Chance of Wheels being balanced with no weights?

Jono8

Jono8

Jono8

Caporegime
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Surrey
So i had two new front tyres fitted by a mobile fitter earlier this week and whilst it is minor and very subtle, i think i can feel a slight "wobble" or vibration every now and then, since the tyre change.

My first thought was obviously that the wheels were not properly balanced.

I have had a look and cannot see any weights anywhere so i was wondering what the chances are that both wheels did not need even need one balancing weight?

I definitely had some on there before but it looks like they have all been taken off and not one remains.
 
Very unlikely. Get down your local center and ask them to check the balance, most will do it for free.
 
Three of the four of my wheels didn't need any balancing weights with my Super Sports. One needed a 5g weight to make it spot on. I don't get a hint of wobble at any speed.

The tyre guys said that in their experience it doesn't happen often but premium wheels and tyres tend to balance much better than cheap ones.
 
Gaygle said:
Three of the four of my wheels didn't need any balancing weights with my Super Sports. One needed a 5g weight to make it spot on. I don't get a hint of wobble at any speed.

The tyre guys said that in their experience it doesn't happen often but premium wheels and tyres tend to balance much better than cheap ones.
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Well they are bridgestone re50a's (same tyre that the car came with as new) so they are pretty decent so maybe they genuinely didn't need any..

I could be imagining it but i can definitely feel something a bit odd sometimes. Coupled with zero weights being present has made me think something isnt right. I will ask them to come back out and check the balance.
 
Yeah, if you're not completely happy it's best to get them to come back and check now rather than later. Like I said, it's not often they don't need some kind of weights and I've never had it before my current car where I haven't needed weights. Sometimes tyre fitters can have a "that'll do" attitude when balancing which shows itself as wheel wobble!
 
A wheel balance problem should only be apparent at specific speeds (typically 60-ish). Drive faster or slower you'll feel nothing.

For a very longtime I've asked for my wheels to be balanced on the 'inside' to avoid external weights. This can result in stick on weights positioned in places that can't easily be viewed with the wheels on.
 
Don't think i had a wheel without weights.. my current setup if z4m alloys and eagle f1 as3s needed weights. Both would be high quality items I'd say.
 
I had a wheel balanced a couple of years back and asked the tyre fitter why he wasn't putting any weights on it. "Na m8, doesn't need any innit". Of course, as soon as I got onto the motorway the wheel started shaking really badly, took it back and another guy looked at it and sure enough it did need weights. I assume there can be cases where they're not required but I'd imagine it's rare.
 
bremen1874 said:
For a very longtime I've asked for my wheels to be balanced on the 'inside' to avoid external weights. This can result in stick on weights positioned in places that can't easily be viewed with the wheels on.
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Indeed I'm sure the better balancing machines can suggest "alternative" positions in order to move them behind spokes etc, to minimise appearance
 
bremen1874 said:
A wheel balance problem should only be apparent at specific speeds (typically 60-ish). Drive faster or slower you'll feel nothing.

For a very longtime I've asked for my wheels to be balanced on the 'inside' to avoid external weights. This can result in stick on weights positioned in places that can't easily be viewed with the wheels on.
Click to expand...

To completely balance the wheel, if a weight is needed on the outside, thats where its needed. They can be moved as above, but depending on the chosen location, may be a compromise.
 
They could have fallen off. I used a garage who decided to just stick the weights on top of the dirt, so a mile down the road they all just flew off :/
 
Most places don't bother lining the yellow/Red mark up with the valve either which can result in more than necessary weights being used to balance.
 
Thinking about it, it's impossible to manufacture a wheel that doesn't need weights it must be more likely a stroke of luck, I've heard of people have wheels that are unbalanced due to where the locking wheelnut. Also once you factor in valve stem she and metal valve caps there's no way it can be made to balance without weights.
 
Only by chance it doesn't need balancing. You have a valve so unless there is some sort of defect on the exact opposite side it will need balancing.
 
Far more likely to occure with premium aftermarket alloys than the ones that come with the care.

My local 4x4 accessory places has a laser wheel balancer and he was showing me how out of balance some allow wheels are before they even get a tyre on them. Some were atrocious and would need about 20 weights and others where perfect (although that can all change once you put the tyre on)
 
c1tro said:
Only by chance it doesn't need balancing. You have a valve so unless there is some sort of defect on the exact opposite side it will need balancing.
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My rear wheels have had two pairs of MPSS tyres on the them. The first pair balanced with no weighs, then the next pair at a different tyre place needed a single 5g weight on one of the wheels but nothing on the other. It is weird though, never had it on any other car.
 
Sometimes they can accidentally fit the tyre to offset imbalance in the wheel and require no weights, but it is extremely rare.
 
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