corner balancing

[alfizzo]

anybody out there corner balance their car them selfs? i was woundering if i got 4 digital flat scales and drove the car on the scales and balanced it that way. i found some scales with a 500lbs capacity for $150 and a 1000lbs for $280. could you use the 500 pounders for the front and 1000 for the rear considering the front is under 500lbs per side for a total cost of 860. or just get one 1000lbs scale and weight one corner at a time for a total cost of $280. any comments?


franco

[addictionMS]

I have corner balanced my cars, I use a corner balance tool from Speedway motors. It only costs $150 and gives good reliable results. The precision is not as high as the $1K plus scales,

Wheel Load Checker-Hydraulic

Ideal for setting your chassis anywhere - even at the track. This compact unit delivers a quick and effective means of checking weight distribution on any race car.

[alfizzo]

DO THEY HAVE A WEB SITE OR TELE#?

[addictionMS]

http://www.speedwaymotors.com

[billwagnon]

you can go cheaper

4 bathroom scales - 4 2X12s about 5 feet long

short 2X4s fastened across the ends of the 2X12s

the 2X4 ends rest on the floor between the wheels at the centerline of the car, the other end of the 2X12 rests on a scale about 2 feet from the wheel

the boards reduce the weight via leverage - make sure all lengths (wheel to 2X4, wheel to scale) are identical

you can feed the reduced weights directly into the corner balance calculator, or if you know the complete weight of your car you can determine the proportional weight at each wheel

move the scales from wheel to wheel to determine precision between scales

--actually you can do this with ONE scale - just support the outer end of the 2X12s on the other wheels with boards of thickness equal to the scale, then weigh the levers one at a time

on my car the reduced weights ranged from 145 to 200 lbs so this is the amount you have to lift at the end of the board if you are moving the scale

[KTL]

Bill has got the right idea. His description is the design behind these scales:

Ruggles S'cales

Pretty cool stuff.

I don't think the digital scale are worth the money if you're only doing it a few times. I don't think they're worth it if you do it all the time really. The hyd. ones by Speedway seem plenty sufficient?:

Hydraulic dial gauge scales

I too have one of the individual load checker scales like addictionMS mentioned. One question though. How to set the tip in the wheel without boogering-up the wheel rim? The tip fits into a 16x7 pretty well, but I don't like how it sits in the 16x6 rim lip.

Thanks

[Chuck Moreland]

I've got the speedway load checker. Works well but you definitely need to learn proper technique to get repeatable measures.

I hook it into the hub of a set of cookie cutters instead of using the rim, no worries about scratching.

Where are you finding these inexpensive 500/1000 lb scales?

[911pcars]

With my Deco weight checker (Speedway Motors), I fabricated a longish halfmoon shape from a hunk of aluminum to fit the contour of the wheel (and spread the load), then drilled a hole in it to fit the weight checker pin. A thick piece of leather keeps the parts from marring the wheel. I'd be afraid of concentrating all the weight of a corner onto the pin w/o some sort of intermediate piece.

This seems to work fine with 7" or wider wheels - haven't tried it on 6's. Admittedly, the lip on a 6x16 doesn't provide a lot of area for the above setup.

Sherwood Lee
http://members.rennlist.org/911pcars

[Joe911]

I have one of the Speedway load checkers and shortened the arm so that it will insert into the center of the wheel with the center cap removed. (You have to remove the grease cap in the front.) This way I avoid using the area of the rim that is visible. Works quite well with only minor scratching to the inside, which is not visible. I have debated making a thin greased shim to fit between the pin on the tool and the inner wheel to protect things.

You use a go-no-go (like a valve adjustment) technique with a piece of heavy paper. I have actually found that lifting until the paper will slip under rather than placing the wheel on the paper and lifting until the paper can be removed to be more reliable and less effort to repeat multiple times. Also doesn't tear! Usually do each wheel twice and go around the car twice so I have four measurements and average. I inflate the tires to some standardized pressure. I used 40 lbs. thinking I am making the measurement more reliable by reducing tire wall flex.

[rattlsnak]

You guys are wasting more time fiddling around, than the money it would take to buy some decent scales!!

[widebody911]

I bought a set of Rug'les scales. I had to replace the actual scales they came with - the cheep Chinese jobbies they ship with them didn't last one iteration. The place I bought them from (Pegasus) refunded me the cost of the new scales. FWIW, the original ones are $5 retail @ Target. Let's hope China builds their tanks like their scales!

Anyway, here is a thread on using these cales. I also have an online corner balance app that I created to help you in the process.

Anyone in the Sacramento area want an inexpensive corner balance?

I tried the wheel-balance thingy - drove me freakin' bonkers.

[Superman]

With tire pressures that were perfect as far as I could tell, I drove my car into the garage with wet feet and turned on a fan. Next morning when I moved the car, I could see which two corners were heavier and which were lighter. A few of these iterations and they seem to be even now. Total cost: $0.

[dean]

I corner-balanced my car with some borrowed digital scales. I would buy the 4 digital scales if I had the money. If you did 2 or 3 corner-balance jobs for your friends they would be paid for.

[KTL]

Originally posted by Superman
With tire pressures that were perfect as far as I could tell, I drove my car into the garage with wet feet and turned on a fan. Next morning when I moved the car, I could see which two corners were heavier and which were lighter. A few of these iterations and they seem to be even now. Total cost: $0.

Super, couldl you prove your theory with some scale measurements?

If you can tell your corner weights are where they should be based on analysis of a wet tire footprint? You should should be doing forensics for law enforcement (CSI could fit you in one of their episodes) or better yet start your own psychic line!

[alfizzo]

lol kevin....

chuck,

i found them on http://www.balances.com/siltec/wsseries.html

i would really like to corner balance myself because i might be change the tire sizes and rims serval time a year..

franco

[billwagnon]

Originally posted by rattlsnak
You guys are wasting more time fiddling around, than the money it would take to buy some decent scales!!

yep

some of us have more time than money!

[ChrisBennet]

Corner balancing should be done on a level surface. Make a water level and you'll see how sloped your garage floor really is. In my garage the floor under the left front tire is over 1" higher than the floor under the right rear tire.
-Chris

[RoninLB]

Originally posted by Superman
With tire pressures that were perfect as far as I could tell, I drove my car into the garage with wet feet and turned on a fan. Next morning when I moved the car, I could see which two corners were heavier and which were lighter. A few of these iterations and they seem to be even now. Total cost: $0.

great, ingenious.. I love it...................Ron

[RoninLB]

posted by KTL
"Super, couldl you prove your theory with some scale measurements?"
-- IMO, not necessary

"You should should be doing forensics for law enforcement"
--naw. I think the politics would be a big PIA.. Super would make the political boses look stupid.. LOL

[KTL]

If Super can identify less than ideal corner weighting with fans and wet footprints...................... Sheesh!

Then he really does have a red cape under the work clothes.

I'm still skeptical. Sorry guys.

Eyeballing wet tire prints isn't as precise as say, running a gear pattern (analogy is that both use "prints")