mtbkym01

How can you comment without trying this first yourself[>:]

vic viper

Because I have driven my XB8 TQ with both the right front and right rear wheel seriously deformed and the performance of the car wasnt reduced that much.
I can understand if onroad racers balance their wheels, but offroad?, no meaning whatsoever!

qaiz

You just prooved my point.

When your racing, even " that much " makes a differience...

And yes, I honestely do believe that my wheels will stay balanced, after 1 lap or 10, provided its done right...

@ dsales

I picked mine up locally, but this is the one

http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...oducts_id/4870

Same one I use...

dsales

Thanks qaiz.

Vic viper: The extra time spend balancing wheels is what will make these guys champions if they already arnt, its the difference between a commited racer and someone like you. Also, my LHS balances my buggys wheels everytime I give them in and I can feel a remarkable difference, you may just be a bad driver in which case you can not feel these differences in the performance of the buggy.

Harvz

How do you know exactly where to put the weight and how much to put?

vic viper

This is a joke, I am convinced that you wouldnt tell any difference what so ever in a blind test!

And I wonder how you guys drive when you can say that the wheels balance wont change after a heat at the track, yeah right


EDIT, btw, a good driver can handle a car in any condition and dont have to rely on everything being 100%

tommygun32

Vic, I'll give that a go. Will balance my tires, take them around the track a couple of times and check them for balance straight after that. I'll let you know how it works out.

The reason I think balancing tires works is simply this;

Theoretically, if you take an unbalanced 1:8 scale wheel and expand it to real size, then mount four of them on a real car, you probably wouldn't be able to drive that car. You'd be all over the road, wrestling the steering wheel like you were fighting a drunk gorilla.

OK, we've seen all the cop videos on TV when they're chasing some guy and he gets his tires blown out with a stopper strip he still carries on...on his rims. Yes the car still goes, but it must be hell to control and eventually the performance brings him down.

If this helps my performance on the track in any way...I'm all for it. I put so much time and effort in ensuring the car is as close to perfect as possible before a race...why not ad a little extra bonus?

dsales....go to the first entry of this thread mate. Pics and words are there.

vic viper

I dont think its a 100% accurate to compare 1:8 to 1:1 wheels, but I can say that only balance issues wont affect the performance of either 1:1 or 1:8 cars, however a wheel that isnt round will.. at a certain degree

The 1:8 wheels are soft to be able to pick up impacts without breaking, this will on the other hand warp the wheel and I dont think this process can be entirely eliminated.

qaiz

I agree with your first statment, it is not 100% accurate to compate a 1:8 wheel to a 1:1.

But again, like you just said, " A wheel that isnt round, will, at a certian degree "

That's the differience..

I just took my buggy for a quick spin with the balened tyres, and yes, I do see a noticable differience, it just feels smoother, it just might be mind set, but IMO there is a differience, otherwise people would'nt be doing this..

tommygun32

Harvz...check back soon mate, a full post of where and how much and how to will be on shortly.

qaiz

Did another set, brand new Bow Ties. They didnt need that much balancing







Except for one





So far 2 sets done

New ones on the left, old practice ones on the right

Harvz

That's not how you balance a wheel. The weights are everywhere on one side.

qaiz

Whad'ya mean..?

Its working fine for me [&:]

vic viper

When balancing a wheel you have to balance both outer and inner edge of the rim, you have only weighted the outer edge of the rim.
Also when putting weights at 180 degrees across the wheel the weights will take out eachother.

INTEGRA

IF u only knew what u were talkin about Vic.....then u might acually have a leg to stand on in this argument.

vic viper

Then why dont you tell me whats wrong with my points?

I have worked in the automotive industry over 10 years now and have balanced 1:1 wheels since even further back, regarding wheels and balance I know what I am talking about, on the other hand I am more than interested in what you have to add to the discussion?

INTEGRA

this is how i get my balancing done......as far as how much weight and where.....it all depends on the rims...tires....and offset as to where the weight goes......as for how much....well it really depends....if the tire is out a gram or 2....its possible to get it 100% balanced.........but when it comes to tires that are out by more then a couple grams...its almost impossible...as adding upwards of 10-15grams of weight will throw the tire out even More then with Zero weight added......i have tried to counterbalance the Overly heavy side....but it usually ends up throwing the tire out even more......this is for truggy tires for the most part which are effected way more imo from a poor balancing job.

