Wheel balancing

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TheMegaMan

TheMegaMan

Well-Known Member
Posts
516
Location
Cambridge
My S3 rebuild is still slowly progressing, but I need 4 new tyres. The tyres are here, and I'm going to fit tubes to them all (I don't think they are all tubed at the moment, but I'm pretty sure the rims aren't tubeless, so I'm going to play safe).

The issue I have is that the only vehicle I have that would allow me to take the tyres and wheels to the local tyre place for fitting, is the Landy...which won't be mobile until I've got the tyres mounted for it!

Someone on here (Col?) commented that being able to fit your own tyres was useful, so I thought I'd give that a go!

I've got some long tyre levers and ordered a bead breaker, so I should be able to get the old knackered tyres off, and hopefully fit the new ones, too. But balancing will still be a issue.

I could just drive to the tyre place and take the wheels off when I'm there, but I've found https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/303498150121 on ebay, and wondering if I can actually do everything myself. Problem is (I think) that it'll only work on rims with a hole up to 4" diameter, and I think the Landy wheels are around 4.5"-5". And if the wheel isn't properly centred, balancing won't be accurtate.

Has anyone else done their own wheel balancing? Any tricks to make it easy? Can it be done easily with cost-effective equipment?
 
TheMegaMan said:
My S3 rebuild is still slowly progressing, but I need 4 new tyres. The tyres are here, and I'm going to fit tubes to them all (I don't think they are all tubed at the moment, but I'm pretty sure the rims aren't tubeless, so I'm going to play safe).

The issue I have is that the only vehicle I have that would allow me to take the tyres and wheels to the local tyre place for fitting, is the Landy...which won't be mobile until I've got the tyres mounted for it!

Someone on here (Col?) commented that being able to fit your own tyres was useful, so I thought I'd give that a go!

I've got some long tyre levers and ordered a bead breaker, so I should be able to get the old knackered tyres off, and hopefully fit the new ones, too. But balancing will still be a issue.

I could just drive to the tyre place and take the wheels off when I'm there, but I've found https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/303498150121 on ebay, and wondering if I can actually do everything myself. Problem is (I think) that it'll only work on rims with a hole up to 4" diameter, and I think the Landy wheels are around 4.5"-5". And if the wheel isn't properly centred, balancing won't be accurtate.

Has anyone else done their own wheel balancing? Any tricks to make it easy? Can it be done easily with cost-effective equipment?
Click to expand...
i wouldnt worry ,take it for a drive if its ok your sorted if not take which you believe is the offending wheel
 
Fair comments. I guess it's not like I'll be doing a lot of motorway miles, where an unbalanced wheel can be a right pain. Cheers for the comments.
 
The young girl in my tyre bay spent an age trying to balance mine. She stopped short of welding a club hammer to the rim. The other blokes laughed their heads off when she gave up. They all said they wouldnt have bothered at all.
 
My wheels weren't blanced so I went into a local tyre place, they tried their best and one wheel ended up with wieghts on 1/3 its circumference. There was a slight (and I mean slight) improvement. I didn't bother balancing the other 2. When I recently had new tyres fitted to nearly new rims they balanced them as it was inc in the price. I actually said they didn't have to thinking I could just end up with loads of weights. Took about 3 per wheel. Balance doesn't feel any differernt to the old ones. I wouldn't bother until you've driven it for a while and got up to speed. You'll soon find out if its an issue then.
 
OK, I won't lose any sleep over balancing, then.

Bead breaker arrived today, but didn't have much success with my first attempt. Really struggled to get the bead off, which suggests maybe the rims are tubeless, after all. I assume tubed rims would break quite easily. All I've done is bend the 'blade' arms, so it's not pushing down straight anymore. I'll get it straightened up and try again later in the week...
 
kermit_rr said:
Put one of the wheels back on the landy, Jack it up, old tyre under the wheel and let the Jack down. The weight of the landy will break the bead
Click to expand...
Cunning! Slightly concerned about the stability of the Landy if I need to jack it up high enough, and I've only really got 4 wheels. Well, I do have 3 others (don't ask!) behind the shed, but they're over 20 years old and are probably in terrible condition. I can probably find a way to make it work somehow, though. Thanks for the idea.
 
Even more cunning! That'll be easier to do safely with the wheel off and on an axle stand, I think. Won't be able to try it again for a few days, but I can see that working very well.

Cheers!
 
TheMegaMan said:
Even more cunning! That'll be easier to do safely with the wheel off and on an axle stand, I think. Won't be able to try it again for a few days, but I can see that working very well.

Cheers!
Click to expand...

tottot said:
High lift jack makes a great bead breaker, wheel under bumper and jack foot on tyre. As the tyre gives a bit give the jack a kick to get the foot edge under the rim lip. Using the landy's weight like kermi--rr above.
Click to expand...

