My process of wheel balancing to correct a static imbalance. Link to BADA Wheel Balancing Method Patent: www.freepatent... If you wish to support my work: paypal.me/Charl...
The nature of Internet/RU-vid is: there are tons of posts/video, but most of them don't know what they are talking about, they just like talking but never get to the point. It is difficult to find the right one, because how we know which one is? One easy filter is to ignore those that are more than 10 minutes. This video is the right one for bubble balancing. I spent a day to balance my 4 tires (4WD), took a test drive and the car still shaken at 65. After watching this video, I re-did them and now I can go 85 without any shaking. Thank you Charlie!
In my 70th yr and low income, i just got HFT tire changer and Ebay bubble balancer. Having fun, and saving money. I cant get the balance perfect, but pretty good. Thanks for fun and informative video!
I have balanced 1 set steel wheels with clip on weights and 1 set aluminum wheels with stick on weights with the bubble balancer yet. I checked them with my spin balancer and it verified that the bubble balancer is working surprisingly well. So thumbs up for this little thing.
why should it be surprising? shops have used the bubble method for many years with good results. as with any method the details are what is important. this video shows a guy who does not just haphazardly slap weight opposite the light side but takes care to make sure the weights are centered between the front and back of the wheel.
I have this same balance tool and it works well, I have found that when a tire is more then 2 oz of weight off it helps to break the bead and turn the tire on the wheel 1/2 turn most of the time the wheels and tires can be balanced before you seat the bead by just rotating the tire on the wheel and if you are really lucky some times you need no weight at all.
That's a good point. Also, with new tires the manufacturer will often put a red or yellow dot on the side of the tire. Line up that dot with the valve stem of the rim. If you have both a red and yellow dot, line up the red with the valve stem.
That's the best part about these balancers. I have done that rotation of the tire on the wheel trick when mounting tires and often you can balance with very little to no weight. I learned the trick from a mechanic friend many years ago. It's awesome
When you mount a tire, you're "supposed" to line up the balance dot with the valve stem, as that's generally considered to be the heaviest part of the wheel. However, that is not always the case. If you have the time, you can put the bare wheel on the balancer, to see where the actual heavy spot is, then mark it, then mount the tire with the balance dot at that location. I do that with my personal motorcycle wheels. I've seldom had to use more than 1/4 oz. of weight to get them to balance out, if that! I always get a kick out of how some of my customers will question my ability, equipment or integrity, because when I do a wheel or a set of wheels for them, I only use a minimal amount of weight, but when a dealership does it for them, they end up using multiple ounces. First of all, they don't have the knowledge or the interest to do it my way. Second, they don't have the time.
Nice vid, and good sense of humor. It's good to see that the traditional America values of resourcefulness and can-do are still alive and well in the 21st century.
Charlie, you are my new hero. I cannot even get my dog to come when I call him, and you get a tire to come to you. You are the MAN. I have been on the fence about getting a manual tire machine and bubble balancer for a while now. I have six cars and do some autocrossing, the tire changes take too much time and effort at the shops. You have made up my mind. HF needs to give you a commission. You have definitely increased sales. I'm OLD and so tired of the sloppy work done at many tire shops. Thanks for the video..
For those who claim this method is useless, you are completely wrong. Ideally, a wheel should be static balanced and then dynamically balanced. Often times, someone who uses the static method correctly achieves a better balance than someone using a spin machine who doesn't know what they're doing. Believe it or not, helicopter rotor heads are static balanced using a very similar method and if someone skips the static balance process, the dynamic balance can be challenging or even impossible. I've static balanced tail rotors that required no subsequent dynamic balance, because the static balance was done carefully. I must mention that when using a bubble balancer, such as the one in this video, it is imperative that the tool be completely level, not just "close." The tool must be level on a stable surface and in a draft free room, in order to achieve the best results.
Tires are a little different. It works fine, on the narrower wheels such as motorcycle wheels etc. If you start getting into the larger and wider tires you have two different planes that imbalance can be on, static will only correct the imbalance radially as a whole, which is likely what you're after on a rotor, same as say a lawnmower blade. This is why weights are added to the outer most flange of the wheels, there can be a radial imbalance and also a side to side imbalance.
