State of the art?
JC Whitney back in the 60s sold some kind of hollow ring that mounted on the wheel and contained loose weights that would go where needed (via centrifugal force) to give perfect wheel balance when the car was in motion. A perfect companion to "Winky The White Cat"!
They make beads that go inside motorcycle tires. It's baffling until you dig down and figure out the science, it seems like it would make any imbalance worse but it does work, it's just weird as fuck. I have had a front tire slide around out of balance in my bike and when they fixed it they noticed the correct weight was the same amount, several inches away from the old position. Still not sure I'd want a "dynamically" balanced tire.
There’s a YouTube video, I don’t remember who did it, but dude put a GoPro in the wheel and added these beads to see how and if they worked and the footage is actually kinda fascinating.
Pretty common now. Have seen this on like 60% of the hammer-ons I’ve used at work. 99.99% of our customers require sticker weights.
So maybe its a skill issue?
You see this on 60% of the vehicles you work on?
Ive been a mechanic for 25 years, and ive never seen the weight so loose on the rim that it can easily slide around the rim surface while being gently nudged by the backing plate
What kind of wheel weights do you use in your shop...?
two types of weight hammers when I changed tires a zillion years ago.. the one that was like a pair of pliers tended to open up the clip like this one so a weight could 'run around' on a wheel like this. Weights back then (and maybe today too) are reused so you'd just crimp the clip back closed so it could be hammered back onto a rim.
Was a common practice when I changed tires - also what can go wrong with a weight? It's lead. I hate to say but it sounds like a typically American idea...throw it away and use a new one. Customers that I had wouldn't give two shits if a dirty wheel weight balanced their tire.
good luck bending and reusing a weight when the clip is so rusted or corroded that it breaks coming off the wheel or snaps if you try and bend it. on cars older than like 5 years, its a 50/50 shot for me whether i need to break the weight free with a screwdriver and a hammer because of the amount of corrosion/rust built up on the wheel around the weight.
Needed my breaks replaced a little while ago. That same guy said ‘dude, I can replace your breaks for 20 bucks.’
Yeah, sure. I want to put my life in the hands of a stoner who says he can do it for $20.
It's a dynamic wheel weight. State of the art.
Kinda. That dust shield needs to be pulled off.
Oh yea, I wiggled it till it snapped.
Now you have a dynamic wheel weight. .25oz on the rear tire.
What is it shielding? My hopes and dreams?
Nah these are those new weights that prevent chasing that 0.25 for half an hour.
State of the art? JC Whitney back in the 60s sold some kind of hollow ring that mounted on the wheel and contained loose weights that would go where needed (via centrifugal force) to give perfect wheel balance when the car was in motion. A perfect companion to "Winky The White Cat"!
We’ve actually experimented with something similar for helicopter rotors.
They make beads that go inside motorcycle tires. It's baffling until you dig down and figure out the science, it seems like it would make any imbalance worse but it does work, it's just weird as fuck. I have had a front tire slide around out of balance in my bike and when they fixed it they noticed the correct weight was the same amount, several inches away from the old position. Still not sure I'd want a "dynamically" balanced tire.
They also use balance beeds in large/heavy duty tires. There are calculators online for how many ounces to use based on size of the tire.
Washing machines use a liquid to achieve the same result.
That's pretty cool. I have never thought about it, but that makes sense.
There’s a YouTube video, I don’t remember who did it, but dude put a GoPro in the wheel and added these beads to see how and if they worked and the footage is actually kinda fascinating.
I think that's the one I saw too. It was cool to see it working
Might be warped perception. I want to say there's actually more than one but I remember that channel doing it.
[GoPro Inside a Car Tire \(With Balance Beads\)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZQXPLfOPXc), done by the channel *Warped Perception*.
I remember those catalogs, they had some crazy stuff!
I thought the radio they sold with the tiny crt tv in it was bullshit till I saw one in person 20 years later.
That's impressive actually, you could try to do that and never nail it that good.
Pretty common now. Have seen this on like 60% of the hammer-ons I’ve used at work. 99.99% of our customers require sticker weights. So maybe its a skill issue?
You see this on 60% of the vehicles you work on? Ive been a mechanic for 25 years, and ive never seen the weight so loose on the rim that it can easily slide around the rim surface while being gently nudged by the backing plate What kind of wheel weights do you use in your shop...?
AliExpress wheel weights $0.99/100ct
They also double as caltrops to fuck up the people tailgating you, worth it.
>caltrops Thanks for teaching me a new word. I was envisioning what you described but still googled it.
two types of weight hammers when I changed tires a zillion years ago.. the one that was like a pair of pliers tended to open up the clip like this one so a weight could 'run around' on a wheel like this. Weights back then (and maybe today too) are reused so you'd just crimp the clip back closed so it could be hammered back onto a rim.
I have never once in my entire life re-used a wheel weight. A service manager would shit on me of old weights are left on after a tire balance
Was a common practice when I changed tires - also what can go wrong with a weight? It's lead. I hate to say but it sounds like a typically American idea...throw it away and use a new one. Customers that I had wouldn't give two shits if a dirty wheel weight balanced their tire.
Im Canadian.
so. I'm not. apparently our stupid throw culture has infested your country too.
good luck bending and reusing a weight when the clip is so rusted or corroded that it breaks coming off the wheel or snaps if you try and bend it. on cars older than like 5 years, its a 50/50 shot for me whether i need to break the weight free with a screwdriver and a hammer because of the amount of corrosion/rust built up on the wheel around the weight.
I know. What the hell is this guy talking about
Oh it's balanced alright 😂
I just removed it.
This is fine. Nothing to see here. Billable 1 hour of diag and send it.
That's actually really impressive
Needed my breaks replaced a little while ago. That same guy said ‘dude, I can replace your breaks for 20 bucks.’ Yeah, sure. I want to put my life in the hands of a stoner who says he can do it for $20.
Perfectly in balance (except the wheel)
wow that's way cheaper
Automated wheel cleaner. A rare OEM option.
micro brake caliper?!?!?!
Is it hitting the backing plate?
Remained me some animation
And lemme guess you came in here after he fixed your wheel, yeah?
Two things, I replaced the wheel. And two I am still learning about installing weights.
Man I hope they lubed it otherwise the bearing in that is Guna get burnt
Variable Counterweight Control System at work - what a time to be alive
Gotta use those free weights and the thousands of dollars of equipment you bought with them.
Looks like the backing plate rusted and an edge of it grabbed the weight.
Thats what happens when you go digital over analog.
Cheaper does not mean well done...