21" wheel balancing?

[Gary/IA]

I just noticed that although the tread wear on both my front tires is wearing evenly across the tire, there is about a 24" part of one tire that the tread is nearly gone while the rest of the tread on that tire looks good.

I assume this is due to the unbalanced condition. What balancing options exist for 21" wheels? I have heard about Dyna-beads but have had no experience with them. I am open to any suggestions.

[Milton]

From Dyna beads web site:

"Why don't you have tire charts for cars or SUV's?
We do not market to cars and SUV’s intentionally.
The main reason (among others) is due to the style of modern car tires.
For cars and SUV’s, traditional weight balancing is the best method."


Use the standard lead wheel weights,


they will look normal.

[Gary/IA]

Originally Posted by Milton

From Dyna beads web site:

"Why don't you have tire charts for cars or SUV's?
We do not market to cars and SUV’s intentionally.
The main reason (among others) is due to the style of modern car tires.
For cars and SUV’s, traditional weight balancing is the best method."


Use the standard lead wheel weights,


they will look normal.

Do they make weights that will fit on a 21" wheel??

[MCHinson]

No, the normal style wheel weights will not work on 21" wheels. Dynabeads sounds like the easiest solution. Some people have used stick on weights but I have heard some stories of having trouble keeping the stick on weights on the wheels long term.

[denis4x4]

I saw several a & T speedsters using the Tape-A-Weight weights usually found on mag wheels. On one particular car, the weights were almost invisible as they were painted the same color as the rim. Properly installed, Tape-A-Weights will last a very long time.

[Gary WA]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Just did all my wheels 3A's with dyna beads. And they really do make a difference. go to www.dynabeads.com for more info.

[Fhane]

Dyna Beads will work great with good rims and decent tires

[Cape Codder]

Gary,
Do you have 19" or 21" on your cars? Did you use 5 ounces for the 19" and six ounces for the 21" or did you have to add more per tire? If so how do you determine this?
Thanks for your time.
Joe Grobleski
Cape Codder

[Barry B./ Ma.]

Originally Posted by Cape Codder

Gary,
Do you have 19" or 21" on your cars? Did you use 5 ounces for the 19" and six ounces for the 21" or did you have to add more per tire? If so how do you determine this?
Thanks for your time.
Joe Grobleski
Cape Codder

Joe, just thought I'd mention what I did. I have an old spindle set up with a front brake drum that has oiled bearings set loose. I mount that setup in a portable vise so the drum is vertical like on the car and simply rotate it until it stops at the heavy point. I use stick on weights on the inside of the wheel. It takes about 15 minutes a wheel to get it balanced in the ballpark. I set the weights in a Y pattern.

Barry Blake / Ma.

[John LaVoy]

We have used stick on weights with great success. We wrote this up in Model A Times 5-1.

[Gary/IA]

Originally Posted by Gary/IA

I just noticed that although the tread wear on both my front tires is wearing evenly across the tire, there is about a 24" part of one tire that the tread is nearly gone while the rest of the tread on that tire looks good.

I assume this is due to the unbalanced condition. What balancing options exist for 21" wheels? I have heard about Dyna-beads but have had no experience with them. I am open to any suggestions.

FOLLOW UP:

I installed the Dyna-Beads (6 oz/tire as recommended for 21"). Although kind of expensive, I am very satisfied with the results.

I didn't realize how much of the vibration I was having was coming from unbalanced wheels. I would highly recommend them for 21" wheels.

Thanks to all who replied.

[hardtimes]

Originally Posted by Gary/IA

FOLLOW UP:

I installed the Dyna-Beads (6 oz/tire as recommended for 21"). Although kind of expensive, I am very satisfied with the results.

I didn't realize how much of the vibration I was having was coming from unbalanced wheels. I would highly recommend them for 21" wheels.

Thanks to all who replied.

Gary/IA,
Very interesting. A couple of questions tho. Did you remove any existing whl wts , prior to installing beads? I have a NUMBER of ounces of lead on eack 21" wheel..new tires. Do you know, should I remove all this lead when ordering/installing beads?
THANKS for your input/recommendation, as it evidently is one worth following!

Curious: can anyone comment on why lead whl wts PLACED ON ONLY ONE SIDE of any wheel/tire combo does any good for proper balancing/wear of a whl/tire? I have always been shown that for a whl/tire to properly balanced( dynamically) that the whl wts have to be divided by half to front and back of rim...NO

[Gary/IA]

hardtimes - There were no existing wheel weights on my wheels.

I believe if there had of been, I would prefer to remove them and just let the Dyna-Beads do the balancing. As I stated before, they really smoothed out my ride.

I am curious, how are the weights fastened to your 21" wheels?

[ford1]

go to a truck stop that balances truck wheels, they will have the weights there a lot of truck tires are 20" and 22 "steel rims

[Milton]

I am beginning to like the idea of Dyna-Beads to eliminate the less than attractive wheel weights and that they will balance the tire for its lifetime. Now for my question, when it is said that standard wheel weights will not work on a 21 inch rim is it;

a) because of the flatter arch due to the larger diameter of the rim or

b) does a 21" rim not have the proper lip for wheel weight attachment?

[Richard in Anaheim CA]

The answer is "B".

21'' wheels have a big roll instead of a regular bead. You can use stick on weights like on some alloy wheels.

Answer to hardtimes, most people put the weights only on the back side of the wheel so they don't show as much. I have seen the stick on weights painted to match the wheel to also "camoflage" the wieghts.

Yes, it would be more effective if weights were installed on both sides.

[FL&WVMIKE]

You can also twist lengths of solder wire around a spoke.
MIKE

[Kurt in NJ]

Many times an imbalance can be minimized by rotating the tire on the rim --when I have a wheel/tire assembly that takes over 2oz I will break the bead and rotate the tire on the rim ---sometimes it takes no weight or less than 1/2 oz then.

Another option is weighted patches for inside the tire --
http://www.patchrubber.com/tire_repair/14601.html

[hardtimes]

Originally Posted by Gary/IA

hardtimes - There were no existing wheel weights on my wheels.

I believe if there had of been, I would prefer to remove them and just let the Dyna-Beads do the balancing. As I stated before, they really smoothed out my ride.

I am curious, how are the weights fastened to your 21" wheels?

Gary,
The weights are 'stick on' type. And, yes, I also would prefer to remove them.
You say that you used certain number ounces of beads per wheel. How was that (number ounces) determined and by whom??

FYI I went to the dynabead web site , as mentioned. I asked a couple of questions and gave info on tire/whl size, etc (21", should I remove all wts, would wt removal require additional oz of beads, how many oz with wts..???). Hmm, never got a response from that outfit. Site says; 'someone will respond shortly'. Hoping their sales service is better than their communication service!

[Milton]

Originally Posted by Richard in Anaheim CA

The answer is "B".

21'' wheels have a big roll instead of a regular bead. You can use stick on weights like on some alloy wheels.

Thanks Richard, I appreciate the sharing of knowledge here to keep me in line.