^^ This one.
This is the method I use, for both the landy and the tractor, and it works very well. (youtube: link). I would also say that justbeacsue they are difficult to remove does not mean they are tubelss rims, if the tyre has been in place for a long time a combination of rain, rust rubber and grime will have stuck it nicely to the rim. Once you know how to change tyres yourself, especially tubed series ones you don't need to balance you will find yourself doing it regularly because it becomes free and easy to swap tyres, or strip to refurb wheels.
Once you have removed it it will be very obvious if you rims are tubed or tubless by looking at them. see the below pic (from google but posted on the forum in other paces multiple time). Left is tubless and has a ridge to keep the bead in place, right is tubed and has a smooth profile.

DSC_3579.jpg
 
Yeah, I was aware of the difference in rims, and looking from the 'outside', I was assuming I'd see the same kind of profile around the bead as the photos show on the inside. And as mine appear to be flat, I assumed they were tubed rims. But given the tyre seems to have come away from the lip fairly easily but with the bead breaker, I still can't get the tyre bead to be free, I'm now thinking there may indeed be the ridge to hold the bead in place. Of course, while I'm hanging on the bar to hold the tyre down, I can't actually see the inside of the wheel.

I should be able to give this another go tomorrow, and will try the high lift jack under the bumper. I'll see what I find.
 
From bitter expereinece I've had tubed rims put up a real fight. I don't even try now, the amount of energy a tyre can absorb is amazing. Last time I need to get some tyres off to weigh in some ally rims I just put an angle grinder though the lot.
 
rob1miles said:
From bitter expereinece I've had tubed rims put up a real fight. I don't even try now, the amount of energy a tyre can absorb is amazing. Last time I need to get some tyres off to weigh in some ally rims I just put an angle grinder though the lot.
Click to expand...
This is very true, I have found that some trial and error is needed to get the foot of the highlift positioned correctly. It needs to be as close to the rim as possible without actually being on the rim, otherwise the trye can flex and the bead stay in place. It may also take a couple of attempts rotating the tyre slightly tot pull down a larger section of the bead, and it may need to be reset once the bead has moved a little to allow you to move the jack foot nearer to the centre.

I have also been in the precarious position of jumping up and down on the bumper with the front of the 110 in the air (slightly) to get the bead to break, this was with tubed rims, so they can just be a pain to break. I would also point out at this point when I was doing this the land rover still have all four wheels attached so when the bead did break it just dropped back onto it wheels so was not actually as dangerous as it sounds.
 
My technique is obviously flawed, as I didn't have a lot of luck. I was just lifting the Landy off the ground, and the bead didn't shift. I think the sidewall of the tyres I have (Mud Pluggas) are just too rigid. I'll try again by putting a small block or something under the foot of the jack against the rim to try and localise the force, but as it is, the tyre isn't giving enough to break the bead at all. Maybe the foot on my jack is larger than normal...

I straightened out the blade from the proper bead breaker I bought and using that, I managed to get the bead broken on the outside of the wheel, and have got the tyre off the rim on that side. Tried to do the bead on the inner edge, and have bent the blade again. Hmmm. There really is a lot of energy going into this!
 
Put the wheel flat on the floor then drive over the tyre wall, slowly. Get an helper to guide you if necessary but tell them to stand well back in case you cock it up and the wheel goes flying.

Col
 
Landy isn't quite mobile yet, so that's not really an option...particularly with a wheel off.

I'll try the jack again, but I need to use something else to focus the force in a smaller area. I think my tyres are really just very old, stuff and stubborn.

@rob1miles , when you've used an angle grinder, have you cut around the sidewall, or across it? How do you do cut the bead without damaging the wheel, or do you just cut the bulk of the tyre away, and then press off the rubber ring that's left?
 
TheMegaMan said:
How do you do cut the bead without damaging the wheel, or do you just cut the bulk of the tyre away, and then press off the rubber ring that's left?
Click to expand...
When I have used this method (on a very badly perished and split tyre) I cut around the Outside of the side wall to remove the bulk of the tyre. Then cut around the inside of the side wall as close to the bead as possible as you now have access without the tread of the tyre In the way. I then used a very sharp cold chisel to “cut” the bead as I couldn’t get the angle grinder in there without damaging the rim but it has to be sharp otherwise you just end up flattening it.
 
Finally broke the bead on the other side of the wheel. Used a mixture of methods...the jack and landy weight to hold the bead breaker firmly in place, so I could care carefully position the bead breaker blade on the tyre. That got it shifted.

There was a tube in the tyre, but I'm pretty sure the wheels are actually tubeless. The ridges aren't as obvious as @dag019 's photos, which is why I didn't really notice the profile from the outside, but there's definitely something there.

20201026_153023.jpg 20201026_153034.jpg

However, despite getting the outside rim off the wheel fairly easily, I can't get the inside edge off. It's a shame, as in the video @Blackburn posted in another thread, made that bit look fairly simple. Even with gloves on, I'm a bit wary of sticking my fingers between the bead and the rim, and I can't make the levers work.

So out with the angle grinder.... Nearly through, but then it started raining just as I got the the tricky bit near the rim. So that's all for today, and I'll see if I can find a sharp cold chisel next time I get a chance to tackle it. Not sure I can cope with another three of these...
 
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