Wire Wheel Balancing

[Photo703]

I sprung for a new set of Dayton wire wheels for the TR3A. I want them mounted with my current tires and then spun balanced. Does anyone have any experience with the Hunter Road Force machine in balancing wire wheels?

https://www.hunter.com/pub/product/balancer/4159T/index.htm

Or what balancing machine do you recommend?

All the best,

Photo 703

 

[newguy]

Yes, for me it's the only way to balance. Especially with the new wires, it will show you if they are out of round or are true.

 

[martx-5]

I've used the Hunter for the wheels/tires on my Miata. The Miata is very sensitive to wheel balance in the rear. The Hunter machine was the only balancer that got it right. It's a great machine. The wires on my TR3 were bought from Hendrix Wire Wheel, along with tires and tubes. They mounted and balanced as shown here. You will notice that they re-true all wheels, even if they are new, as Allen Hendrix believes that the specs the original manufacturers have is too big. He also uses original type spline drive adapters. That's where the Hunter machine might run into a snag...having the right adapters, so check before hand. As far as the work Hendrix did, I can only say good things about they did for me. Supposedly, he's the wire wheel guru.

 

[Geo Hahn]

OTOH -- I mounted and balanced my wires using a simple bubble balancer from Harbor Freight. Had a hub inserted in the wheel center and that combination on the balancer.

Pretty low-tech but worked for me -- I think they are well-balanced based on how they feel at speed and even tire wear.

 

[martx-5]

OTOH -- I mounted and balanced my wires using a simple bubble balancer from Harbor Freight. Had a hub inserted in the wheel center and that combination on the balancer.

Pretty low-tech but worked for me -- I think they are well-balanced based on how they feel at speed and even tire wear.

If you're very careful, bubble balancers can work quite well. Back in the '60's when I attended races at Bridgehampton, the Goodyear guys supplying the tires for the racers used bubble balancers. I used to have one, and balanced many tires on it, but I loaned it out, and that was that! I don't even remember who I loaned it to, it was so long ago. I've often thought about getting another one.

Low tech stuff can work for a majority of stuff, but if you're ever subjected to a real sticky tire balance problem, you will have to use something like the Hunter to sort it out. Some cars are more sensitive then others, so it all depends.

When I swung wrenches years ago, I also used a balancer that worked right on the car. You jacked the wheel off the ground, mounted the balancer on the wheel, brought in an electric motor that spun the wheel, and with a foot switch, let her rip!. The balancer had four little knobs on it in a line that you held on and off to get the wheel in balance. You worked them back and forth until everything was really smooth. When you stopped the wheel, the mechanism showed you how much weight to add and where. It usually took two or three tries to get it right...today, I don't think OSHA would approve of such a monstrosity.

 

[TR3driver]

Indeed, a friend of mine who ran a tire shop for many years swore that a bubble balancer would actually do a better job. He claimed that the main advantage of spin balancers was speed and no skill required.

I dunno if that's true, but he sure solved a balance problem on my motorhome after two other shops had failed.

I'm hoping to buy a vintage on-the-car balancer soon, but it's the type that uses a strobe light to indicate the heavy spot. Tedious to use, but that is what solved a difficult balance problem on my first car (62 Chevy Biscayne). The advantage of on-the-car is that it also compensates for any balance problems in the hub and brake rotor/drum. Of course then the wheel is only balanced in one position, but it's a small price to pay (and I never was much of a believer in rotating tires anyway).

 

[Geo Hahn]

...bubble balancers. I used to have one, and balanced many tires on it, but I loaned it out, and that was that! I don't even remember who I loaned it to...

It wasn't me... the one I borrowed and never returned came from a Healey owner.

 

[Gordon_Dedrick]

+1 for Hendrix in Greensboro,NC. I could barely hold on to steer at speeds over 55mph. After a rack and pinion conversion it wasn't too much better. Alan is a master at his art. My 3A is rock steady at 70 mph now.
Gordon