Hot Rods bubble tire balancer experience

I dismounted a tire from a wheel that had been previously balanced on computerized machine and then remounted the same tire on the same wheel being careful to position the tire on exactly the same place on the wheel. For curiosity I left the weight off and used my cheap bubble balancer and it was off by exactly the lead weight that I had taken off.
I tapped the weight back on and it was perfectly balanced according to the bubble being centered. Anybody else here ever use one of these things or what kind of results have other had with them?

 

I use them all the time. The thing is there are a few things you need to do, to do it right. Most of the time they work fine.



Bones

 

I have used them when I was younger, balanced many tires for customers and remember no complaints.
Of course we are allowed selective memory.

They actually work really well, just set them up with the bubble centered, and then use your weight to keep the tire in the center.
No issue splitting it up and adding 1/2 the weight to the rear of the rim, then the other 1/2 to the front.

One of the best deals I ever did, I sold my uncle a coats 40 40 tire changer and a bubble balancer.
That was about 30 years ago. And I had use of it anytime I was in the neighborhood.

 

I've had good luck with mine. The biggest thing one needs to remember is don't hammer the weights on with the tire in the float mode. Lock it back down or remove the tire from the balancer to put the weight(s) on. I like them because I prefer to do all my aluminum wheels with the weights on the back. Take the wheels to any tire store around here and they don't get why someone would want that and usually don't know how to set the machine to do that. Thus they hammer the weights front and back marring the finish on the front sides even though they claim the coated weights don't harm the finish--nor look ugly.

I wish I could compare a spin balancer to mine, but the biggest difference is more precision on a computer balancer. Such as when it might call for .75 ounce on the back side and 1.25 ounce on the front. You cant get that out of a bubble balancer. The newer ones will also match mount the tires and wheels matching the high spot of the tire to the low spot on the rim. But I would say for the majority of us here on this forum, a bubble balancer works just fine.

 

Coats 10 10 and an Atlas bubble balancer was all it took to get 'em right in my high school years.
Did a pile of 'em, nary a complaint.

 

Years ago I bought a Hunter balancer. I always liked them because it turns everything, rotor/drum. It does a good job.
I have a bubble balancer also.

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My father in law has one of those spin on the car balancers , but he never taught me to use it. He gone now, but the balancer is still in his garage.
I just use my Atlas, like Slowmotion has.


Bones

 

I'll also mention that I bought a manual tire changer as well. Not that I'm going to dismount and mount tires on our newer Escape but it's perfectly fine for the odd changeover on some my older vehicles.
Overall I'm pretty happy with the balancer and the manual tire changer.

 

Bubble balanced and static balancing ( weights on one side) is fine on full frame cars and for probably 90% of drivers

Some people think a car should drive like a kitchen table with 0 movement and feel.fir these people match mounting and 1/4 oz weights are required
We would get 2.0 hours to match balance tires at jag for “ picky” customers.
‘Ain’t gonna lie I did a lot of those as static balance and crossed my fingers that I would not have a come back...... I think 1 or 2 in 7 years is pretty good! Lol
Things you do when your younger and need money !

 

I got a cheap harbor freight balancer. It works ok I guess, it’s all I got and all I used. I prefer dyna beads. I also mount and dismount with levers to keep it real old school. Not so bad on new tires.


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I have a "Northern Tool" bubble balancer and use it when I change tires. I have never had any problems with the vehicles that I balanced the tires on. I also have a manual tire changer. I have saved a ton of money and time over the last 10 years since getting these tools. Not only can you mount tires when you want, but there is no loading and unloading tires and rims on the truck (or in the trunk) and driving to the tire shop and waiting for the job to be done. I have found from bitter experience that if you show up with your own tires, you end up at the end of the service line.

 

Back in the day I worked my way thru college at a large Sear auto center with 8 or 10 tire changing stalls. All we had were bubble balancers and I don't remember many complaints and some could be traced to an out of round tire. Once you have done it a few times they work great.

 

I used a bubble balancer in high schools both as a student and then teaching with the same balancer and the same manual tire machine.
When I worked for Firestone in Texas the tire guy in the store taught me to split the weight and put two smaller weights to each side of the balance point and two matching ones on the back. That normally gave a real smooth ride.
I've got two Hunter on the car balancers with the hubs and a strobe balancer that works on the car. I haven't spent much time with the strobe yet though.

 

I learned to use 4 weights when I was in freshman auto shop....it still works..

 

X2 worked for Sears we used the same system rechecked many with a dynamic machine it only found one that was off.

 

Those are the exact two that I used for years. I’m looking for the brush and container of tire lube that was mounted on the side of the Coats 10 10. That was some slippery shit.


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I think you can buy the brush and lube from tire shop suppliers Not so sure about the container as that looks like the ones I used in the early 70's.
lube and brush you might be able to find at the local parts house.
https://www.oreillyauto.com/search/2000/bmw/540i?q=tire+mounting+lube

 

First job out of school ('76) was at a local tire store. An old guy there showed me the 4-weight system. I still use it today. Has always worked for me.

 

Never heard of the 4 weight system. Can you explain further?

 

Yup... 2 on the front, 2 on the back. Find the heavy spot, place the weights across from them and spread them out equally until the crosshairs line up. Scribe two lines with the weight pliers on the near side. Drop the handle on the balancer, hammer the 2 on the near side, turn it over and repeat on the back side.

 

At the racetrack today, Mickey Thompson still uses a bubble to do slicks and drag radials. Good to 200mph +

 

I had an inventor friend (rip) who worked for Hofmann locally. I remember him saying a fellow he worked with was "a world's expert in balance". He basically said a spinning 3 dimensional object balance is extremely complex. Something thin (close to 2 dimensional) is easy, but a tire/wheel, crankshaft, etc. can be out of balance along each 2 dimensional slice (x axis).
If you balance a tire with weights around the inside and outside rim you can get it close enough but not if heavy spot is somewhere in the middle.

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Any rotating assembly is worth meeting or exceeding spec, for example pistons & connecting rods, driveshafts, tires/wheels/drums, etc it all adds up to a smoother ride and avoiding unnecessary wear and tear on parts.

 

I completely agree Greg, when I was on a fuel altered crew it was low budget, we did as much as possible in house. The car owner bought a brand new bubble balancer at a swap meet one year and from then on we used it for all our tires. The car has run 5.28 and in the low 270's.
For the slicks two guys would carefully place them on the machine upside down and naturally we used adhesive weights that were put inside the rim with duct tape over them as a safe guard.

 

There you go...that's how I was taught.

 

Hi. It is a preppy thing with the newer electronic whiz bang balancers. It is supposed to impress the customers more that your balancer is many times better than old style. How else can they justify charging more for a job that is not done any better than old style.
These days all advertising is about new and improved & different than before while this new & improved is just in the profit.
Jimmie

 

It was what almost everyone used other than the ones that spun the wheel on the vehicles. I never figured out how someone convinced shops to spend $5,000 on a tire balancer that wasn't necessary. Why balance tires and wheels to such precision then bolt them to a system that is not very precisely balanced?

 

EXACTLY!! Wish I could find someone around here that still does the old "on the car" balance job.

 

If you weren't so far away you could borrow my Hunter. I remember years ago Smokey Yunick thought that was the best balancer because everything turns, you can get it smooth at speed.

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