balancing wheels

[gixxer]

How many of you balance your wheels?

[James]

Hardly anyone - if anyone balances them for astro or indoor racing.

A few balance dirt tyres though, depends how much time you have really!

[Col]

Originally Posted by James

...depends how much time you have really!

or how anal you are!

Speaking purely from personal experience there is no point balancing wheels that are not perfectly round and true. I've not got one like that in my pit box

[cornishboy176]

Saddo

[highlander]

Originally Posted by gixxer

How many of you balance your wheels?

i take my car to quickfit .. they ballance and fit new valves when my new rubber is fitted.....

[cornishboy176]

Originally Posted by highlander

i take my car to quickfit .. they ballance and fit new valves when my new rubber is fitted.....

[gixxer]

Originally Posted by cornishboy176

Saddo

You do then! Ha!

[cornishboy176]

I'm not that sad bud lol

[gixxer]

Originally Posted by cornishboy176

I'm not that sad bud lol

But anal enuff

[kaszal]

Hey man, easy on the balance-phobic attitude

I'll own up to it I always balance the wheels on my Procat and Lazer FS2. If you hold the car off the ground and rev the motor you can definitely feel the reduction in vibration after balancing. Personally I feel this can only help the car's smoothness and handling on the track. Obviously, it is probably a minor factor compared to setup and driving skill.

[cunawarit]

I balance them, and I'm sceptical that there's a significant difference in lap times (specially not with my level of skill!). But like the previous poster said if you lift the buggy and rev it, it is clear. With unbalanced wheels it'll vibrate and with balanced wheels it will not.

Given that it is so easy and quick to balance the wheels with a little blue tac, then why not?

[kaszal]

Glad I'm not the only one

Unbalanced wheels make the car feel as though it will shake itself to pieces. It doesn't take long: once you get the hang of it, you can balance a set in about 5-10 mins. I use white tac. Here's an old photo...

[cunawarit]

I don't even use a wheel balancer like yours, my buggy is 2WD so I just plunk the wheels on a front axle and balance them that way.

[asc6000]

any difference in lap time is not so much, but my confidence makes me ski a lot better with wax and sharp edges. I'll balance my wheels with more care on the rears.