Tire Balance Questions

A couple of dumb tire balance questions.....

For the rear slicks (36" or 34.5") on bead lock rims, what is the best way to balance, and is balancing really necessary? Bubble balance, or dynamic spin balance?

I might have an opportunity to buy a used spin balancer at a good price. Will most spin balancers handle these big tires/rims if the hood safety switch is rigged to let the machine work with the hood open?

Lastly, do people find that these tires/rims generally stay in balance once initially balanced, or does the balance move around at all with use?

Thanks.

 

We have always spun balanced our slicks, bead lock or not. most are out 4 to 12 oz on an average.

 

Bubble balancing always seems to work fine.

Dynamic balancing will render a better final balance because you can work that wide wheel in 2 plane mode. I do mine both ways. Dynamic when at home. Bubble when in the pits.

Purchasing a balancer. IF this is one of the modern hard bearing balancers that's cool. The older ones still work. Just a little more work to deal with.

The difference is the hard bearing style can turn slow and render an answer in a couple of revolutions. The hard bearing machine measures force.

The older soft machines measure movement and have to spin faster and longer to arrive at an average answer. They also may not have 2 plane capability.

Dave Koehler
http://www.koehlerinjection.com

 

i use an old bubble balancer i never had any problems

 

The machine I'm looking at is a "COATS Model 617-00000, 1001 Direct Drive Wheel Balancer", used but looks to be in good shape.

Thanks for all the replies on & off line.

 

After you balance your tires, when you spin them mounted on the car you will feel any out of balance, bubble balance is OK, but i would rather spin balance.

 

when I worked on a fuel team all we used was a bubble..and at over 300mph it was fine so on my ta/d i use a bubble works great and u can take it with you..Dave

 

i've got a question on slicks in general.
You should mount them with the x to the right side when new.
I was told that after one run you can swap them around.
This goes for Top fuel tires but does this go for all goodyear slicks?

 

balance

i was told by a goodyear rep that the only spin balancer that was accurate was one of the snap on hand spin balancers as the motor driven balancers spin to fast and distort the slick so you never get an accurate balance. any truth to this?

 

What the goodyear rep was referring to is the difference between old style soft bearing machines (fast spin/motion) and the newer hard bearing (any speed/force) machines.

Yes, the older machines can spin fast enough to get tire growth. Once you catch on to what is happening you can compensate for it. Takes a little practice.

Cracked me up years ago when I had a service station down the street do a couple for me. The man calls up and says he can't figure it out and the numbers keep changing. He had been messing with it for a couple of hours with no end in sight.
I think about it and ask him how fast it spins and does the tire appear taller. He tells me and says it does appear taller. I tell him to adjust his radius by best guess and go for it. The newer machines which you will like find in every tire shop these days make it a piece of cake.

FWIW to you guys that have machines. I have to do mine lug centric as the hub doesn't fit up real well with the floater axles.