Wheel balancing

[Massimo]

Morning All,

I want to balance my front wheel. Is the best way to get some of those stick on weights from a tyre fitment centre, then get the wheel off the ground make a mark on it and rotate it and it should always stop at the same mark. Then start placing weights on oppisite sides until it rotates and stops in different places? Any other suggestions?

[kloot piloot]

Yes Massimo, normal mag rim stick-on-weights.

But before you balance, deflate the tyre and un-seat the tyre from the rim. Apply some Sunlight liquid between tyre and rim, and inflate tyre to about 1.5 bar. Deflate tyre to correct pressure and then balance with weights.

The Sunlight just helps to get the tyre reseated on the rim after a hard landing.

[Bacardi]

To heat up the bearing lubrication, do a couple of hard taxi runs before balancing, otherwise you will find that the bearings are "stiff" and wheel does not stop in the same position every time, unless VERY unbalanced.

I am not too convinced that sunlight liquid is the way to go, as any creeping of the tyre on the rim at runway contact during landing will throw the balance out again, the tyre is normally the culprit and not the rim and the weights on the rim need the tyre to stay put where you balanced it.

[Wargames]

Could tyre pressure be the reason?? What is the correct tyre pressure for a windlass (remember, my wheels is my shocks)??

I do have the same problem that seems to come and go. It seems to me that when hangered, the weight of the trike tend to change the shape of the wheel slighly, and that will change the balancing as well.

[kloot piloot]

I am not too convinced that sunlight liquid is the way to go

Sorry,forgot to mention. A thin film of Sunlight, and after balancing do not fly for a week. And rinse with water. Sunlight evaporates and no slip will be experienced.

Tyre pressure: 0.8 Bar at Highveld altitudes works for me on dirt and tar.

True Wargames, I once bought a trike hangared for 6 months on flat tyres. Nightmare, never got them balanced properly.