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Wheel Balancing... do you do it?
01-23-2012 | 08:18 AM
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From: QLD, , AUSTRALIA
Wheel Balancing... do you do it?
The wheels on my E-Revo and Summit are a bit wobbly. I know you're thinking "big wheels with big floppy tires, what do you expect?" but I think my wobbly wheels could be improved if not fixed if I balance the wheels.
If anyone can link me to a wheel balancer for a 17mm hex and some balancing clay it would be appreciated, the guy at the LHS says he won't have anything like that for a few months and I can't find much online.
Thanks in advance.
If anyone can link me to a wheel balancer for a 17mm hex and some balancing clay it would be appreciated, the guy at the LHS says he won't have anything like that for a few months and I can't find much online.
Thanks in advance.
01-23-2012 | 08:40 AM
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From: San Diego but living in Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATE
RE: Wheel Balancing... do you do it?
Here's a whole page of products from amain:
http://www.amainhobbies.com/index.ph...Tire-Balancing
I use the Du Bro True Spin and the lead balancing tape.
Be aware though, your question, when previously asked in other posts, opened many a can of worms.
I like to balance my tires...and keep them balanced. It's not a 'one-off' deal. Things can shift in a tire and it's another thing you'd need to 'maintain'.
Good luck.
http://www.amainhobbies.com/index.ph...Tire-Balancing
I use the Du Bro True Spin and the lead balancing tape.
Be aware though, your question, when previously asked in other posts, opened many a can of worms.
I like to balance my tires...and keep them balanced. It's not a 'one-off' deal. Things can shift in a tire and it's another thing you'd need to 'maintain'.
Good luck.
01-23-2012 | 09:06 AM
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From: QLD, , AUSTRALIA
RE: Wheel Balancing... do you do it?
Thanks shark but I have 3 sets of newish wheels all with the same problem so they cant all be broken.
Thanks tommy I haven't shopped with amain before (never had the need) but seeing as they aren't in stock anywhere else that I've checked I might grab one of their wheel balancers. I hope this doesn't open up a can of worms, I did a quick search on here and didn't come up with much on the topic.
Thanks tommy I haven't shopped with amain before (never had the need) but seeing as they aren't in stock anywhere else that I've checked I might grab one of their wheel balancers. I hope this doesn't open up a can of worms, I did a quick search on here and didn't come up with much on the topic.
01-23-2012 | 10:15 AM
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From: Theresa, WI
RE: Wheel Balancing... do you do it?
Balancing wheels/tires is a good thing, easier on all rotating parts. Your model will be faster and smoother and handle better because the tires will stay planted instead of jumping off of the ground when rotating.
I built my own balancer here is how........I took a front axle from a duratrax evader and mounted it to a board so the axel sticks out strait. (horizontal) I took a hex drive from an ofna buggy (17mm) and put clutch bearings from an associated GT 3/16 flanged inside the hex adapter. Mount the wheel/tire to the hex and slide onto the axel and put a hex nut on to hold it from coming off when you spin it. Done deal, works great. I use modeling clay or masking tape on the inside dish of the wheel.
I built my own balancer here is how........I took a front axle from a duratrax evader and mounted it to a board so the axel sticks out strait. (horizontal) I took a hex drive from an ofna buggy (17mm) and put clutch bearings from an associated GT 3/16 flanged inside the hex adapter. Mount the wheel/tire to the hex and slide onto the axel and put a hex nut on to hold it from coming off when you spin it. Done deal, works great. I use modeling clay or masking tape on the inside dish of the wheel.
01-23-2012 | 11:59 AM
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From: Norwood,
OH
RE: Wheel Balancing... do you do it?
All RC tires (and really, all tires) are out of round to a point. The bigger they get, the more out of round they are, it's just a simple fact of life. ThunderbirdJunkie's cheap tires on his Toyota Paseo spun nice and true compared to the $200+/ea tires on his Jeep that are much bigger and generally of higher quality.
On a touring car, 1/10 buggy, or something similar, you can usually take a bit of shake out of the tire with balancing. With MT tires, ThunderbirdJunkie doubts anything significant would come out of it; the tires are just out of round.
On a touring car, 1/10 buggy, or something similar, you can usually take a bit of shake out of the tire with balancing. With MT tires, ThunderbirdJunkie doubts anything significant would come out of it; the tires are just out of round.
01-23-2012 | 12:43 PM
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RE: Wheel Balancing... do you do it?
I have never even bothered. Not really any point in it. Smaller tires are too light for it to really make a difference. Bigger tires have a lot of foam in them, which moves around a lot regardless of how well you balance them.
01-23-2012 | 02:22 PM
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From: Sonoma,
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RE: Wheel Balancing... do you do it?
