On Nov 16, 2007 4:07 PM, Mark Andy <mark@sccaprepared.com> wrote:
> Howdy,
>
> Anyone out there know much about wheel balancers?
>
> This is one of the cheapest ones I've found:
>
> http://www.americasprideonline.com/wheel-balancer-1016071-3-1.ViewProduct
>
> It looks basically like all the wheel balancers I've used at friend's
> shops in the past, but I'm wondering what all the differences are between
> a higher end balancer and a cheap one like this.
>
> Basically, I care more about the ability to get a good balance rather than
> how long it takes (within reason) to do so. So if one balancer will
> require me to recalibrate it every now and then or something like that I
> don't care, but I DO care if one balancer will provide a better balance
> than another.
>
> I've yet to ever use a wheel balancer at a shop that didn't "work" for me,
> in the sense that I could always get a balance that felt correct out on
> the road.
>
> Should I just get a cheap one or spend more (or less :-) to get something
> different?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Mark
>
> (btw, yes with the racing & other vehicle maintenance I do, one of these
> cheaper wheel balancers will pay for itself over time, even if I don't
> count the convience of having my own balancer)
The big differences in wheel balancers are, until you get up into the
road force balance ones, are mostly ones of capacity -- how big a
wheel can it work on, how wide or narrow a wheel, how big a
combination, how heavy? -- and speed and ease of use. A machine that
rotates the tire to the right position to install the next weight, and
then locks it there saves a bunch of time.
--
David Scheidt
dmscheidt@gmail.com
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