Wheel / tyre balancing

Author
Discussion

Bobupndown

Original Poster:

2,493 posts

57 months

Sunday 23rd October 2022
quotequote all
Seeking views of the collective...
Is there a maximum amount of weights which should be used when balancing a wheel / tyre?

Had new Continental Cross Contact ATRs fitted to my Freelander 2 on Thursday by a "well known High Street chain". Washing the car today I noticed what seems to be a roll of stick on weights used on 2 of the wheels. Counted 130g on the one pictured below.
Is this excessive? Surely by rotating the tyre to a different position would have meant less weights used?
While I don't suppose there will be any issue like this it does look unsightly with weights being visible either side of a spoke on a 5 spoke wheel.
Should I complain and ask them to refit the tyres or just leave it?

GreenV8S

30,800 posts

298 months

Sunday 23rd October 2022
quotequote all
If it's round and balanced correctly, that's all that matters.

Do you see any red or yellow reference markes on the tyre? Are they aligned with the valve? If not, that may explain why it needed so much weight to balance. But if it is balanced now there's no practical benefit to remounting them.

stevieturbo

17,745 posts

261 months

Sunday 23rd October 2022
quotequote all
I'm sure if a tyre fitter spent all day breaking beads and rotating tyres, they could get a lot, of wheel/tyre combos balanced with less weights.

Are you prepared to pay for that time spent ?

Bobupndown

Original Poster:

2,493 posts

57 months

Monday 24th October 2022
quotequote all
No red or yellow dots noticeable on the tyres, that was the first thing I looked for.
Guess I'm just being a bit OCD?

E-bmw

10,957 posts

166 months

Monday 24th October 2022
quotequote all
I would be spinning the wheel in position to see if it is bent at all and also check that the tyre bead is located fully.

If both are & all looks and feels good at the wheel, then it is just a freak wheel/tyre combination.

Smint

2,313 posts

49 months

Monday 24th October 2022
quotequote all
E-bmw said:
I would be spinning the wheel in position to see if it is bent at all and also check that the tyre bead is located fully.

If both are & all looks and feels good at the wheel, then it is just a freak wheel/tyre combination.
this ^^

GreenV8S

30,800 posts

298 months

Monday 24th October 2022
quotequote all
Bobupndown said:
No red or yellow dots noticeable on the tyres, that was the first thing I looked for.
Guess I'm just being a bit OCD?
In that caes the fitter would have no clues about the best orientation so mayby that's why it ended up needing more weights than usual.

Anyway, if it's round and balanced you're good to go.

Bobupndown

Original Poster:

2,493 posts

57 months

Monday 24th October 2022
quotequote all
Thanks folks for the input, I'll stop fretting but it will continue to annoy me everytime I wash the wheels laugh

GreenV8S

30,800 posts

298 months

Monday 24th October 2022
quotequote all
Bobupndown said:
it will continue to annoy me everytime I wash the wheels laugh
Well, that problem is easily solved. biggrin

CraigyMc

17,857 posts

250 months

Monday 24th October 2022
quotequote all
That looks bonkers to me. I suspect they have mounted the tyre basically at the wrong orientation for the wheel's own balance.

A friend of mine had something like this on his A45. Took it down the road to another shop who removed all the weights, took the tyre off and reinstalled it about 180 deg to where it had been on the wheel, then put it all back together with a single 25g weight and much closer to a perfect balance.

TL;DR some tyre shop staff are absolute morons and should not be trusted.