DIY Wheel Balancing

[lamoun]

So.. you want to balance your wheels...

Why?? Because mister tyre person won't do it when changing the tyre, asking you to come back after 60 - 100 miles to check them.. meaning more $$$ 

So what you can do about it?

a) You ride to the shop, and then return home $30 lighter.
b) You remove the wheels, get them in the car (be extra carefull with the brake disk) and drive to the shop. You'll probably pay less. 
c) Do it your self!! 

WHAT WILL YOU NEED:

1. A way to mount the wheel, free to turn. You can make a mount with some piece of wood, or better yet, put it on some boxes or something.



2. For best accuracy you will need a pair of bearing for each wheel. Either the open type (needs oiling - wd40- and protection form dust) or the close type.
For the front wheel you need 2 bearings with internal diameter of 15mm (checked) and for the rear 17mm (check before buying)



3. You will also need balancing weights.


THE PROCEDURE

a. On the axle you add, bearing -  wheel - bearing and mount it somewhere.
b. You slightly turn the wheel. When it stops turning you mark (with a tape) the upper side.
c. You turn it again. If it stops with the mark at the same place then you need to add a weight.
d. Temporarily attach it with some tape.

Do b - d until the wheel doesn't stop to the same place, every time you turn it. Then properly attach the weights.

Your wheel is balanced.


...And because I lack fluency in English, here is a video with the procedure. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WHkSPZJ3fI.



I couldn't add it to the FAQ.  If you, mods, find it useful, feel free to make any corrections and add it there.

[utgunslinger13]

Your english is spectacular!  Seems a little tedius to me, but i also have friends at tire shops that do this for me for free lol

[5thAve]

Another option, fairly cheap for bikes though probably too expensive to do for cages or trucks:

DYNABEADS!
http://www.innovativebalancing.com/index.html
or in Canada:
http://www.dynabeads.ca/index.html

[BaltimoreGS]

A friend of mine made a jig for a standard work bench vice to balance tires.  It is just a metal rod fixed into a square base.  Pinch the square base in the vice with the rod hanging out to the side horizontally, slide your wheel on, spin it and find the heavy spot.  We use car stick on wheel weights to balance.   Not the prettiest but I've never had a vibration on the highway using this method.

[Roadstergal]

I ponied up and bought a balancer.  $70 - but to me, it's worth it to get a good balance.

[qwertydude]

Another way is to use the cotter pin hole, tie a piece of fishing line through it, hang it and see which side droops down. Place weights on the other side til it sits balanced. I find it's a little more sensitive than the rolling method. But then again I only did that to moped and scooter wheels. My motorcycle wheels I take to a local shop, mount and balance for only $15 and they do it right with new valve stem too included. Place is called M&C Motorcycle in Long Beach. Usually I can just bring it in and they change it while I wait, if they're swamped I come back in a few hours. Best to go in the morning so it gets done right away. I even have them do my valves since they charge only $150 and they replaced spark plugs while they were in there for free, just pay for the plugs.

[The Buddha]

Lamoun - that same thing can be acheived by putting it in the bike without the brake and chain.
Cool.
Buddha.

[sledge]

Single plane or Static balancing.......hmmmmm? The advantage with bike wheels/tyres is that they are large in diameter and short in width, get the weight bang on or close to the centerline of the rim and you might get away with it. However the risk is the balance weight could make one side of the wheel heavier than the other. This will introduce whats known as a Force-Couple and actually increase vibration. Dual-plane or Dynamic balancing, unlike Static balancing takes account of imbalances on each side of the wheel as well as the top and bottom and will detect and compensate for any Force-Couples if they are present.

In simple terms a Static balance compensates for differences around the circumference of the wheel known as the Horizontal Plane, a Dynamic balance compensates for the circumference and each side of the wheel, or the Horizontal and Vertical planes hence the term dual plane.........it will always produce a better result.

http://www.dynamicbalancing.co.uk/whatis.html







http://www.dynamicbalancing.co.uk/whatis.html

[qwertydude]

And yet I look at the machine at the shop and it does not differentiate sides like the car ones do. Even when they balanced my cheap Kings tires, it was so unbalanced it required 2 1/4 ounces to balance, yes it was that bad, literally 2 giant strips of lead on each side of the wheel. I do understand there could be second order vibrations at double the frequency of rotation if the balance is out of plane but 2 1/4 ounces at 75+ mph and even with all that weight I could feel nothing.

I do wonder about dynabeads. To me since the axle is fixed and not floating the washing machine self balancing comparison is moot. I would actually like to see if you put it on a dynamic balancer if it will register as balanced. I can't find any actual evidence for them aside from ATV and dirt bikers swearing by them but those guys are the least affected by wheel balance, no constant high speed smooth road highway use where balance is more crucial.

[sledge]

Dynabeads???.....yeah  I share your view, They dont balance vibration out, if anything they damp vibration out.......just like the concrete block in the washing machine does