Tires and foams vary greatly when it comes to being balanced.....ive found that Proline's are out the worst.....Losi/GRP's are the best....i have a set's of Grips that needed less then 1/4" strip per wheel to get them PURFECT....yett any set of LRP crime's/Bow's are Sooo out...i cant justify the amount of weight needed to counterbalance them.....molded foams can also be out of balance and have a heavy side to them....as i have checked the Proline's to the GRP's and found the GRP's needed Nothing removed but the proline's needed a bit of sanding to get them to Not to "roll off the heavy side"


buggy tires for the most part are pretty on par....and dont need Much weight.....But of corse pending on how u Vent the tires....Dirt and pebble's can make there way in to the wheel and cause funny balancing issues....IF your trying to balance an Already used set of tires.....Brand new you HAVE TO HAVE TO Spool up the tires on the vehicle before balancing.....the foams need to get seated where they want....or else the balance Will change after that first run......Guys claiming the balance wont hold through out the day are somewhat right....pending on the track conditions if its run wet and u get into the slop and get some gunk on the tires....but imo...once that dirt has Flung off...the balance if back again.....and really...who runs Dirty Mud caked tires anyways.....


the glue job plays another big factor in how the wheel balances.....if u hacked the bead up and did not seat the bead properly the wheel's gonna want to wobble...no matter HOW much weight u add or where.....if this is the case...u need to learn how to glue tires properly before u can think off balancing them.....I cant count How maby HACK glue job's ive seen over the years.


as for what kind of weight to use on what rims....well it depends.....for a buggy tire....u would want the weight as Close as possible to the spokes...but still on the inside of the tire...like Not on the Face of the rim....like Qaiz did... basically u want the weight Under the mounting point(the hex)....as same goes for a 1/2" off truggy tire...u want the weight Under the mounting point(in the middle of the rim)...this is why using puddy for 1/2"off tire WILL NOT work...and u neeeed the tape......blah....i can keep goin but ill quit there and let u guys ask Q's if needed.

INTEGRA

when u get a personal lesson from Gary Guest on How to properly balance wheel's...THEN u can come and question my ways.


PS 1:1 wheels are a Wee different from our little Rc wheels.

vic viper

Im not questioning the method youre using, I am questioning the reason.

It would be fun to set up a blind test, I am confident that you will not be able to differ balanced from unbalanced wheels if both setups are properly and likewise glued.

The other reason I consider this useless is that the wheels weight and roundness will shift after just a couple of laps, dirt inside the wheels is the main culprit, impact from jumps comes second.

INTEGRA

the reason......a more efficient drivetrain.....longer life on drivetrain bearings........a more predictable car in Highspeed situations where Unbalanced wheels Shake like a ****.....better fuel milage.....the reasons are all there.....Why do u balance a 1:1 tire ?

vic viper

Why balance 1:1 wheels? - Primary for comfort, if a wheel is so out of balance that it affects the cars performance you simply wont mount that wheel..
And 1:1 offroad vehicles doesnt balance their wheels at all.

dsales

I have a BMW X5 and it gets its wheels balanced and needs to get them rebalanced otherwise it pulls to one direction at high speeds. Used to have a Toyota Landcruiser which also got its wheels balanced

vic viper

Faulty balancing does not cause a car to pull left or right, You had either wrong pressure or need a wheel alignment.
And btw. I do not consider vehicles that drive 98% on tarmac, offroad vehicles.

mtbkym01

Why do you insist on arguing? [sm=bananahead.gif]If you dont want to give it a go, just let it go, and when you get lapped by a smoother handling buggy, ask the driver why his car handles better than yours[sm=punching.gif]

tommygun32

Whooobooyyy....I've got 10 to 1 that you two could probably keep going at this for years..

Personally, I'm sold on the idea of balancing my tires. I've felt the difference while holding a car that's being given a good bit of throttle from 1 that had balanced tires and one that didn't. Just the amount of serious SHAKE is enough to sell me on the idea.

Unfortunately, INTEGRA, there isn't a single golf shop, club house or repair shop out here (quite unbelievable when thinking about how many there are here) that sells lead tape....so it's on-line for me and probably a wait of about 2 or 3 weeks.[:@]