ORIGINAL: proanti1
I have never even bothered. Not really any point in it. Smaller tires are too light for it to really make a difference. Bigger tires have a lot of foam in them, which moves around a lot regardless of how well you balance them.
I have never even bothered. Not really any point in it. Smaller tires are too light for it to really make a difference. Bigger tires have a lot of foam in them, which moves around a lot regardless of how well you balance them.
01-23-2012 | 03:41 PM
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RE: Wheel Balancing... do you do it?
ORIGINAL: nitroexpress
Molded foam does not move. Older style foam will take a set after one run.
ORIGINAL: proanti1
I have never even bothered. Not really any point in it. Smaller tires are too light for it to really make a difference. Bigger tires have a lot of foam in them, which moves around a lot regardless of how well you balance them.
I have never even bothered. Not really any point in it. Smaller tires are too light for it to really make a difference. Bigger tires have a lot of foam in them, which moves around a lot regardless of how well you balance them.
01-23-2012 | 04:47 PM
#10
RE: Wheel Balancing... do you do it?
Speaking of MT tires, I did do some experimenting with balancing a while back and posted it here:
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_97...tm.htm#9769911
I'll probably balance in the future, but just to equal out tires, rims, and foams as best I can. I'm not going to go the extent of adding lead again unless the wheels wobble when the vehicle is on the ground. If they only wobble when held up in the air, I think that's close enough for me.
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_97...tm.htm#9769911
I'll probably balance in the future, but just to equal out tires, rims, and foams as best I can. I'm not going to go the extent of adding lead again unless the wheels wobble when the vehicle is on the ground. If they only wobble when held up in the air, I think that's close enough for me.
01-23-2012 | 06:24 PM
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RE: Wheel Balancing... do you do it?
I never used to have a problem with out of balance tires on my MT's. But the last couple years I have been getting wobbly sets so I have balanced the ones that need it. TBJ is right, some are just out of round and balancing won't make a tire true, I have a set of Big Joes that are like that. But balancing did help the Big Joes wobble less and it did cure or at least help alot with my other sets as well. I don't race so I can't quantify handling improvements with lap times, but in theory performance should be better too.
01-23-2012 | 07:43 PM
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From: QLD, , AUSTRALIA
RE: Wheel Balancing... do you do it?
ORIGINAL: Argess
Speaking of MT tires, I did do some experimenting with balancing a while back and posted it here:
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_97...tm.htm#9769911
I'll probably balance in the future, but just to equal out tires, rims, and foams as best I can. I'm not going to go the extent of adding lead again unless the wheels wobble when the vehicle is on the ground. If they only wobble when held up in the air, I think that's close enough for me.
Speaking of MT tires, I did do some experimenting with balancing a while back and posted it here:
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_97...tm.htm#9769911
I'll probably balance in the future, but just to equal out tires, rims, and foams as best I can. I'm not going to go the extent of adding lead again unless the wheels wobble when the vehicle is on the ground. If they only wobble when held up in the air, I think that's close enough for me.
02-03-2012 | 07:51 PM
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From: QLD, , AUSTRALIA
RE: Wheel Balancing... do you do it?
Thanks for every ones input on this, I thought I had better do a follow up. I bought the Losi wheel balancer from Amain, thanks again tommygun32 for the link. As I said before I don't normally shop at Amian so I hadn't checked them out and they were just about the only place I could find that had wheel balancers in stock. Living in Australia means it takes a while to get my hobby stuff so hopefully in the next week or two I can put this whole out of balance wheel wobbling thing behind me. Thanks again guys.
02-03-2012 | 08:24 PM
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From: pefferlaw, ON, CANADA
RE: Wheel Balancing... do you do it?
ORIGINAL: nitroexpress
Molded foam does not move. Older style foam will take a set after one run.
ORIGINAL: proanti1
I have never even bothered. Not really any point in it. Smaller tires are too light for it to really make a difference. Bigger tires have a lot of foam in them, which moves around a lot regardless of how well you balance them.
I have never even bothered. Not really any point in it. Smaller tires are too light for it to really make a difference. Bigger tires have a lot of foam in them, which moves around a lot regardless of how well you balance them.
02-04-2012 | 12:25 AM
#18
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RE: Wheel Balancing... do you do it?
I don't. I just bomb around in my driveway. I don't need finely balanced tires and the handling advantages that brings, and any vibration wear-and-tear is hidden underneath the bumps and jumps wear and tear I inflict on my stuff.
In short: Would be a waste of time to balance them for me.
In short: Would be a waste of time to balance them for me.