It doesn’t matter if the floor is level. It only matters that the mounting flange and bubble level are fixed evenly, I.e. not screwed or bolted together imprecise
Great video! Thanks for posting. I've mounted and balanced hundreds of tires in my younger years when I worked at a small town tire store, but never once used a bubble balancer. I recently had a new set of tires put on my brand new vehicle due to running a giant bolt through one of my tires and wasn't happy with the OEM tires anyway. However, the "kids" they have working in today's tire stores leave a lot to be desired when it comes to professionalism. Weights fell off because they didn't clean the wheels properly and where they did make an attempt, they scratched the paint because they just used a rag and wiped them off with gritty dirt scratching the paint. They also broke clips off the center caps because they didn't line them up properly before trying to hammer them back on and assumed I'd never notice. Had it back there twice to have it corrected. I've decided it's worth my time to balance my own tires and do it correctly rather than loose my mind at the tire store and have them do more damage to my wheels and waste more of my time. I was skeptical of the Harbor Freight balancer, but you've set my mind at ease knowing what to expect. HF, here I come with this weeks %20 coupon.
@@kaimanson3174 I honestly didn't care for the bubble balancer as I didn't find it very accurate and sold it in less than a year. I've since found a much better tire shop and let them take care of my tire needs.
I used to work in a tire shop in the late 1960s. We used the 4-weight method most of the time. Never had a tire come back with a problem. But spin balancing on the car is better because you are balancing the entire mass of the rotating parts (tire, rum, brake drum/rotor) even though the drum/rotor are rarely that far out of balance.
I can agree here as I started tyre fitting straight after leaving school, we used the bubble balancer first then spun them up on the car with the magnetic pickup under the axle with the strobe machine when they were balanced the needle would remain in the green showing there was no vibration coming through the car from the pickup , but the guy that taught me was a perfectionist he would extend the Ariel and if there was any kind of flutter from it he would slightly adjust the weights till there was nothing coming through the ariel at any speed took a little longer to do but never ever got any comebacks from being out of balance people always asked for me in the tyre shop as they liked to know they were getting it balanced to the best it could be , I remember a few of the guys in the shop just couldn't master the art of where to put the weights I found it easy we used to chalk a line on tyre so the strobe would statically show where it is and work from the 12 o'clock position great days wish i cxould go back in time loved my job then .nowadays the just rush everything and halve of them dont even clean the rims where they corroded the paint off or steel rims dont clean the rust off I still fit my own tyres now made my own machine becouse i know its done properly then i watched this video becouse iam making my own balancer.
Thanks for talking about static vs Dynamic Bal. Old school weight splitting on a bubble balancer gets them darn close (With straigt rims and good tires)
I still have, and still use the old Micro precision wheel balancer Model M-60. I've had it for years, and never let it go. I have always had good luck with it. It has the small triangle for stem location, and the X across the glass. Really helps to keep the weights distributed within the X lines. Use 4 clip on weights, depending on wheel, get your bubble centered, mark the tire, mount 2 on the inside of the wheel at that location. Check balance, and use the other 2 to equal the weight within the X lines on the front of the wheel, mark wheel, install, and recheck. Works excellent still yet. Just a tip, if the wheel center cap has any weight to it, and you get a balance problem after, check it for any off weight balance. Really good video by the way.
Sir! Rarely do I take the time to comment but enjoyed this video so much thought it was worth it. Good knowledge with comedic relief. Thank you! Your wife laughing at you in the background was hilarious
Dear Charlie. I would do everything the friend did to test this device before using it. I thought this balancer was very interesting and I never saw one like it here in Brazil. Here the tire shops use dynamic balancers, but I found this device simple and well thought out. I would like to have one of these. Maybe I'll buy one on e-bay, but import taxes may be too expensive. God bless you.
Ive heard that from old guys who balanced both sides back in the sixties. Was told they had to because or retreads, but Ive never seen it done. Your video is great thanks
Maybe I am in the wrong section but I want to know how much I need to beat myself up when I am bubble balancing using this method which I have now used for years on end thanks to none other than you. I really struggle with 245/45s on 7.5 inch rims using a HF manual tire changer. Not so much because of the process but the fact that I am supposed to be aligning the yellow mark on the tire with the valve stem. Adding the duckbill mod and clamps to the changer really helped but since the name of the game is precision I find that it is just too much for me (so far) to line up the yellow mark with the valve stem with a profile that low while focusing on getting the tire on the rim. As a result, I end up turning the tire after mounting it on the rim to make them line up which takes every ounce if strength in my body. It feels doable when I am doing it but my back pays for it for weeks on end in a few days. How much do I really need to focus on getting that yellow dot lined up with the valve stem? This is getting harder as I approach 50 but it really is that part which is bugging me. Does the yellow mark matter at all or is placement 100% mitigated due to this process? Having the yellow mark off does mess with my OCD though. Thanks once again for making it a better for the commoners and stubborn bastards as life gets tougher.
