When you balance a wheel do you put its hubcab on during balancing? In other words, should the wheel be balanced with its own hubcab on as a recommended procedure? Or simply it does not matter and you can always put any hubcab on later without affecting the balance of the whole wheel?
In news: snipped-for-privacy@news-server.cfl.rr.com, CC22 being of bellicose mind posted:
Take a look at ANY tire balancing machine ... you'll have your pragmatic answer. Now... if you're going to put on a set of "spinners" then all bets are off.
I do not think I saw one up close only from a distance, Certainly I was never close enough to see it during actual operation. Are you saying that it is not posisble to balance with the hubcab on?
snipped-for-privacy@noname.com (CC22) spake unto the masses in news: snipped-for-privacy@news-server.cfl.rr.com:
What Philip means is that the vast majority of balancing machines use a center spindle onto which the wheel is slid.
The spindle is smaller than the hole in the middle of the wheel rim. It has a very coarse screw thread on it. After the wheel is slid on to it, they spin a special cone on that wedges the wheel tight onto the base of the spindle so it won't shift while it's being spun.
The spindle and cone stick out too far to allow a hubcap to be put on after.
In news: snipped-for-privacy@news-server.cfl.rr.com, CC22 being of bellicose mind posted:
Correct.
There is usually no way to mount the tire on the balancer and put the hubcap on at the same time - the mount spindle, clamp nut and cones stick out way too far.
Hubcaps are made pretty close to being perfectly balanced from the factory, so they usually aren't part of a balancing problem. Depending on what they're made from (Stainless sheet, aluminum sheet, molded plastic) the hubcaps are stamped, molded or machined in a way that the balance stays neutral.
Tires, however can end up very lopsided and several ounces off-balance if they get the belts in the wrong position while building the carcass, or mold the rubber a little too thick on one side. They are all hand assembled, and you might get a set the rookie built.
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In news:kVERb.2861$u_6.2390@lakeread04, Wolfgang being of bellicose mind posted:
I would use this kind (they've been around since the 1940's) of on-vehicle tire balancing on the REAR tires of a FWD car. I would be VERY cautious using it on the front wheels of a FWD car. Reason being, if the opposite side tire is on the ground and you spin the wheel you're working on to high speeds, the spider gears in the differential are being subjected to a LOT more stress than they were ever intended to handle. Also, the FWD car should be supported under the control arm so as replicate close to normal running angle of the CV joints. Personally, I would not use this method on a FWD car's front tires.
Unfortunately, "Roadforce Balancing" is done off the vehicle with no hub/spindle/rotor.
That's right Bruce. (Although I would argue that it is IMPOSSIBLE to install a hub cap when on a balancer, OP is talking about a wheel cover) There is also the issue of "how far is it from the axle". Most of a wheel cover's weight is close to the axle (all of a hub-cap's weight is). So an "out of balance" condition would have little effect. Most of a tire's weight is far from the axle so little changes make a big difference, which is why you put the balance weights as far out on the rim as possible. You could probably put 2 or 3 oz of lead on one side of the hub-hole and go down the road at 60 mph with little effect (REQUIRED SAFETY WARNING . . . DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME -- I CAN NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY).
Dan
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