? For someone who knows tire balancing

[BehindBars]

I have a question regarding wheel balancing. I have a single axle cargo/toy hauler trailer with 15 inch steel rims. The wheel assembly is currently balanced with weights, and the valve stems were/are rubber at the time the balancing was done. When I attach a tire pressure sensor cap and run the trailer, I can see a mark developing on the rim where the cap has evidently been flung outward against the rim by the centrifugal force,

To improve the integrity of the valve stems, I have a set of metal stems to install. The existing rubber stem weighs 0.34 ounces. The new metal stem weighs 1.0 oz, and the TPS cap weighs 0.52 oz. So with the metal stem and TPS cap installed, I will be increasing the weight of the valve stem by 1.18 ounces.

So here is the question, for someone who is an expert at balancing wheels. Does the addition of 1.18 ounces to the valve stem weight call for the need to have the wheels rebalanced? Or, would the additional 1.18 ounces have a negligible affect on the wheel balance?

(Note, my question is not for a debate on the merits of balancing trailer wheels. The question is strictly about the effects of the added weight on optimum wheel balance).

[WanderMore]

As little as 1/4 ounce out of balance can cause a noticeable vibration. Every once in a while I see a car traveling down the road with a tire so badly out of balance you can see it jumping up and down. Don’t be ‘that guy’.

[SilhouettePenny]

In use balancing beads from Amazon in all my trailer tires, one ounce per wheel/tire should do the job.

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by BehindBars

I have a question regarding wheel balancing. I have a single axle cargo/toy hauler trailer with 15 inch steel rims. The wheel assembly is currently balanced with weights, and the valve stems were/are rubber at the time the balancing was done. When I attach a tire pressure sensor cap and run the trailer, I can see a mark developing on the rim where the cap has evidently been flung outward against the rim by the centrifugal force,

To improve the integrity of the valve stems, I have a set of metal stems to install. The existing rubber stem weighs 0.34 ounces. The new metal stem weighs 1.0 oz, and the TPS cap weighs 0.52 oz. So with the metal stem and TPS cap installed, I will be increasing the weight of the valve stem by 1.18 ounces.

So here is the question, for someone who is an expert at balancing wheels. Does the addition of 1.18 ounces to the valve stem weight call for the need to have the wheels rebalanced? Or, would the additional 1.18 ounces have a negligible affect on the wheel balance?

(Note, my question is not for a debate on the merits of balancing trailer wheels. The question is strictly about the effects of the added weight on optimum wheel balance).

You will not feel the 1 ounce imbalance on a trailer....but it will be out of balance with that much. You may feel a 1 ounce imbalance if it was your tow vehicle.


If you wanted to get by easier, you could compensate for this added 1 ounce by just sticking around a 1 ounce tape weight on the center of the rim 180 degrees opposite the stem. It won't be perfect but would keep your static balance fairly correct.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by wmtire

You will not feel the 1 ounce imbalance on a trailer....but it will be out of balance with that much. You may feel a 1 ounce imbalance if it was your tow vehicle.


If you wanted to get by easier, you could compensate for this added 1 ounce by just sticking around a 1 ounce tape weight on the center of the rim 180 degrees opposite the stem. It won't be perfect but would keep your static balance fairly correct.

Surprisingly it may be more perfect than many would expect. All wheel balancers today have what's called a "Zero Blind" that shows perfect balance once the actual imbalance it reads below a level set in it's "computer".

This has been built in since the first of the Computer Off Car Balancers in order to keep operators from spending 20 minutes on each wheel trying to get it perfect. Unless driving at Nascar speeds small amounts of weight don't have much effect on what you feel. One of the reasons the smallest common wheel weight is .25 ounce.

Another factor is that the closer a weight, either one causing imbalance or correcting same, is to the center of a wheel it has less effect on the balance of the wheel.

When I was under contract to a HUGE balancer manufacturer this was all explained as the reason it was essential to enter the correct diameter of the wheel. Old wheel balancers required a lot of guessing in order to select the correct weight and get it right the first time.