Hello James, you definitely do not need to beat yourself up over the yellow dot. Putting the yellow dot anywhere close to the valve stem is fine, and even THAT isn't truly important. That dot just means it's the lightest point of the tire... which can be lined up with the valve stem (which is expected to be the heaviest point of the wheel). If lined up, then you MIGHT use less weights when balancing, but that's the extent of the importance of it all. :)
The bubble balancer I use for motorcycle wheels is a tree type(Coats 280). It's basically a mini cherry picker that the wheel hangs from rather than rests on. You mount the balancer itself on the wheel through the hub with a cone style screw. Then you hang the banlancer on the tree, which pivots on a point similar to the one on your balancer. It does pivot on the tip, not below it, and is extremely sensitive. It is also extremely delicate. That tip will eventually wear out and turn into a ball. You can still get a good balance but you have to be more careful. The more accurate the bubble balancer is, the more fragile it is. It's like a knife edge. The sharper it is, the better cut you get, the faster it wears out. The nice thing about having an extremely delicate balance pivot is the fact that you don't need anything even close to a perfectly level base. The balancer will zero out no matter what so long as the tip is in good shape. A bubble balancer that hangs the wheel far below the bubble itself will always be more accurate than one that the wheel sits on top of.
If you can get 'em to stick! I haven't had much luck using them, save for some brand-new or like new motorcycle wheels. I put them on some aluminum wheels a year or so ago, after doing what I thought was a very thorough cleaning. They all fell off before I even got back out of the driveway.
Hi: I thought this was obsolete technology and the bubble balance equipment was hard to find until recently. I saw a comment about where to get tire supplies or weights: I buy my stuff on eBay from a tire repair dealer, there are at least 2-3 stores with anything a DIY or a pro may need. Its top quality stuff and not the crap sold in discount auto stores such as Autozone (not picking on them but a nationally recognized chain). The worst tire I did required 9-oz of weights on a thin tire, the rim must have been bent. Gotta love custom wheels.. I do mostly big rig tires and most people never balance them or run a balancing adapter behind the wheel. Some companies put this powder stuff inside the tire for balancing.
I worked at a Goodyear tire store in the early 70s. I was taught the 4 weight method back then. Some customers wanted the "on-vehicle spin balance" instead. The boss always had me do the 4-weight bubble balance method first. Most of the time, that proved to be enough and the spin balancer couldn't improve on it much. Good video!
@@donovanbaker6835 I worked for Goodyear years ago when bubble balancing and spinning the tire while mounted to the car was all we had. I can't tell you the science of it, but using a bubble balancer, you use two pairs of weights (4 total) of the same individual weight. Slide them around the wheel until the bubble centers. Hammer two weights on the front of the wheel and two weights directly behind the front weights on the rear of the wheel. Then check it. If all is good and you then spin balance them, they will be balanced or really close, provided the car wheel ain't all out of whack.
+Charlie Sarsfield Yes, I got it that same day. So far so good. It isn't as sensitive as I hoped it would be. Doesn't seem to repeat well. I haven't done a static balance, then put it on a dynamic balance machine to see how it compares. Thanks man.
That seems like a lot of weight to be imbalanced. Most of the tires I get from wally world are that bad or worse, I use the same tire size on 99'durango too, hate the front end and want lockers but live and learn. Great editing with humor, very nice.
right now my balancer is in my storage unit packed away i mainly got it for other items! I wish i had room to have all my goodies out to play with in a shop to build in too! My shop right now is the great out doors lol!
Wow! Again! So cool! Coolest people around! Anyway, so thiers no what are you talking about! Awesome video! Because people who make names for others and cat in public are saints! Good mark!
