A static balancer, also known as a "Bubble" balance machine, is a tried and true older method of balancing car and truck tires. The term "static" means the tire will be balanced without spinning it, as in dynamic balancing. Without the proper balance, tires can wear unevenly by chaffing or skipping over the pavement at high speed. Unbalanced tires can create annoying shimming and vibrations in the vehicle. With the help of a static balancer, a vehicle owner can properly balance his wheels by using the right equipment and following some simple steps.
Instructions
- 1
Put the vehicle in gear for a standard or place it in park for an automatic transmission. Set the emergency brake. Use a tire iron to break loose the lugs nuts on the wheels you wish to balance, but do not remove the lug nuts. Use a floor jack to raise the vehicle high enough to place two jack stands under the axle you wish to raise. Finish removing the lug nuts on the tires with the tire iron. Wash the tires thoroughly with dishwashing soap and a brush. Remove all tar and caked-on mud.
2Remove the old weights from the inside and outside of the tire with a wheel weight puller tool, by prying them off with the tong ends. Adjust the tripod legs on a static wheel balancer by turning the leg knobs either in or out to center the bubble in the crosshairs on the top of balancer. Place the tire over the balancer cone, with the outside of the tire facing upward. Push the balancer machine lever downward to raise the tire for balancing.
3Examine the position of the bubble in the window. If the bubble appears offset to one side, add small increments of clip-on or adhesive weights to the bubble side of the rim. Place the weights on the tire portion next to the rim lip. For very small increments of weight, use wire cutters to snip off the ends of the weight to lighten it. Center the bubble over the crosshairs.
4Pull the blancer lever upward to lower and seat the wheel on the machine. Use a piece of chalk to mark the spots where the weights will go. Remove the tire from the machine and place it on the ground with the outside surface facing up. Make a chalk mark directly opposite your previous marks, only on the other side of the wheel. If the wheel requires 2 ounces of weight, place one 1-ounce weight on the front of the rim and tap it onto the rim lip with a hammer. Do the same with the opposite side.
5Peel the adhesive backing off the wheel weights, if you have this type of weight for installation on mag or aluminum rims. Firmly push the sticky side of the weight down upon the upper rim lip. Try evenly distributing the total amount of weight between the front and back sides of the wheel. For a wheel that requires 1 3/4 ounces, apply 1 ounce to the front and 3/4 ounce to the rear side. Install the wheel on the vehicle and select your next wheel for balancing.
