Pool Ball DIY Tire Balance
Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2021 9:10 am
This is just a "ball"-park static balance of a mk1 13' alloy wheel.
I got a bullseye center balance level thing from ebay and then a single pool ball from the flea market.
The pool ball jams nicely in the center on these old stock alloy wheels,
then I just set in on a small but thick sheet of glass.
An old paint bucket gives good enough lift for the wheel to balance freely.
The center cap also works well for the bullseye to set on.
Centered the bullseye and rotate the wheel in small increment noting any change in the level.
If it's unbalanced the heavy side will rotate with the wheel so you add weight(s) until the bubble stays centered.
HF sells stick-on weights that work (clean surface well) , I got the 1/2oz ones because this is a vague science. Maybe with a better bullseye 1/4oz weight would be useful, some say you just cut the bigger ones in half idk.
And if you are changing a tire, save the old weights and use those too.
So this one ended up with 4 weights, but another wheel I did got just one.
Comes in handy if you're swapping a tire with a HF tire tool, or after plugging/patching,
or just to see if you can make an old tire ride better without buying a "lifetime" balance for it.
I'm sure the store-bought tire bubble balancers are better, but this is an interesting alternative that takes up less space.
Of course the logistics of different rims may make setting it up harder, the idea is the same but it's not universal.
If the center hole of the rim is too big, it obviously won't work without a bigger ball or some other method. Didn't work for my steel rim.
If the bullseye level can't sit flat and centered, it won't work either.
Note - sometimes a tire is just messed up and will NEVER balance or drive straight because it's separating inside or worn in a bad way.
You certainly don't want to waste time and/or money trying to balance those.
I got a bullseye center balance level thing from ebay and then a single pool ball from the flea market.
The pool ball jams nicely in the center on these old stock alloy wheels,
then I just set in on a small but thick sheet of glass.
An old paint bucket gives good enough lift for the wheel to balance freely.
The center cap also works well for the bullseye to set on.
Centered the bullseye and rotate the wheel in small increment noting any change in the level.
If it's unbalanced the heavy side will rotate with the wheel so you add weight(s) until the bubble stays centered.
HF sells stick-on weights that work (clean surface well) , I got the 1/2oz ones because this is a vague science. Maybe with a better bullseye 1/4oz weight would be useful, some say you just cut the bigger ones in half idk.
And if you are changing a tire, save the old weights and use those too.
So this one ended up with 4 weights, but another wheel I did got just one.
Comes in handy if you're swapping a tire with a HF tire tool, or after plugging/patching,
or just to see if you can make an old tire ride better without buying a "lifetime" balance for it.
I'm sure the store-bought tire bubble balancers are better, but this is an interesting alternative that takes up less space.
Of course the logistics of different rims may make setting it up harder, the idea is the same but it's not universal.
If the center hole of the rim is too big, it obviously won't work without a bigger ball or some other method. Didn't work for my steel rim.
If the bullseye level can't sit flat and centered, it won't work either.
Note - sometimes a tire is just messed up and will NEVER balance or drive straight because it's separating inside or worn in a bad way.
You certainly don't want to waste time and/or money trying to balance those.
)