chicagopro3

iTrader: (1)

Is it a common practice balancing tires now and days? I have everything to do it, just want to know if its a waste of time? I'm going to run in vta this summer, and the speeds won't be too high.

Buckaroo

iTrader: (3)

Waste of time.

Foxxrocket

If it was touring car it might be worth it, but in VTA, totaly pointless.

Buckaroo

iTrader: (3)

Nope, not even worth it for a TC.

rgirocz28

iTrader: (33)

I gotta disagree with u there. I balance all my TC tires, especially the premounts. Who ever glues them up slops that sh!t on there in some areas. Hold ur TC up and pin the throttle and tell me your tires don't shake. Then balance them and repeat. That lack of wheel shake has gotta translate to more consisitent handling on the track. And if not, then i guess I'm just wasting my time. To me it's worth the time especially if u have the equipment ready.

Evoracer

iTrader: (24)

Hey Ryan, I've never done it on my cars before but I've always been curious and I DO see some value in it, PARTICULARLY at slower speeds like VTA. Something I learned racing TCS a long time ago with can motor cars. The more smoothly you can make the car work, the less you have to compensate with other adjustments. I put more work into making a set of bearings work well than I care to admit.
So whats involved with balancing ?? What tools? etc ?

rgirocz28

iTrader: (33)

I personally use a magnetic airplane prop balancer and some non hardening modeling clay from a craft store. After u have the equipment there isn't much to it. Center the fully glued tire on the balancer and get it spinning slowly. If it spins and just comes to a stop u r good to go. If it starts to rotate back and forth and finally settles to stop u have a heavy side. Add a little clay to the inside of the wheel web on the opposite side (gravity pulls the heavy side down so put ur clay at the top) start with a little at a time. At this point I won't spin the tire anymore. I will rotate it 1/4 turn (so the heavy part is parallel to your work surface) and let it go. If it again settles in the same spot add a little more clay. Continue this until u get the wheel to stop in random spots everytime. This will take some trial and error but eventually u will end up with a fully balanced set of tires and completely remove the axle shake from u car. The prop balancer I have works well with sedan tires all the way up to 1/10 scale truck tires. 1/8 scale tires r a little to heavy for the magnets but the idea is the same no matter what type of tires u r trying to balance. Remove the heavy sides and u remove the violent wheel shakes.

Ryan