RE: wheel balancing problems

["PAT MARTIN" <MARDKINS@msn.com>]

One way to check if your shiny new aftermarket wheel is drilled correctly is 
to have them balance it off the lug holes.  You can check the wheel on the hub 
and see how tight it is(most arent very) if it is even a little loose chances 
are your wheel is going to be lug centric as the lugs will line the wheel up 
before the hub catches.  I have had problems before with the wheel not 
balancing when using the hub hole but balanced perfectly when using the 
lugs(and visa-versa).  If you insist that they use the lug adapter with a cone 
on the backside with a spring it usually will be the better balance.

I do think that the aftermarket wheels are usually as good as the factory 
wheels and I do think it is a little inaccurate to say that they are not done 
correctly.  That said, your cheaper wheels generally will not be drilled as 
accurately as a wheel that costs you $250 per wheel so you do take your 
chances with that $90 Ultra.  Maybee that is why the factory wheels cost 50% 
more than a comperable aftermarket wheel.

And finaly YOUR BALANCE IS ONLY AS GOOD AS THE BALANCERS LAST CALIBRATION.  
Insist that they let you know when the last calibration was.
1 per month is the recomended cycle but is never done.

enough rambling
Pat Martin
864000csq 2 1/2 cat back, H&R-Boge,advanced and loving it.  Drilled and 
stopping it.  Koenig Cobra 16x7 with AVS Intermediates.
95 subaru legacy awd: so stock it hurts
Bothell,WA



For those of you having wheel balancing problems - particularly with
aftermarket wheels - here's why:

Aftermarket wheels are built so that they will fit a number of different
cars...different bolt patterns, different hub styles, etc. They can take a
single "blank" and drill 4 bolt, 5 bolt, different spacings, etc, in the
same wheel...

So the problem is that the *hub* doesn't mate perfectly with the wheel. On
a factory wheel, the hub section will mate nicely to the wheel, usually
with an indentation on the wheel that *just* matches the hub. On an
aftermarket wheel there's more play...maybe a lot more. So on a factory
wheel you have a better mating of hub to wheel and no potential for
eccentricity.

That's why an aftermarket wheel may spin balance properly and still cause
a vibration. Oncar balancing may help, but then again, it may not...

OTOH, if you can't balance a factory wheel, then you may have a bad tire,
and you ought to check the wheel w/out tire...

I haven't had this happen personally...just know of a guy that spent 2
months with aftermarket wheels on a $aab before someone told him the
truth...

HTH,

Lee Levitt
wheelman@shore.net
1990 Audi 200T
1988 Volvo 745T
1987 Wicked Fat Chance
1981 Condor Classic
1990 Graco Premier ;-)