MGA Forum

I achieved similar results using a modified wire wheel hub and spinner.

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My 1958 MGA is not a car, it's a CAREER..!! ...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2024-12-12 01:13 PM by Ahmed.

i had mine done at a tire shop no special cones everything seems fine. i checked the british car shops no one had the cones

Guess he could have determined whether the splined hub is out of balance or if the wheel was not being held correctly by checking the balance of the splined hub itself (if that's even possible on that machine). That close to the center of the wheel though the slight imbalance of the hub may not matter.

Possibly cut a center hole in an old knock off so that it would fit over the shaft of the balancer then install the knockoff before the outer handle/cone. Seems that would eliminate whether or not the wheel is being held correctly on the hub.

Seems his wheel must be new so he didn't mention to check that the wheel is true. Maybe the centering test he preforms does that?

Interesting .....

Thanks Ahmed

I wish he had tried starting with an unbalanced wheel & tire and see if the cones/no cones made a difference.

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Eric Russell ~ Mebane, NC
1961 MGA #61, 1̶9̶8̶1̶ ̶A̶l̶f̶a̶ ̶R̶o̶m̶e̶o̶ ̶G̶T̶V̶6̶, 1984 Alfa Romeo Spider, 1991 Honda ST1100

Yes, they make a difference. It's an argument I've had with tire shops many times before. Balancing a set of 1930's saloon wheels one time, the kid didn't use the cones I brought. I didn't realize it until he was on the last wheel. He insisted they weren't needed and that the wheels were balanced. After a few minutes of discussion I told him that if he does one wheel of his choice again and the cones make no difference, I'll admit I'm wrong and buy him lunch. But if they made a difference then he has to do them all again. A few minutes later he was pulling al the weights off and starting from scratch.

The video is misleading when considering older/original centrelock wheels mounted on the balancing machine using the second and third methods.

A centrelock wheel is normally supported on the vehicle splined hub via the inner tapered section of the wheel hub at the rear, and the outside diameter (OD) of the outer part of the wheel hub which the spinner fits over (as correctly shown by the presenter at 1:00 of the video). Therefore the wheel must be supported on the wheel balancing machine exactly the same way, which is the first method as shown in the video. Note that the splines inside the wheel hub which engage with those on the vehicle hub should not be assumed to support the wheel, they are only to drive the wheel in rotation or when braking.

The second method of mounting the wheel on the balancing machine as shown in the video does not hold the outer side of the wheel hub correctly via the OD which the spinner engages, which is not explained clearly/correctly.

The third method in the video would only work when the wheel hub back surfaces are machined in production along with the other machined surfaces of the hub. Which appears to be the case with the new wheel shown in the video.

From my observations, older/original wheel hubs were never machined on the rear face surfaces unlike the new wheel in the video, therefore these wheels would most likely be erroneously balanced if supported on the wheel balancing machine using the third method. After learning the hard way many years ago, I insist only on the first method when balancing wheels, whether older or new wheels.

Other than the new wire wheels with new Vredestein tires mounted, shaved & balanced by Hendrix Wire Wheel in Greensboro, NC, the best riding set up I ever had was done with a machine that balanced the wheels/tires on the car. It was done at at old time shop. They'd dust off the machine in the Spring and all the British car guys would que up to have their car's tires balanced in time for the driving season (this was in the 1970's in Massachusetts). They'd jack up one end of the car at a time. They had a device to spin the car's front tires and then we'd start the engine and put the car in 4th gear to spin the rear wheels. I've always assumed this balanced the wheels, tires and brake drums/rotors to give a smooth ride. Nobody does it that way anymore.

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Eric Russell ~ Mebane, NC
1961 MGA #61, 1̶9̶8̶1̶ ̶A̶l̶f̶a̶ ̶R̶o̶m̶e̶o̶ ̶G̶T̶V̶6̶, 1984 Alfa Romeo Spider, 1991 Honda ST1100

I didn't watch much of the video but if he mounted the wheels without the rear cone then Max is correct, that doesn't work on original wheels. The hubs are stamped and do not have a perfectly flat and concentric rear face. The taper is what locates it. Some modern wheels do indeed have a machined hub which, assuming the face is actually flat and inline with the rim, can be used in lieu of a tapered cone. If in doubt, use the cones since they work with any type and age of center lock wheel.

Berkeley Tire on University Ave was the shop everyone in the East Bay went to to have their tires spin balanced on their car and they would let you come into the shop and watch. Very scary experience, too. The mechanic would place his hand on the adjacent fender and the car would vibrate violently as he adjusted the balancer until the vibration was nonexistant. This was done on all four corners and the result was better than any other method, bar none. It was like driving a different car. Later (1980s), I found a shop in Wilimantic, CT that did it. Insurance won't allow this anymore. Those shops also had a scuff machine for setting the front toe. The MGA would be good for at least 6 months but eventually the steering wheel woud start to tremble above 60 MPH and it would be time to visit the shop again.

Silas

Here's what I use. ID bored to be concentric with the OD of the hub. Rear of flange machined flat and perpendicular to hub. Machined taper on rear of hub and knockoff center bored and tapered. Select cones to fit and mount on the balance machine. Works fine for both the TC 19" and the B currently 15".
Corky

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A poor workman blames his tools

Any truth to the notion that wire wheels can be balanced by placing the wheel on the balancer with the outside of the wheel first?