02-04-2012 | 11:06 AM
#19
RE: Wheel Balancing... do you do it?
i used to think the same thing. nahh im just a basher, im not going to benefit from it. between the bumps, jumps and everything else who cares, im probably going to break the parts faster than my wheels can wear them out anyway. and gain in performance is going to be minimal and un-needed for me. <div>well a friend who raced was trying to talk me into balancing my wheels. finally one day we were bashing at his house i had to make a hobby shop run, left my truck on the workbench. when i got back all 4 of my wheels were balanced. first time i drove it, i had to admit i was wrong! holy hell what a difference it made! my front tires were no longer rolling as if they were egg shaped. my CVD's were no longer vibrating and wobbling all over the place. it cornered better, which BFD if you're a basher though right? but it jumped better. a lot smoother and more controllable in the air. the truck was a lot more consistent after that. made it a lot more fun to drive.</div><div></div><div>so know i always balance my wheels</div>
02-04-2012 | 12:03 PM
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From: Sonoma,
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RE: Wheel Balancing... do you do it?
ORIGINAL: ThunderbirdJunkie
Yes it does.
ORIGINAL: nitroexpress
Molded foam does not move.
Molded foam does not move.
02-04-2012 | 03:54 PM
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RE: Wheel Balancing... do you do it?
ORIGINAL: suburban_hooligan
i used to think the same thing. nahh im just a basher, im not going to benefit from it. between the bumps, jumps and everything else who cares, im probably going to break the parts faster than my wheels can wear them out anyway. and gain in performance is going to be minimal and un-needed for me. <div>well a friend who raced was trying to talk me into balancing my wheels. finally one day we were bashing at his house i had to make a hobby shop run, left my truck on the workbench. when i got back all 4 of my wheels were balanced. first time i drove it, i had to admit i was wrong! holy hell what a difference it made! my front tires were no longer rolling as if they were egg shaped. my CVD's were no longer vibrating and wobbling all over the place. it cornered better, which BFD if you're a basher though right? but it jumped better. a lot smoother and more controllable in the air. the truck was a lot more consistent after that. made it a lot more fun to drive.</div><div> </div><div>so know i always balance my wheels</div>
i used to think the same thing. nahh im just a basher, im not going to benefit from it. between the bumps, jumps and everything else who cares, im probably going to break the parts faster than my wheels can wear them out anyway. and gain in performance is going to be minimal and un-needed for me. <div>well a friend who raced was trying to talk me into balancing my wheels. finally one day we were bashing at his house i had to make a hobby shop run, left my truck on the workbench. when i got back all 4 of my wheels were balanced. first time i drove it, i had to admit i was wrong! holy hell what a difference it made! my front tires were no longer rolling as if they were egg shaped. my CVD's were no longer vibrating and wobbling all over the place. it cornered better, which BFD if you're a basher though right? but it jumped better. a lot smoother and more controllable in the air. the truck was a lot more consistent after that. made it a lot more fun to drive.</div><div> </div><div>so know i always balance my wheels</div>
I rarely go fast enough for that to be an issue. Plus, I'm running tiny little 1.9" diameter wheels and low-profile rubber. If they're even remotely close to wobbling the suspension the tires have come off the bead.
02-05-2012 | 08:08 PM
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From: The OC, CA
RE: Wheel Balancing... do you do it?
iv been balancing RC wheels sense day one. i figured 1:1 wheels get ballanced, RC would be no different.
@378: i just bought a used hpi sprint and i balanced the wheels that were on it. they spin at such a high RPM. it does make a big difference in how the car acts. might want to give it a shot. more control, even for a basher is never a bad thing
@378: i just bought a used hpi sprint and i balanced the wheels that were on it. they spin at such a high RPM. it does make a big difference in how the car acts. might want to give it a shot. more control, even for a basher is never a bad thing
02-07-2012 | 02:39 AM
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From: Kingston UK, but living in Athens, GREECE
RE: Wheel Balancing... do you do it?
For me it depends on the severity if when in the air my savage looks like it's doing the breast-stroke, I balance the tires. I can count on one hand the number of times I have done this.
02-12-2012 | 09:36 PM
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From: QLD, , AUSTRALIA
RE: Wheel Balancing... do you do it?
Follow up... The losi wheel balancing kit does not fit traxxas wheels and the frame is too small for MT wheels and tires. So it was a waste of money. Thanks again for every ones help. I wish someone around here knew a little bit more about balancing MT wheels. I don't think I'll be wasting any more money on trying to solve this problem and my wheels wobble so bad that I'm thinking about getting out of the hobby all together. Maybe I'll keep my summit but I think everything else is going to be sold.
02-12-2012 | 10:49 PM
#25
RE: Wheel Balancing... do you do it?
i balance tires when i can, i just remove the dog-bone and let the tire droop to the lowest point, then i take some duct putty (like $5 a pound) and put it on the opposite side behind the wheel untill the wheel doesnt center in any direction.
it makes a HUGE differance on smaller lighter tires, you can almost "feel" the car drive smoother and more planted.
it makes a HUGE differance on smaller lighter tires, you can almost "feel" the car drive smoother and more planted.
