Wheel balancing??

[aero]

I am pretty big into DIY stuff, especially since I hate having stupid morons drive my car into the lift 2 times. I do my own alignments, cant change the tires myself yet, but I am wondering how feasible it would be to be able to balance your tires yourself.

It is easy on motorcycles, just have a level bar, put it through the hub and spin it, if it continually stops in a certain location, put a counterweight to even it out.

By doing the same thing with a car tire.. how balanced can you get it? I know the balancing machines are 4000-10,000 bucks, but they had to start somewhere.

Any ideas? because in my current state, I have to take the wheels off the car, and drop them off for the idiots, since I dont want them hitting my oil pan on the lift.

[SteveB]

The problem with any simple DIY procedure is that you'll only balance in one plane. In your example for motorcycles, since the wheel is comparatively narrow, where the weight is on the rim *side to side* isn't as important.

On an aftermarket 7" wide rim, it matters immensely!

[NAiL05]

Best bet is to let a shop balance your tires. Nowadays technology has advanced allowing machines to apply real life simulations that the tire will encounter.

[rickyduckworth]

you'll do better at balancing your own tires than doing your own alignment.

[aero]

you'll do better at balancing your own tires than doing your own alignment.

well, with the "thrust" crap yeah.. but IMO, what I get it to is much better than spending 80 bucks for a grease monkey to do it that prolly doesnt know "righty tighty, lefty loosie". I know there are good shops some places, but around here.. nothing that I feel comfortable letting drive my car.

If I can get the guy who is going to get me new tires let me on the alignment rack before he puts new tires on there, I'll align it beforehand and see how it reads out.

When I autocross the car, it messes up the alignment and tires almost every month... and I dont think I am willing to pay 80 bucks per alignment per month.

[NAiL05]

Down here we have some alignment place that gives you lifetime alignments. Pretty good if you ask me. Im not sure what the place is called but my friend recently got it when he aligned his car like last week.

[aero]

Down here we have some alignment place that gives you lifetime alignments. Pretty good if you ask me. Im not sure what the place is called but my friend recently got it when he aligned his car like last week.

Yeah, we have a place like that also.

I purchased it, then 1 time later, they said they didnt do lowered cars... my car wasnt anywhere near slammed, and they didnt say anything when they sold me the alignment, and did it that time. I ended up getting my money back after 3 times. (Tires Plus)

Tried another tires plus for new tires. They ran it into the center rack at about 5mph... thankfully caught on the tow hook in the middle, bent my crossmember back, but didnt hit the oil pan. heads were ready to roll.

Tried them again for balancing... they hit my car into the same rack, after me telling them to not put it on a center rack, them writing it down, and having all the other bays open.

I dont deal well with stupidity.

[TysCb7]

I dont really see a DIY for wheel blancing, maybe you should check around your local high schools and see if they will let you balance your own wheels.

[NAiL05]

Ouch man that sucks. My friend brang in his GS after i helped him lower the car and they did the alignment and didnt say anything but those racks are a bitch i tried to get my car up on one and almost ripped the front bumper off so yea lol. You can try marking critical areas (tie rods and such) or just mark em with a punch or white out or something of that nature that will leave an imprint so you can default it to where it was. then make another mark for track days? That might work.

[Chaos_CB7]

just use a bubble balancer there affordable and that's how they balanced them before they used the computer balancers

[starchland]

find a shop you can trust

[ehulst]

check around your local high schools and see if they will let you balance your own wheels.

i'm in high school and in a Vocational School and i do all my own balancing+ repair and the school's have everything i need....check around schools, they dont charge for balancing let alone repair, i know at my vocational school theres no charge for repair, all you have to pay for is parts and we get discounts......
for a wheel balance if your @ the school, its not hard at all, messure the rim with the machine, pull the weights off with the special tool, have the machine spin the wheel, line up the weights with the line on the machine, once the machine has centerd your wheel both sides are different, then once your done, spin it again and if your set it'll tell yah, then just do it for the remainding three....i'll make a DIY for Machine Balancing one of these days..

[aero]

i'm in high school and in a Vocational School and i do all my own balancing+ repair and the school's have everything i need....check around schools, they dont charge for balancing let alone repair, i know at my vocational school theres no charge for repair, all you have to pay for is parts and we get discounts......
for a wheel balance if your @ the school, its not hard at all, messure the rim with the machine, pull the weights off with the special tool, have the machine spin the wheel, line up the weights with the line on the machine, once the machine has centerd your wheel both sides are different, then once your done, spin it again and if your set it'll tell yah, then just do it for the remainding three....i'll make a DIY for Machine Balancing one of these days..

Well yeah, machine balancing is easy... same thing if I had an alignment rack. but i digress.

Pretty sure that my tires that I have now have messed up belts. Anyone that has seen me autocross would vouch for the well being of the tires. If I drive at about 20 mph.. I'll get a constant bump from the tires (prolly from my last autocross finish... sideways).