent a lot of hours working on said wheels? (Which should be obvious, but people just don't give a F*** anymore.)

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i have stick ons on the cutlass. they lasted for like at least 4 years before one fell off. i had my truck balanced just on the inside lip when i first bought my rims. shortly after had them balanced on the outside because the wheel shake over 50mph was incredible

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Okay, there's a lot of different ways to "balance" an automotive tire/wheel. Here's some off the top of my head:

 

1. Static, off-the-car. Often done on a "bubble balancer". Anyone who settles for static balance needs his head examined. This was state-of-the-art--about 1920. Uses one weight per wheel, OR two identical weights directly across from each other. ALL static balance jobs are crap compared to a dynamic/two-plane balance.

 

2. Static, on-the-car. No better than "off-the-car" except you also can compensate for out-of-balance brake drums/rotors or missing lug nuts. Anyone who settles for static balance needs his head examined. If on-the-car balancing fixes a vibration that off-the-car balancing didn't--you need brake parts, not an on-the-car wheel balance. State-of-the-art--about 1950. Uses one weight per wheel, OR two identical weights directly across from each other. ALL static balance jobs are crap compared to a dynamic/two-plane balance.

 

3. Dynamic, off-the-car, wheel weights on inner and outer bead areas of the wheel. Most common balance method now. Uses the least amount of added weight to properly balance the wheel/tire assembly. Absolutely wonderful, if you can stand to look at the weight on the outside bead area of the wheel. I'd be painting or clearcoating the weight before installation if that mattered to me. Uses two weights, and it's unlikely (but theoretically possible) that they'd be the same amount of weight or that they'd be directly across from each other.

 

4. Dynamic, off-the-car, one wheel weight on inner bead area, other weight "hidden" on rim behind bolt flange. Still a dynamic/two-plane balance but cleans-up the wheel appearance. Uses two weights, and it's unlikely (but theoretically possible) that they'd be the same amount of weight or that they'd be directly across from each other. Hidden weight often heavier than if it was placed on outer bead area. "Hidden" weight is usually an adhesive-backed "tape" weight. Installed properly, I guess they tend to stay in place.

 

If your wheel has more than one balance weight on the bead area--and they aren't so close together that they're practically touching--you need a different guy running the wheel balancer.

 

If there are other balance methods, please let me know--I'd be curious.

 

NO balance method compensates for out-of-round wheels/tires.

NO balance method compensates for bent wheels.

NO balance method compensates for the "seam" in the tire sidewalls where the fabric overlaps. This wasn't a problem with tall-sidewall tires, but as the sidewall gets shorter and has less flexibility, the extra-stiff overlap area can cause a vibration.

 

If you don't like having a shop damage your wheels--DON'T GO THERE, --or-- offer to actually tip the worker if he'll take extra care with them. Tire shops don't pay all that well, and if they're paying by productivity, the guy is GOING to move your tires or his family goes hungry. It's more the fault of the shop owner/manager than the guys working there.

 

 

 

 

 

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Erm, it's not like they are throwing my wheels around so much as rushing through pulling lugnuts off/on and chipping paint...

 

My biggest concern is and has been NOT putting weights on the outside lip where they are visible because I have been trying to refinish them. I explained this to the owner of the shop today, and he told me that it was very common for wheels to be balanced that way anymore, and they had no problem doing it. There are two weights, I just don't know where.

 

New tires mounted-balanced, alignment in the morning. :)

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