I just purchased valve stem caps with the Porsche logo which I noticed weigh more than the plastic ones that were previously on the tires. Do I need to be worried about the tire balance being thrown off?
- posted
17 years ago
Valve stem caps and tire balance
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- posted
17 years ago
Wow! How heavy are they??? Generally they are not enough to throw off wheel balance, but you can get light ones, too. I ran across a set years ago that are very light and have a shroud (it's all one piece) that extends down the stem. I suspect by their weight that they may be titanium (though I am no metallurgist) and the logo is simply imprinted into the metal on the end with no coloring. I like them very much. Classy more than flashy.
How does it feel when you drive it? Have you tried putting the caps on and off while checking the ride? Even though they are probably fine, unsprung weight is your enemy, so I'd get some lighter ones if you are that concerned.
DS
95 993 Coupe- Vote on answer
- posted
17 years ago
They are made by Porsche and I don't really notice a difference when I drive it, but I don't think that these are titanium. I have had it a little over 100 since I put them on last weekend, and she felt fine -- I guess I'm just paranoid. I put the originals on to test it out if I still have a doubt I may just get them balanced to make sure???
Thanks
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- posted
17 years ago
You are positive they are made by Porsche? Just because they have a logo, does not make this so. I just glanced through fleaBay and I see dozens of valve caps that look to be made of lead, and few "genuine" ones that say they are made from brass.
Call me a doubting Thomas, and I have been wrong many times before, but I have serious reservations that Porsche would have people install a heavier than necessary part. They're pretty particular about that sort of thing.
If you really like them, keep them on. If you are curious about the balance, it's pretty cheap to have them rebalanced with the lumps on there. ;~P
DS
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17 years ago
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17 years ago
I put a set on my 997 C2 cab last year. these were the brass version, chromed over with the coloured logo on the ends.
When my tyre pressure monitor showed a low reading I tried to remove one of them. All 4 had welded themselves to the valve and had to be cut off by Porsche. The dealer said that they'd never seen anything like it.
Had the same ones on my M3 with no problems.