Wheel weights are used to balance wheel and tire assembly in your vehicle. Let’s find where to place stick on wheel weights below in this article.
Our car tires are the only contact surface while driving on the road. A well-balanced car tire has equal weight distribution all around the tire. There are many benefits to ensuring that your wheels are balanced, such as preventing your vehicle from vibrating or wobbling. You will not face trouble while steering the car.
It may seem that all tires are perfect, especially new ones. But no, it’s not true. The new tires have imperfections which can cause a major problem when rolling at high speed on roads. So, you need to balance the new tires before installation.
You can check the owner’s manual to know how often you need to balance the tires. However, if you are driving on rough roads, you need to balance your tires more often.
To do this, you will need a weight balancing machine which you can find in tire shops or any automobile repair shop. But in order to use it, you need to understand where to place stick on wheel weights?
If you observe your mechanic, they will keep the tire on the machine and detect the position where the tire is unbalanced. They will then place the wheel starting from the middle to the outer edge, putting the same pressure everywhere. The article discusses wheel weights in detail. So, keep on reading the article for more information.
How Do You Know That You Need To Balance Your Tires?
When your vehicle tires are not balanced, you may notice some abnormalities, which I am listing below.
#1. Vibrations
Vibration in the steering wheel is one of the most common symptoms of an unbalanced tire. If the imbalance worsens, then the vibration will increase and affect the rear boards or the front and rear seats of your vehicle. It can damage your tire and can create problems in the wheel assembly.
#2. Problems In Steering
An unbalanced tire can cause steering problems which become difficult for you to drive on the road. It may even cause deadly accidents.
#3. Tire Wear
An unbalanced tire can result in uneven tire wear. It worsens with time, and finally, a time comes when the tire will blow all its air or become punctured, which is quite dangerous while driving.
#4. Bearings And Springs Get Damaged
An unbalanced tire can cause heavy stress on the bearings and springs of your vehicle. Consequently, it damages within a short period.
#5. Bad Fuel Economy
An unbalanced tire will cause heavy stress on the engine. Consequently, it will require more fuel for operation.
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How To Balance Tires: What Are Wheel Weights?
Wheel weights are used to balance the wheel and tire assembly. An unbalanced tire can affect your ride quality and shorten the life of bearings, springs, and other vital components.
Wheel weights are available in various styles, and they should be appropriately attached to the rim so that they don’t fall off.
What Are The Types Of Wheel Weights?
There are mainly two types of wheel weights, i.e., Adhesive and clip-on wheel weights.
#1. Adhesive Wheel Weights
Adhesive wheel weights usually consist of zinc, lead, or steel (with plastic coating). You may choose any of these materials, depending on how much you want to spend and what the safety regulations in your city tell you to do. For instance, in some places in the US, weights that use lead are not allowed.
#2. Clip-On Wheel Weights
The clip-on wheel weights have a clip, and you need to attach it to the location of imbalance. Make sure that the top and bottom of the clip should touch the rim flange.
Once the wheel weights are installed, strike the clip with a hammer. But don’t strike the hammer on the body of the wheel weight because it can result in clip retention failure.
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Procedure For Applying Stick On Wheel Weights
#1.Use Wheel Balancing Equipment
Take out the wheel from your vehicle and place it on the wheel balancing machine to detect the exact location for placing the wheel weights.
These days, you might even get wheel balancers that have a laser to show the exact spot for placing wheel weights.
#2. Clean The Wheel
Once you detect the exact location, make sure that the surface of the wheel is absolutely clean. To ensure proper adhesion, you can clean the location with alcohol to remove grease and other residues.
#3.Select The Correct Size Of Wheel Weight
Now it’s time to choose the correct size of the wheel weight that you will attach to the rim and balance your tire. Remove the backing of wheel weight and then stick on the exact location of imbalance.
Try to attach it moving from inside to the outer edge, evenly applying pressure as you go. If the wheel is cold, you need to hold the adhesive wheel weight for more than 20 seconds.
The wheel weight usually takes 24-48 hours to stick to the wheel properly. It will suggest you not to drive for at least one to two days after applying adhesive weights.
Once the wheel weights are fully attached, respin the wheel to ensure the tires are completely balanced.
Frequently Asked Questions
#1. How do you balance aluminum wheels with stick-on weights?
The unbalanced wheel is fitted on the wheel balancing machine. Then, the wheel is made to rotate. There are four positions in which it is rotated:
- the upper surface of the right side
- the inner surface of the right side
- the upper surface of the left side
- and the inner surface of the left side of the wheel.
All the positions are checked to find the exact location where the tire is unbalanced. The screen of the wheel balancing machine will help you detect the location. Once done, the wheel is cleaned and stick-on weights are applied to the location of imbalance.
#2. How do you keep the stick-on wheel weights from falling off?
The adhesive on a stick-on wheel weights may usually get heated up after applying brakes and have chances of falling. So, you need to cover the stick-on wheel weights with aluminum heating duct tape.
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A Few Final Words
An unbalanced tire can cause a lot of problems while riding. It can impact the vital components of your vehicle. You need to install the wheel weights at the exact location to balance your tires. We have shared the process to do this and answered relevant questions about wheel weights.
We thank you for reading the article and hope you like it.