pug 205 gti

after spending many hours reading threads on rctech.i appreciate the time work and effort that goes in to making these cars so fast!
castor,camber.toe in/out,rollcentre,corner balancing.armature balancing and brush alignment etc etc.
but there doesnt seem to be anything regarding wheel balancing???
we all know what its like to drive a car down the motorway (freeway)
when one or the two front wheels are out of balance.the car shakes like a junkie waiting for its next fix hence making the car hard to control etc
so why hasnt this been looked at? if it has shoot me im new to this
im sure some of you wise old dogs out there could explain why you dont take these measures
i just thought it would be an interesting debate? and bid you good day!
cheers newbie england uk the land of the rising turban

Tek Nickal

Well the tires don't have that much rotating weight, so balancing them won't have too much of an effect.

pug 205 gti

i think there is quite alot of weight there in rim,insert and tyre. especially to scale.and the power rc cars produce is astonishing.if a full size car produced rc car power to scale you would be looking at a 1000bhp???
so what affects does having all that power running through them do. if they are infact badly balanced.surely it must be a bad thing?

also if its a weight thing then? the armature wouldnt need balancing. would it?
im not by any means thinking im right !
i am just wanting a better understanding of the matter in hand

Tek Nickal

Armatures are sensitive to being unbalanced while tires aren't as much. Also, our RC cars aren't as precise of those of real cars. There's always some play in the suspension.

BadCarmaNY

I dont know... Possibly in some classes it may be worth looking into... anyone trying to gain that 1/10th of a second, ya know? I've seen an R/C tire balancer somewhere, but I think it was for big offroad wheels, and whatnot..

Every little bit helps when you're trying to edge out tough competition.

Speedie

Balance isnt just based on the weight of the object and the difference from side to side its based on distance from the centerline as well. Since the weight imbalance is so small and the distance from centerling is small as well there is so minimal gain there as to make it just not worth it. Think of a merry go round the closer you are to the center the less the rotating force is trying to throw you out. So the imbalance is there its just not enough to upset the car or warrant all of that work for no gain. Yes it has been tried there have been threads here and comments from industry pros that have tried it and found nothing. Only in a rare case of a product defect would it be benificial.

Manning

iTrader: (3)

I balance my stuff......... Might not help, but it can't hurt.

Dexmo

For those of you that do see the value to balance your wheels, what do you use for counter weights? Adhesive lead strips? Blu Tack? What?

wallyedmonds

i did do this a long time ago but not now its to time consuming

surreal

iTrader: (39)

You need two materials:

Try this device:http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXNDR0&P=7
Its expensive for the application, but works great.

and...

buy lead tape (1/2" or 3/8") from a tennis store.

To balance the tire, place the wheel on the balancer and spin the wheel. When the tire slows, watch the heaviness of the tire. The tire will sway back and forth till it comes to a stop. Place a small piece of tape on the opposite side of the wheel (on top, inside). Repeat this process until you are tired, or have a freely rotating wheel that doesn't sway.


Heres what I found when I balance my tires:

You can gain from less vibration. At best, maybe a couple of seconds a lap (or thats what I tell myself). However, the lead can ruin the rims faster. eg. the knuckles usually like to scrape or bake the lead into the tire rims. : )

proguy

You can buy lead tape from a golf shop. I use the Top Flite prop balancer.
It is more trial and error to figure out how much to use. They may not be perfectly balanced but thay are ALOT better before hand.

With unbalanced tires on the car, hold the car in your hand and pull full throttle. Now try it with a set of balanced tires on the car...for me it was much smoother and that can't hurt.

I have never needed to balance foam tires.