wheel balancing
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 87,045
Likes: 25
From: "when lightning strikes twice, the funerals insane, the funerals insane"
St Jude Donor '14-'15
wheel balancing
OK,so I got my Z06 chromes from Nate :cool: , and I went to the Chevy dealer to make an appointment to get them switched. They claim to have a new machine, that is a very high tech wheel balancer, that takes an hour a wheel to balance. :eek:
They couldn't give me a price yet, as the service manager wasn't in. :rolleyes:
Has anyone heard of this and is it worth it? It is supposed to find the light spot in the wheel and balance accordingly. Thanks ;)
They couldn't give me a price yet, as the service manager wasn't in. :rolleyes:
Has anyone heard of this and is it worth it? It is supposed to find the light spot in the wheel and balance accordingly. Thanks ;)
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 4,549
Likes: 30
From: Shenandoah Valley Virginia
Re: wheel balancing (repomania)
Hang on to your wallet, I think that they are trying climb in and get all that green stuff you carry ! All you really need is a good dynamic balance two plane machine, Coates, Hunter, any of the computerized units that measure the inside and outside of the tire/wheel combo. The tech can determine by the amount of weight needed if the tire needs to be demounted and rotated on the wheel to get a proper balance. An hour a wheel - NO Way unless they are considering lunch break as part of the work. Find some place else to do the work. :yesnod:
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 87,045
Likes: 25
From: "when lightning strikes twice, the funerals insane, the funerals insane"
St Jude Donor '14-'15
Re: wheel balancing (CHJ In Virginia)
Thanks for the input. No one wants to touch them, as I didn't buy them around here, I am lucky, :rolleyes: that the Chev. dealer will do them.
Its the first time in for service and i'm nervous as heLL. :eek: :cry
Its the first time in for service and i'm nervous as heLL. :eek: :cry
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 1999
Posts: 1,084
Likes: 158
From: New Bedford MA
Re: wheel balancing (repomania)
If they have a Hunter 9700 Road Force Balancer it is worth the extra cost and it does not take an hour per wheel. I paid $20.00 per wheel to road force balance them but they were already mounted. It took about 45 minutes for all four. I had them balanced on a regular Hunter machine twice before and they still vibrated at 60-70 MPH. The 9700 found that one tire/wheel was over the specs and needed to be rotated on the rim. That solved the vibration problem. I tried to have it done at a GMC dealer with a 9700 and they would not do them because they might damage them. Search for posts on the 9700 balancer or go to hunter.com and find the nearest dealer with a 9700. Good Luck!
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 87,045
Likes: 25
From: "when lightning strikes twice, the funerals insane, the funerals insane"
St Jude Donor '14-'15
Re: wheel balancing (Buckmaster)
Repo
I have heard of some new balance system but not clear on it. If it is $20 per wheel IMO it is worth it. Make sure they put the wheel weights are on the inside. At least I would do it that way. Call and ask them if they have the stick on weights, if not....go buy a bunch and have them put them on. Clean the surface real good before you go so they stick good :D Good luck. I am calling Glen Cambell tomorrow for a 4 wheel alignment :D
I have heard of some new balance system but not clear on it. If it is $20 per wheel IMO it is worth it. Make sure they put the wheel weights are on the inside. At least I would do it that way. Call and ask them if they have the stick on weights, if not....go buy a bunch and have them put them on. Clean the surface real good before you go so they stick good :D Good luck. I am calling Glen Cambell tomorrow for a 4 wheel alignment :D
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 87,045
Likes: 25
From: "when lightning strikes twice, the funerals insane, the funerals insane"
St Jude Donor '14-'15
Re: wheel balancing (FredC5)
If they have a Hunter 9700 Road Force Balancer it is worth the extra cost and it does not take an hour per wheel. I paid $20.00 per wheel to road force balance them but they were already mounted. It took about 45 minutes for all four. I had them balanced on a regular Hunter machine twice before and they still vibrated at 60-70 MPH. The 9700 found that one tire/wheel was over the specs and needed to be rotated on the rim. That solved the vibration problem. I tried to have it done at a GMC dealer with a 9700 and they would not do them because they might damage them. Search for posts on the 9700 balancer or go to hunter.com and find the nearest dealer with a 9700. Good Luck!
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 1999
Posts: 1,084
Likes: 158
From: New Bedford MA
Re: wheel balancing (repomania)
Fred, just did a search and yes, the Chev dealer doing the work has one,,,now its just a metter of price, I am sure not giving them 1 hr/whell at 75/ hour.
He even explained that they use the more expensive water soluable lubricant because it does not leave a greasy mess on the tire and rim. Plus they told me that I didn't have to bring them the tires like I had done because they know all about jacking up a C5 and they do everything by hand with a torque wrench on Vettes. Again, Good Luck with yours.
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 87,314
Likes: 1,585
From: Western NY
Re: wheel balancing (FredC5)
I had my car aligned two weeks ago, due to lowering. While talking to the tech there, I was asking about their new Hunter balancing machine, the one that does the road force input.
I find this a little hard to believe, but the way it was explained to me, this machine has an operational mode where the tech can run 4 bare wheels and get a balance reading. The machine supposedly stores this data as wheel #1-#4.
You then mount the tires and run the test again. The machine's computer then can take this additional data, do a calculation, and determine if :
A) a tire needs to be rotated on the rim to achieve better balance, or
B) a tire would be better balanced on one of the other rims.
I was told that if tires need to be dismounted/remounted in order to do this, you're paying for the tech's labor time, consequently this could cost a few extra bucks. It was up to me to determine if I wanted to spend the money.
I'm interested because I have a new set of wheels on order, but yeah, it's not cheap because they have to pay their tech, as well as pay for the machine. (They told me it cost $14,500)
I find this a little hard to believe, but the way it was explained to me, this machine has an operational mode where the tech can run 4 bare wheels and get a balance reading. The machine supposedly stores this data as wheel #1-#4.
You then mount the tires and run the test again. The machine's computer then can take this additional data, do a calculation, and determine if :
A) a tire needs to be rotated on the rim to achieve better balance, or
B) a tire would be better balanced on one of the other rims.
I was told that if tires need to be dismounted/remounted in order to do this, you're paying for the tech's labor time, consequently this could cost a few extra bucks. It was up to me to determine if I wanted to spend the money.
I'm interested because I have a new set of wheels on order, but yeah, it's not cheap because they have to pay their tech, as well as pay for the machine. (They told me it cost $14,500)
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