I payed one of my friends to dismount some of my old tires an mount some other ones, has a manual changer and a hf balancer...he gave them back to me and told me they shouldnt need to be balanced because the wheels already had weights on them...lol, hes been changing tires on his old pickups for years like this, i thought he would know better.
One thing i do with mine i have the same one as you i balance the wheel on both sides of the rim here is why i find that when i do both sides of the rim you can get a real good balance and i mark center on rim but i put the wieghts on with temp tape on off set on that side then after one side is done then i flip wheel and do the other side and if need add where its needed that way and most times like 90% tey run great due to i did both sides! Try it on yr next one that is still out of balance!
I'm having the same issue on Frame 2:18. I moved the tire 90° on each turn and the "Bubble" still doesn't move from the. "Center" I double checked and everything is "Leveled" What am I doing wrong? Should I flip the tire over to the other side maybe? Any RU-vidrs help will be greatly appreciated Thank you.
I would think that the static balance would not be effected, but you would have to use more weight to achieve balance the closer you move the weights towards the center of the wheel. Having said that, It seems to me that there WOULD be an effect on the dynamic balance/imbalance of the wheel. Less so though, as you move towards the center. Just my thoughts on it. Hope it made sense. :)
I have done a comparison video on my channel on bubble balancers and digital wheel balancers, it is an impartial demo as I was genuinely interested to see how much of a difference there was from what our workshop used to use and the new tech out there
Gerard Burke Hello, Gerard. I watched your video two weeks ago when you commented on my other balancing video. Respectfully, the results in your video clearly show the reason why I tell people in my video to distribute the weight evenly when bubble balancing. Not doing so can drastically increase (if not create) a dynamic imbalance... as evidenced with your test. Would be nice to have a spin balancer though. It's just not always necessary.
Hello Charlie, firstly thanks for the reply, I watched your video and many others before I done my own. I was thinking of which way I would bubble balance as there are other methods, in the end I went with the exact way the old manual stated to do it, I also looked up another bubble balancer manual and it stated the same way as I carried it out, plus it was the way my grandad & my father before me balanced wheels dating back to decades ago, so I did want to compare old vs new in my workshop the exact way it was done. I really enjoyed your video and the info you gave, it was a very informative video. Keep up the good work.
Oh ok, I see what you're saying. Yeah, I know of 4 different methods (there might be more, I don't know) to bubble balance, but have only tried/used 3. I hope you comment on other videos that do show that "old" method so folks can learn from your video. It's for sure an eye opener for those not expecting it. Thanks for commenting Gerard.
Charlie, do you of a video that compares a bubble balanced wheel against a dynamic machine. It would be nice to compare the two. Also, I am an aircraft engineer and a lot of older aircraft have a bubble fitted in the wheel well to jack the plane into a level attitude, so I know the bubble method is accurate.
None of you read the effing manual. You have to push the wheel down so the cone centers the wheel. After you let go the wheel comes up again (springs) but its centered.
why do you share the weights across the width of a steel wheel but not on the alloy, surely it's equally possible to do this with the alloy by fixing them across the identified balance plane in two equi-spaced positions i.e. equally offset from the rim edge both sides - please comment if I've missed a trick here..... by the way this kit looks really well made compared to an old version of the same idea I used 35 years ago - it was called the 'Paddy Hopkirk' Wheel balance - sadly back then I didn't have instructions and only balance from one side - so some times it worked and others not - I was confused back then why, but it would appear to me the weight distribution seems to cater for wheels that may be suffering dynamic imbalance (IMO)
+Trevor Milne You've missed no tricks. To correct the static imbalance, you can use either method... across the width or centered. I prefer centered sticky weights on the alloy,if possible.
Thanks for sharing. I don't understand why some people feel the need to attack the method... I hope it doesn't deter you from sharing your experience in the future. I happen to be a beginner mechanic trying to make my car last and save money on maintenance by doing it myself. marbleshark How does doing it this way ruin your life? You've posted the same comment on like three videos that I've seen so far. You seem to know a great deal about dynamically balanced wheels. Care to elaborate?
Hi Charlie, someone told me to balance prior air filling first and move around tire with rim at same place. The said sometime you could lose some weight that way. What do you say to that?
