SouthernSon

Read the links on this page. Extreme bead blasting or over baking while refinishing the wheel can and will weaken the metal.

http://www.hrewheels.com/wheel-service

link: Not all wheel service is created equal

harrydirty

Anyone else think all those wheel weights are unusual?

froggy47

Not really, however I do like to see under 2 oz (in a row). I "teach" my tire guy(s) to line up the yellow/red dot on the valve stem & that saves a few weights.

sccaGT1racer

The valve stem and tire dot have zero effect on wheel tire matching. That method used to be used by the OE a long time ago and is no longer in use. The new road force balancers will give you optimum wheel/tire matching.

SouthernSon

Yes, things do change over the years. Many different ways of doing things I suppose. Personally, I learn something new every day.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiret....jsp?techid=17

0Luke@tirerack

many shops, including Tire Rack, have switched over to coated steel and iron wheel weights from the older lead wheel weights. The result is healthier employees and a higher number of weights being used to balance the wheel/tire combos

Tomswheels

What is the weight of a factory C5Z 18x10.5 ?

Scooter70

About 21lbs.




We had a Lotus Elise track an OE wheel (4 of the 5 spokes) this past season at the track. It, like these wheels, was powdercoated. There seems to be more than anecdotal evidence that I've seen in the last few years to show that powdercoating can weaken even OE wheels to the point where the extra stress of driving on a track can cause them to crack.

Bottom line: Paint your track wheels and inspect them frequently.

froggy47

Most of the tires I buy still have the dots. As I am sure you know any extra process by the tire mfg costs $$$$.

So why do many mfg's still put the dots on?

From 2016 Yokohama web site

MOUNTING PROCEDURES
For the proper mounting of Yokohama tires, be sure to observe some basic precautions:
Wheel is securely seated on the hub face.
All lugs have proper torque.
There is no buildup of dirt between the hub and wheel.
The wheel is not bent.
Both tire beads are securely seated on the rim.
Avoid scratching or bending alloy wheels during installation.
Observe match mounting procedures for safety and proper treadwear patterns.
To facilitate proper balancing, Yokohama places red and yellow marks on the sidewalls of its tires to enable the best possible match-mounting of the tire/wheel assembly. There are two methods of match-mounting Yokohama tires to wheel assemblies using these red or yellow marks:
Uniformity (red mark)
Weight (yellow mark)
1) UNIFORMITY METHOD
When performing uniformity match-mounting, the red mark on the tire, indicating the point of maximum radial force variation, should be aligned with the wheel assembly's point of minimum radial run-out, which is generally indicated by a colored dot or a notch somewhere on the wheel assembly (consult manufacturer for details). Radial force variation is the fluctuation in the force that appears in the rotating axis of a tire when a specific load is applied and the tire rotated at a specific speed. It is necessary to minimize radial force variation to ensure trouble-free installation and operation. Not all wheel assemblies indicate the point of minimum radial run-out, rendering uniformity match-mounting sometimes impossible. If the point of minimum radial run-out is not indicated on a wheel assembly, the weight method of match-mounting should be used instead.
During the mounting process, proper lubrication is a must.
Lubricate both top and bottom beads with an approved tire lubricant. If the beads do not seat at 40 psi, break the entire assembly down and relubricate the bead areas.
Warning: Improper mounting, underinflation, overloading or tire damage may result in tire failure, which may lead to serious injury. Tire and rim sizes must correspond for proper fit and application. Never exceed 40 psi to seat beads.
Warning: Tire changing can be dangerous, and should be done only by trained persons using proper tools and procedures established by the Rubber Manufacturers Association. Failure to comply with proper procedures may result in incorrect positioning of the tire, tube, or wheel assembly, causing the assembly to burst with explosive force sufficient to cause serious physical injury or death. Never mount or use damaged tires, tubes or wheel assemblies.
2) WEIGHT METHOD
When performing weight match-mounting, the yellow mark on the tire, indicating the point of lightest weight, should be aligned with the valve stem on the wheel assembly, which represents the heaviest weight point of the wheel assembly. After match-mounting by either of the above methods, the tire/wheel assembly can be balanced.

I did read the Tire Rack link, so I guess there is not yet 100% agreement on the issue, also not every single shop has state of the art road force/whatever balancers.

For myself, if the tire has marks, I ask the tire guy to use them, if it does not have marks & he has an up to date balancer, I don't worry about it.

froggy47

You mean STEEL right? Never have seen aluminum, it could take dozens of individual alum weight to get some tires balanced. I have seen most shops (especially Kalifornia) go to steel instead of lead.

Some EPA geek claimed the lead weights might fall off the wheel onto the side of the road and when it rained might contaminate the ground water. Must have failed jr. high science where I learned that lead is a naturally occurring element of the planet. That's why the change on the left coast.

0Luke@tirerack

correct ... they are not aluminum

Clip on weights for steel wheels are coated Iron

Stick on weights for most packages are coated Steel

Stick on weights for large/heavy truck packages are coated Iron

... the reason for the change is more about the workers dealing with the old lead weights getting excessive lead content into their blood stream ... sort of like the lead based paint used on cribs became an issue in the 60's & 70's

Nowanker

Off topic, but...
A.) California law dictates no more lead weights. Typical choices are zinc or steel. Some of them are even plastic.
B.) Most tires do come with dots, some indicate the point of maximum runout, others the heavy spot on the tire. In prehistoric times, it was assumed that the light spot on the rim would be where the valve stem is. Anyone seen any scientific evidence of that?
C.) There is still a lot of superstition present in the automobile service industry, some of it perpetuated by the manufacturers themselves.
Sometime when I'm bored (REAL f*ckin' bored...), I'll spin some bare rims up on my balancer and see just how out of balance they are, are where exactly the light spot resides. But I'm not planning to be THAT bored anytime in the near future...