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RE: Balancing wheels@home

To: <shop-talk@autox.team.net>
Subject: RE: Balancing wheels@home
From: "Randall Young" <Ryoung@navcomtech.com>
Date: Sun, 14 Dec 2003 09:30:46 -0800
> I have a set of 4 chevy wheels that I would like to try and balance at
> home.  I was wondering if I was to machine a 3" round piece of
> aluminum to
> fit/seat exactly inside the wheel center, would I be able to
> balance it by
> stringing it from the middle to the shop ceiling?

Hmm, how accurately can you get the string centered ?  Measure how level the
wheel is while it's hanging ?

>  Other ideas would be welcome,

Last I looked, a home "bubble balancer" was only about $50; I got one for
$25 at an estate sale (which came with a whole bucket of weights and a
couple of tools).

> Also, I notice that some rims are balanced by means of 1 weight on both
> sides of the rim; how will balancing using 1 weight on one side
> affect this?

It will seriously screw up the dynamic balance, in effect the wheel/tire
assy will wobble side to side at speed.  Static ("Bubble") balancing assumes
that the dynamic balance is OK to begin with, and adding weight evenly on
each side of the wheel supposedly maintains that balance.

Also note that on some wheels, the center hole is not necessarily
'centered', such wheels should be balanced with a tool that engages the lug
holes.  Even 'hub centric' wheels are sometimes damaged such that the
tapered balancer cones don't grab them just the same as the cylindrical hub
does.  Doesn't take much error here to screw up the results.

Randall





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