Cheetah

Just had new tires installed yesterday and as I'm cleaning up the car, I have noticed that they(tire installer) have added weights inside of each of my wheels.
I understand they are for balancing the tires....am I correct?
The odd thing is there are so many. The front right wheel has 9!
The other tires have between 4 & 6. Is this normal?
Thanks for any info

KennyS2K

sounds like a lot.

stock wheels?

new tires have a balance dot on the sidewall that shows the lightest part of the tire when manufactured.

very few tire mounters will use the balance dot or even know what it is. i always tell tire mounters to use it and most do not bother. the tire maker bothers to note the light side and the mounters just think that it is b.s.

if the balance dot is opposite the valve, you may need excessive weight to correct the imbalance.

just a possibility.

also, when mounting new rubber, make sure all old balance weights are removed and all surfaces are free of caked on mud or other debris.

Triple-H

Yes, the weights are to make the tire wheel combo balanced. If they are not balanced you will feel a vibration in the car as you drive. Often when you hear someone complaining there car has a vibration many people will suggest the wheels be balanced first to see if it is just a bad balanced wheel or a lost weight that is causing the vibration.

Nine sounds like a lot, but if the car runs down the road straight and true and there are no vibrations, life is good!

For what it is worth, I have always taken my wheels off after this is done and place a piece of silver or black duct tape over the weights just to make sure they do not come off. I have never had a problem with a stuck-on weight coming off, but I worry about the little things....

If the 9 weight bother you, there are some extremely high-end machines out there that will check the "balance" of the tire all by itself, then will check the "balance" of the wheel all by itself, then a good mechanic will put the heavy part of the tire to the light part of the wheel. Then the combined unit is balanced and fewer weights are then needed to balance the wheel/tire combo.

Cheetah

Thanks for the lesson guys. The nine weights aren't bothersome, just odd considering I've had the car for over 18months and never noticed until this tire change.

speed4tu

What kind of tires are they? Doesn't sound like S-02's by needing that many weights.

Tireguy

if each segment of the weights are .25 ounces each, and 9 is the total number of weights you have in both the inner and outer part of the barrel, then you're okay.