That is another issue in itself. True slicks are soft and they grow as you spin them or heat them up. Changing the balance. You slick tire may be in balanced at rest or 35mph on a balancer but at the end of the track it is not perefectly balanced. My personal opinion is to balance the rims with out tires. Then mount tires and check balance. It sounds odd but it works.
It doesn't matter if you have mickey thompson tires. From what I've seen of them over the years, they are so out of balance that it's not funny. I remember one set of 32x14's I had--one tire needed 12 oz of weight to balance it. Thats close to nearly a pound! We eventually unscrewed the tire, turned it on the rim a few times and got it down to where we only needed 6 oz. These Hoosiers I have now--needed 1.5oz on one of them and 1.25 on the other. The fronts needed about the same. So apparently balancing them isn't a big deal? It is to me! I was running 132-135 at the 1000' finish last year and I guarantee you that it shook! Vibrations are hard on everything from chassis to housings, drivelines, everything. I could only imagine running 330 MPH with slicks that aren't perfectly balanced.
OldGuy- Try finding a shop that deals in 4 wheel drive/Truck parts. They should be able to balance them for you. Seth
That's what I ended up having to do. Found them doing a dealer search for Mickey Thompson. I was very happy.
I'm not sure where you tried, but Im pretty sure it wasn't the one next to Dusty's Truckstop. (left name out for sake of it) If it was them, Im greatly surprised as they balance 18 wheeler tires all day long there. My guess is it was the one across the street from Walmart. I've had very bad experience with them, and have left negative review for them on yahoo due to it.
That's the one Im sure he was thinking of to start with, and I was also. I didn't click the link on the first reply, but I thought that the 2 threads were actually one..
The biggest problem that I can see is the width of tire and backspacing of the wheel. The spin balancer has a cover that goes over the revolving tire and wheel, am sure it has an interlock to keep the machine from activating if it is not closed. The cover is barely 14in wide on most model's I have seen, so it will not come down over the big meats on the dragsters and such. There is a HP place in NLR that can do them, but the price is way to rediculous for my pocket book. Paid 30.00 for the two rear slicks and two skinny fronts.
Just to let my drag racing friends know that the sun is out and supposed to be mid 60's tomorrow. Am now getting ready to take the fairmont to Centerville for the first TNT of 08. Went to the VA yesterday and got another Kenalog injection in the right eye. According to the Doc, am legally blind in that eye, the steroid injetion should help the internal bleeding for awhile and improve the vision somewhat. Guess that is why I could always cut good lights in the right lane but not so good in the left. But I ain't quitting yet, having too much fun and am still not a safety threat to myself and my competitors. Time is short so live life to the fullest, slide into the dirt nap hole with a smile on your face and say "What a ride"
have you ever seen a rear slick on a funny car or top fuel car at 300 mph.. the back end is flat up and down, i dont think they balance their tires.. and besides.. if you balance it, and the tire shakes, the weight will fly off, possible damage a car or hurt someone.. i would say in a race application.. no.. not worth it or needed.
You ever ridden in anything 100mph + w/o tire balanced? I have and its not that great of a feeling. I dont know if they balance funny car tires or not, but I know the hammer on weights stay on pretty well, but the stick on ones Id worry about.
Here is what kills me about this entire thing! 1) People (a select one) commenting about stuff that they have no clue as to what is correct.....that is not for everyone. But I be damn if I would risk my life based on the theory "it really shouldn't matter" 2) If your building a car to go fast and dumping $$ in it left and right.....spend the extra nickel to get your tires balanced.....geesh!
agreed! Id hate to see someone loose their life because of tire vibration at the top end and everyone wonder "if he would have had those balanced he may have lived"
Back in the late '70s when I did my racing, speed or spin balancers weren't as plentiful as they are now, nor were they as technologically advanced. I ran 8 /12 - 9 inch slicks on steel, chrome reverse wheels. I think they were B & H, but don't hold me to 30 years of memory. I also used tubes. I used a bubble balancer and balanced them myself since I worked at a tire/alignment/gas station. I would keep rotating the tire on the wheel until I found where I needed the minimum weight. Don't ask me why, but I also flipped the tire over to see how far off it was that way as well. I usually ended up with a little bit of weight on each side of the wheel and usually in semi-opposing spots. When the bubble was in the middle on both sides, I was happy. It took quite a while for me balance the tires that way, but I'm funny that way. Was it overkill? Maybe. Did it make a difference? Yes, in the most important place - my peace of mind and comfort level. I think I agree with John if he is saying only those who have actual, first-hand experience about the subject matter of this thread should be making definitive comments.
In the old days, the stick on weights never were kept in place after the first day by the tape. The tape only served to keep 'em stuck to wheel long enough for centrifugal force to keep on the wheel. In 1977, there was no double stick that would keep a weight on at 130 MPH. It was a combination of the tape and the centrifugal force.
I balanced mine so there'd be one less thing rattling my teeth at 100 mph. The effect of an out of balance tire is going to get greater with increasing speed. If I can feel one at 55, or at 100, I sure don't want to feel it at 130+ mph! (not that I'll ever experience 130+ )
