[DML] Re: Tire Balancing

[Ann & Ed Thompson <RappaRivaRat@xxxx>]

> DeLorean31@xxxx wrote:
> 
> I was wondering how many owners have had them spin balanced while on the car 
> or do most people just balance the tires on the rims while they are off the car?

Race cars have been mentioned as having the "tires" balanced on the car but no
one has offered any particular reasoning for that. While the tires and wheels
are being balanced on a race car, so is everything else that rotates, the disc
brake rotor, the axle, and even the lug nuts (or wheel knock-off as it were).
When race car wheels spin at near 300 MPH or even higher, even the slightest
imbalance in the drive train can be a problem. You're not going to have that
problem with your DeLorean. The off-car balancing, if done properly, is more
than sufficient for any speeds you will be driving. The key here is "if done
properly". Any grease monkey can attempt to balance a tire/wheel assembly off 
the car using a computerized balancing machine. There is a little more to it
(not much) than just sticking the wheel/tire on the machine and pushing
buttons. Correct interpretation of the readings and placement of the weights
are critical. But the same is true for on-car balancing. The difference is 
that the mechanic that does on-car balancing is more likely to know what he
doing than the tire jock at K-Mart who was a shoe salesman yesterday, therefore
he's qualified, and who learned how to use the balancing machine during his lunch 
hour today. If you want the best balancing and alignment service, go to a 
specialty shop.

As an aside, if you did balance the wheel/tire on the car and the wheel is later
taken off for any reason and not put back on exactly in the same position you have
lost any advantage. Splitting hairs, the lug nuts would have to be put back on
the exact same studs they came off of as well. 

> Also should the alignment be checked or anything else done while changing 
> the tires?

This is a no-brainer. Absolutely the alignment should be checked. Whenever I have
new tires installed I drive on the new tires for a few hundred miles before doing
an alignment to allow for a "break-in" period. With newer high-tech tire 
manufacturing techniques, this probably isn't necessary but I do it anyhow. I also
drive at least 100 miles before having an alignment done when changing out any
suspension component such as shocks. When changing tires, all suspension components
should be thoroughly inspected such as shocks, ball joints, tie rod ends, and any 
other moving suspension part, including flexible brake lines.

BTW, if you have altered ANYTHING that changes original suspension specifications
such as wheel and/or tire size, or lowered/raised the suspended component, the
factor original alignment specifications the mechanic uses may no longer be valid.

Ed Thompson (#6419 since 1982)