It's always good practice to check the wheel balance before assembling the tire! Many tires also have some dot marks (yellow and red). Keep an eye on the yellow dot, usually for alignment with the valve when assembling! more on that further down. On a bubble balancer like this, it's a rather simple and easy procedure. You can check the wheel first, mark the lighter/heavier spot with a marker/chalk/tape. Your choice! Than without assembling, just rest the tire over the wheel. Making sure the bead is properly located around the rim when you lay it down. Get a new reading and correct as needed by moving the tire as you please. When you find the sweet spot mark it. Then assemble the tire by the correct marks. Usually the amount of weights needed to balance the tire. After this exercise tends to be greatly reduced! Keep in mind that the lightest spot on a wheel tend to be by the valve hole. While this is usually true for steel rims, many times it's not so much for alloys! Where reinforcements may be present at that spot. So better check. Also rather common nowadays the presence of pressure sensors or bead lock(s)! Can drastically change the "lighter spot". So make sure to use ALL the variants while doing it. Even the valve cap! ;-) Quite honestly it's faster to do it, than writing about it. LOL 😂 I hope it makes life easier! ;-)
No not at all here is why when its set on the inside of the tire is so far away from the bubble that it may not get a good reading for that side so by ave it above the bubble it will then be inline for a check i found that 1 out of 5 will read good on the normal way then flip it and its off some put wieghts on that side and flip and test the regular way and after thats done then its good. I always do it on both sides gets them really in line and most can then be really in balance!
I have been using your technique for years now with great success and thank you for that. I do have a question though. Every once in a while I have a rim/tire that is a pain in the neck. When I put the stick on weights as described, The bubble will then move in a different direction on me. I was wondering if it is permissible to add a another stick on weight on an entirely different direction of the tire to get that bubble centered while keeping the first stick on weights I put on installed. Here is an example. I add an ounce of weight at the end of the rim temporarily. The bubble is centered then I measure half the distance of the rim and apply the weights there permanently. I then find that the bubble is no longer centered like it was when I put down the weights temporarily. In fact, the bubble only centers when I put a half ounce weight on some other part of the rim. Not sure what causes that, but was wondering if I can install the half ounce on that part of the rim (of course putting it at the half width of the wheel) if it keeps the bubble centered? Thanks!
you can do this but I don't recommend it when I worked in a tyre shop we would break the bead on the tyre and move the tyre on the rim say a quarter of the way around and try to balance it again, it could be that the wheel itself is slightly out of balance plus the tyre its self-giving two heavy spots the idea is to get the heavy spots together or if it needs a really lot of weight to turn the tyre halfway on the rim so it counteracts and maybe not need as much weight on remoulds were the worst for this but not everyone as a tyre machine to do it , so like i say you can do it that way , but was just pointing out the way I was taught but in busy tyre shops they don't take the time nowadays to look after there customers
well, to balance a car tire is not a big issue, the tire is marked telling you where to put the heavy side next to the valve, so that you will know where to put the wait on the rim to even up the score , about 1 once will fix it up, look for that little white sticker some where on the bead flat of the tire, and that is the heaviest part of the tire, put that as close to the valve as you can, put the tire on the rim, air it up , watch your finger you only have 10,...and am sure you will like to keep them all, always when airing up the tire keep hands away from the tire BEAD, that's is where the tire slaps the rim to the bead, now doing the balance? take a once of what ever kind of wait you are going to use to make the balance, go strait up from the valve and add a once, that will do the job, but you have to make double sure that you have the heavy part of the tire next to the valve, if you have the heavy part of the tire over to the left side of the valve, then, your going have to put on your once of wait led to the right side, and if you put the heave part of the tire over to the right side of the valve, then you need to add a once of let over to the left , if you can find that little round colored circle on the side of your tire put the once strait across from that round mark, and if you cant not find the mark on your tires then, like I said before, look for that little white sticker that is located on the tire it's right next to the bead of the tire , you cant miss it, after the tire is aired up and the bead is seated on the rim, then you cant find it now, line it up with the valve, add a once right strait up from it , that should do the job, and it could happen that some time 1 tire might be all balanced don't need any led, and if this might happen, you will know if it's the front, because it would shake stronger then the back tire will, because it's on the staring , I have tried the beads, didn't like it was shaking when I would take my foot of the gas pedal , so I took them out of all my 4 tires, and did it the way am telling you, works perfect no shaking nothing perfect . I called the garage , they wonted around 50 bucks for the 4, not installing them our taking them off the car, it took me around 45 min to take out the beads , aired them up, add my 1 once, slapped them back on the car and saved my 50 bucks.
