Why in the last couple of years have the lots of tyre fitting companies gone from using harmless stick on weights on our cherished alloy wheels to using 'beat it on with a hammer' weights as used on steel wheels?
Look in any supermarket carpark, beautiful alloys. with 'pink fluffy dice great' lead weights designed for steel wheels ........ beat on to expensive alloy wheels!
{GIM, you will probably know why I've edited your post}
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 01/04/2009 at 02:09
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I cant say I've noticed, but last time I had mine done, I asked the tyre guy on the phone if they used stick on weights. He said it would depend on the style of the alloy, so maybe newer styles are harder to balance. He did however use the hammer on type on the inside of the wheel along with stick on ones.
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A lot of tyre fitters use hammer-on weights on alloy wheels out of ignorance, and invariable use weights intended for steel wheels. Because the thickness of the rim of an alloy wheel is greater than that of a steel wheel, weights intended for steel wheels don't stop on alloy wheels very long, as I found out on one occasion. It's possible to get hammer-on weights suitable for some alloy wheels ~ that's what the car manufacturer may use ~ but it means they have to be specific to the rim of the particular wheel so they're not something that the average tyre fitting company will stock. The design of the outer rim of some alloy wheels (my 03/03 Focus for example) is such that they're not intended to take hammer-on weights at all.
Since the occasion when I had unsuitable-shaped weights hammered onto an alloy (and they flew off within yards) I've always specified self-adhesive weights to be put on the inside of the wheel.
I know you shouldn't have to tell a tyre fitting company how to do their job, but in most cases it appears to be the only way to guarantee a satisfactory result.
Edited by L'escargot on 01/04/2009 at 06:54
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I didn't realise you can get black self-adhesive weights, zinc-coated weights, polished weights etc. www.tyrebaydirect.com/12-Self_Adhesive_Weights.html
Edited by L'escargot on 01/04/2009 at 07:08
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The weights on my sons Skoda Fabia alloys seem to be held on by some sort of plastic coated clip.
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