Wheel balancing trick!

[HeyBob]

If you purchase new tires for your van and are using the factory steel wheels, which are difficult to balance, see if the tire store has a hub to mount to your wheel, and then mount the tire and wheel to the machine, I just bought new tires, and they balanced them this way, my van has never gone down the road this smooth, try it!

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98 E-350 Cargo Van PSD smells like an oil furnace!
99 E_350 Clubwagon PSD factory aluminum wheels
Found em at a garage sale for $400.00

[ducky]

If you really want them balanced really well, go to a big rig truck shop. They will balance the tires mounted on the van by spinning them up. If you have limited slip or locker they can't do the rears. This balances the rotors and everything that spins, so rotating the tires can throw this kind of balance off.

As far as the hub, it sounds like an adapter. Every tire balancer I have used had some, and the good ones had all different kinds. Sometimes had to look and play around to get a good fit, but it always resulted in less weight on the tire.

Thats the other benefit of the spin balance, no adapters, and if you have old rotors that are rusty and missing parts of the cooling fins this makes up for that.

Of course I would just remember this for next time, if you are happy do not make any changes until you have too.

[TomBrooklyn]

When I get a new tire(s), they spin them on a machine to balance them, but I don't know about a special hub. What do you mean by this hub?

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TomBrooklyn. 1st Diesel 11/00: '90 E350 Cargo. 1(?)34k, pw/pl/cruise. Stl. Diam'd Plate bumpers w/bush bar.

[van_350sd]

I think he means the rotor. Another good tip is always check and tighten the valve stem part inside the stem, the one they usually unscrew to let all the air out when they do tire work. Buy the SS metal ones if you have nice alloys. www.griotsgarage.com/ has the best tools/carcare stuff. the wax is the best I have ever used. Check it out if you like quality.

[ducky]

The hub could be an old truck part used for mounting on the tire balancer. But it might be the adapter version as well.

The balancer basically has a metal dowel that sticks out of the machine. You then need to get the tire and rim centered on that arm, and locked tight enough so the machine can spin it. Getting it centered and properly held in place is what makes a good balance great. The normal mounts for car tires and light truck tires the stores do all day will almost handle a larger tire like these trucks use. But sometimes the rim has room to move around and sometimes it is not locked to the arm. The problem with it not being locked to the arm is that the arm turns one rom and the tire turns slower. Kinda like a slipping clutch, and the balance will be ok, but will not be as good as it could be.

If you find a good shop they will have a 3x2 board covered with different adapters. Some new expensive machines don't need adapters, but you pay for that nice little fact. I have worked in a car shop and we had state of the art mounting and balancing equipment. The kind that could handle an 18 aftermarket wheel and do no damage. The balancer had probably 15 adapters or so. And the wrong ones would seem to work, but an old mechanic showed me the light when he remounted my ``balanced" rim, it was slightly out of balance. When done properly there is a little difference.

Sorry for the long winded explanation. Basically it is like an adjustable wrench vs a 9/16 wrench. They both fit the bolt or nut, but the 9/16 will not round off anything as soon as the adjustable would.

[HeyBob]

Tom,
They had a hub that bolted to the wheel with eight lugs, it then slipped over the shaft of the balancing machine, and then they balanced the tire, they did not use the conical spacers that wedge the wheel into place on the shaft.

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98 E-350 Cargo Van PSD smells like an oil furnace!
99 E_350 Clubwagon PSD factory aluminum wheels
Found em at a garage sale for $400.00

[van_350sd]

Robert,
You mean a rotor, with lug studs, and the disk brake all in one unit? Just like what the wheel mounts on the van. My new van has 4 wheel disk brakes, no drums in the rear. Robert, using the rotor and wheel on a balance machine is a great way to get a true reading. The problem is when the tire mechanic puts the weights on, if he eyes the correct place and installs it even 1/16" off it makes a big difference. If the tire machine does not end up with zeros at least two times in a row, make him do it over. There is no such thing as "close" with tire balancing. Scotty

[ducky]

If it is a rotor, what happens when your rotor starts rusting and losing pieces in a year or two. I have seen some seriously sad looking rotors with pirces of the fins missing, but they miked great and the metal wasn't really in an important area.

I still like doing it on the truck. I guess this hub thingy is the next best.

[van_350sd]

duckey,
If your rotor loses a fin as you say, buy new ones, donate the old ones to the guy who balances your tires. All car parts are cheap to buy, you just need to speak the shop- lingo on the phone when ordering them. Always get a shop acct at your local Ford dealer too. Call your business "XXXX Custom Shop" or something. They may ask for a State sales tax license from you. This way when I need a genuine Ford part I get it for 20 to 40% less. Rotors are cheap, cut em once or twice and then get new ones.
Scotty

[ducky]

I agree with the one or two cuts. On my cars I actually have been getting new rotors as it is about the same price as paying to get them turned.

I saw a lot working on trucks, so while I would get new rotors, there may be some trying to eek out the last bit of life from theirs. And if they have a balancing problem, this may be the cause.