+r baird Thanks for the input. Yeah, I mentioned the "watch your fingers" issue in a previous video. Folks have mentioned the beads to me, bit I have yet to try them. Just haven't needed to.
I'm hoping someone can answer this...Why do balancing shops put the stick on weights close to the edge of the inside wheel. The video shows the weights being put in the center which makes sense. But, if the "professionals" put it on the edge using sophisticated balancing machines and they do it for a living wouldn't that be the proper place to put them?
Weights placed on the side means they are correcting a dynamic imbalance and possibly a static imbalance as well. Placing the weights in the center only corrects a static imbalance.
Could you please let me know the diameter of top shaft that houses the bubble. I have a wheel I need to balance with a small centre bore and i'm not sure it would fit on this balancer. Thankyou
I balance my tires when new or if i feel vibration (sometimes indicating a lost wheel weight). It also doesn't hurt to check the balance when you do your tire rotation. That's my two cents.
I got that same bubble balancer but doing this on smaller car tires. I have tried all 4 tires with and without weights and the balancer always shows the bubble in the middle. I am wondering if the balancer is broke or if the tires being balanced is too light weight for the springs on this bubble balancer. I looked at the tiny pin under the balancer and I see a groove all the way around the tip. I did not spin the tire while doing the balancing. Any suggestions.
+rg10969 As long as you can see the groove and NOT feel it, then you are alright. Others have mentioned the springs being to strong for some tires. I think they ended up getting weaker springs.
Doesn't the effectiveness of the weights change as you move them in toward the center of the wheel? It becomes a shorter lever as when the see saw balances when the heavier guy moves toward the fulcrum. I always balance at the bead area of the wheel to minimize this.
When using clip on weights... If, for example, it takes 4oz to center the bubble (while on the balancer, of course), then you want to put 2oz at that location on the front and 2oz on the back of the wheel. You don't want to put all of the weight (4oz) on the front of the wheel, as this will likely cause a dynamic imbalance even though the static imbalance has been taken care of. Hope this clears it up for you Alex. Or did I just confuse you more?
alex tyson Perhaps it was when I was splitting the stick-on weights to divide the weight for each side of the marked (in yellow) center line of the wheel. This way, the weight is still centered. Does that make sense?
+andrew ysk I know it's been quite awhile. Life is as it is and I'm not currently in the position to tackle that video right now. Will when i can though.
I just got one of these, but keep getting inconsistent readings. I'll get it balanced, take it off the balancer. When I put the wheel right back on, it would give a different reading as to where to put the weights. Any idea why this would be?
I had this problem at first, so I know how frustrating it is. First, make sure to oil the tip of the balancing pin. Make sure the balancer is on somewhat of a level surface, it doesn't have to be perfect though. With no wheel on the balancer, make sure the balancing level is centered. Adjust it if necessary. Bump the balancing hub around a few times and let it settle. Hopefully at this point the balancer will center every time. The rest of the equation comes down to consistency of centering the wheel on the balancer. If you have to, put a light coating of oil on the centering cone so the wheel will more easily center itself as it slides down the cone. I hope this helps you out Matthew.
You should also lube the top of the ring around the cone, and the plunger rods under the ring. If you want to be extra careful, you can test the compression force values of the springs to see if there is much variation there. Ideally, each spring would have the exactly same force value as the other 3 springs. If the surface of your cone is rough (like from bad chinese machining), you can smooth it out with 2000+ grit wet/dry sandpaper, followed by a polishing with aluminum polish. You want to get it mirror smooth and slippery without taking off much of the aluminum. A smooth, lubricated cone will definitely center the wheel more consistently than a rough machined (or even worse, a cast) cone. Finally, if the inside of your wheel hub is scarred or rough, you want to smooth that out and lube it as well to help it slide and center itself on the cone.
N3urON6 Thanks, and speaking of taking things apart, I just replaced a fuel pump inside a so called "unserviceable" Fuel Pump Module Assembly. Editing the video now. :)
I get my weights from a local tire shop that throws them away. I had to call several shops before I found one that would give them away, but now I can go there and get all the stick-on and clamp-on weights that I want.
