Wheel Balance Question

[rjhgenesis]

I was wondering, on the outside of the wheels, rims....I see no weights (as typical, when a tire is balanced), yet I have driven now about 2000 miles, a trip from PA to Boston, and no issues.

Are the weights on the inside.? or are the wheels not balanced....and if they were not balanced, would I not be noticing a considerable problem when driving.?

Excuse my lack of knowledge on this....

Thanks,

 

[moose66]

Not a pro on this, but here is my observation over the years. Usually on high end wheels, not the steel wheels w/hub-cap attached, the weights are located on the inside of the wheel. You should be able to see them easily if you look at the inside of the wheel (turning the front wheel in/out may be the easiest). I think this serves two purposes. It doesn't take away from the clean look of the wheel/tire package, and it does not damage the wheel. Experts chime in if I am off base here.

 

[Mark_888]

I found this website about tire balancing. There may be others sites with more information.
http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/infoTireBalancing.dos

I suspect that auto manufacturers insist on inside weights (adhesive or clip-on) for aesthetic reasons, but when you get new tires, I bet most tire shops will use clip-on weights on the inside or the outside of the rim (depending on where the balancing machine says they are needed).

Maybe they treat chrome wheels differently, but I have had OEM alloy wheels for many years and they will put the weights on the outside if indicated by the machine. Obviously, it may also depend on who does the balancing.

 

[ctrcbob]

Forgive me if this post is long. First off, the above post about Discount Tire is correct.

Second, if anyone ever has a problem with wheel balance (rough ride on smooth road) and the wheels/tires show that the balance is perfect, go to a tire shop that has the Hunter GSP9700 Road Force Balance Machine. (google both Road Force Balance Machine and/or Hunter GSP 9700 to get the information how it works.)

Here is my story. Last Summer, I purchased new tires for my Continental. I had a vibration around 55mph. Went back and had them rebalance. Still had the vibration. Went to a second place and had them rebalanced, (showed they were in perfect balance). They re-did it, and still had the vibration around 55mph. Next, I heard that my local Ford Dealer had a balance machine that would do everything but tell you your name. Went there, and found they had a Hunter GSP9700 machine. (So far, so good right, but read on). Had the Ford Dealer redo the balance, and the "Lazy Technician" says, "These tires are no good - take them back as they show too much Road Force" which read from 25 lbs to 43 lbs depending on the tire. Now I knew the tires were good but not knowing exactly how the Road Force Balance worked, I just accepted his word and paid them. WHAT HE ACTUALLY DID WAS TO TAKE A ROAD FORCE READING, BUT DID NOT DO THE CORRECTION. After reading about Road Force, and how to correct vibration, I went back to the Ford Dealer and asked why did he not to the correction. The answer I got was that "it would take too much time, and cost me too much". OK, I then telephoned my favorate tire dealer, Dunn Tire up in Rochester NY, as I was going there a couple weeks later. They told me that yes, one of their locations had the Hunter GSP9700 and they would do the job for $72.00 on all four wheels. When I drove up, I went directly there, and they did the job correctly. Here is what they did.

1. Placed tire/wheel on machine and the machine spins tire slowly, with an additional wheel pushing (forcing) down on the tire. When wheel stops, a lazer light shines down on the tire, and the tech marks the tire.
2. Spins the tire again slowly, with a bar against the side of the rim. A lazer light shine down on the rim and the tech marks the rim.
3. Somewhere here, the machine tells the tech how much Road Force it measured. Anything over 18 lbs is too much, and some places want it below 12 lbs.
4. Next, the technician deflates the tire, breaks the tire bead, and lines up the two marks on the tire and wheel, then reinflates the tire.
5. Tech then repeats steps 1 thru 3.
6. Tech then spins tire fast for a "regular wheel balance'

Tech does this for all four tires. After all four tires are finished with the Road Force Balance, the machine then tells the tech where to place the wheel. LF, RF, LR, or RR.

The whole job took just a little over an hour for all four tires/wheels. The Manager saw that I was Retired Navy, so he gave me a Military discount, and the whole job only cost me $60.00

The Road Force Balance worked GREAT. No more vibration, at any speed.
After my return, I went to the Ford Dealer to tell the Service Manager what a lousy job they did a couple weeks before. Well, to make things right, he did give me a free oil change.

Again, look up those two things in Google. You won't be sorry.

 

[bilmat]

When I first brought my car home from the dealer I noticed a red sticker in the form of a half-inch round dot on each of the four tires. Since there were no weights visible on the outside of any of the four tires, I assumed the purpose of the red stickers was to tell whoever balanced the tires and wheels where on the inside rim of the wheel to apply the weights.

 

[DanTheMan]

When I first brought my car home from the dealer I noticed a red sticker in the form of a half-inch round dot on each of the four tires. Since there were no weights visible on the outside of any of the four tires, I assumed the purpose of the red stickers was to tell whoever balanced the tires and wheels where on the inside rim of the wheel to apply the weights.

The red stickers were also on my car's wheels--not the tires. I ended up having a wheel replaced (damaged inadvertently by the dealer while changing a tire w/slipped belts) and the new wheel also had a red dot--again, not the tire. I assume the red dot is a quality control/inspection check before the rim leaves the manufacturer. It had nothing to do with the placement of the weights on the rim (which were in place on all four wheels).

Dan :>)

 

[bilmat]

The red stickers were also on my car's wheels--not the tires. I ended up having a wheel replaced (damaged inadvertently by the dealer while changing a tire w/slipped belts) and the new wheel also had a red dot--again, not the tire. I assume the red dot is a quality control/inspection check before the rim leaves the manufacturer. It had nothing to do with the placement of the weights on the rim (which were in place on all four wheels).

Dan :>)

I stand corrected. The red dots were on the rim of the wheels, not the tires. And based on your wheel replacement experience, the red dots probably were quality-control inspection stickers. Whatever their purpose, I had to use a heat gun to remove them.

Bill

 

[Gen22]

My red dot is on the wheel and there is a corresponding mark on the tire. Anyone else have this or know what it is? Seems kind of a shame that they would mark up the wheel with a permanent red mark. Pic attached.

 

[EdP]

My red dot is on the wheel and there is a corresponding mark on the tire. Anyone else have this or know what it is? Seems kind of a shame that they would mark up the wheel with a permanent red mark. Pic attached.

For the best balance point.

What are the red and yellow dots on my tires? – Tires-Easy Content Hub