rear tire balancing

Ray Lovestead · Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2012 4:08 pm Post subject: rear tire balancing

Does anyone balance the rear tire? I have found that balancing the front has a big impact on vibration. And have noticed that the rear tire is a bit out of round.

The out of round condition is probably easily taken up by the tires' relatively thin wall. But what about weight distribution? vibration? The rear tire is twice the size of the front. It does seem it would be important. But no one makes a rear tire balancer.

Ray
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Roger Miller · Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2012 4:49 pm Post subject:

?? I have used one of these for years:

With a 5/8" hub with metric or US stud pattern.

Junior kart
Enduro kart
125 shfiter kart
Superkart

All of them, fronts and rears.

And I don't recommend any specific kart supplier, I do recommend you support your local shops as possible.

Russell Stevens · Joined: 15 Oct 2012 Posts: 100

If the front studs are long enough, and you can lock the steering straight (kart on a stand) couldn't you just use the front hubs to get a close enough balance on mounted rear tires?

Greg Wilkinson · Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2012 3:19 am Post subject:

Russell,
I have been using the best spinning front hub to balance all 4 wheels. Works great. And it DOES make a difference. It amazes me how many people DON'T balance their wheels and tires.
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patrick slattery · Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2012 1:14 pm Post subject:

When you say difference, is that lap times, or a little less vibration thru the steering wheel?

Greg Wilkinson · Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2012 7:53 am Post subject:

Well Pat, back in my days (early 1970's) I rescued a copy of a bare SAE frame that John Nolan was throwing away. I put all the parts from my enduro chassis on it and went to our local track (oval in Harrisburg, Ohio). Down the straights the right front was bouncing about an inch off the track. It felt like it could go faster if it was balanced. And it did. The only lap times we got back then was from Barb Vallette using a stop watch in the tower during qualifing. Common sense tells me anything spinning that is out of balance can spin faster if it is balanced. Pete M. can probably spell out the technical facts.
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Ken Schilling · Joined: 01 Dec 2005 Posts: 1341

When I see it (very rarely) in sprint racing it's mostly on the front wheels (5" wheels). I don't balance the front or rear wheel/tire assembly. However, I do put the front wheels on the hubs and due a static check for a heavy spot and rotate the wheel on the hub if necessary for the least imbalance.

I understand that it has more relevance in road racing due to the higher sustained speeds. I've had this happen: a small piece of rubber is either picked up or thrown from another kart and lodges itself on the inside of the front wheel greatly increasing vibration so this goes to show the importance of balancing.

I don't do this but... I've heard that how you mount the tires can also be a balance factor. If you mount where the bias ply of the tires meet, opposite of the schroeder valve, that it minimizes the imbalance due to the weight of both helping to cancel out most of the imbalance.
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Dan Haynes · Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2012 3:07 pm Post subject:

We always balance the fronts but never the rears. I have also heard about mounting with the seam opposite the valve but can't confirm that it is true.
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Peter Zambos · Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2012 6:31 pm Post subject:

Ray Lovestead · Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 12:21 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the input guys. What I think I'll do is the hot coffee on the dashboard trick (ala License to Drive, 1988, Corey Feldman at his best). I'll see if balancing all 4 tires will keep the coffee from spilling.
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Jim McMahon · Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 12:54 pm Post subject:

I can attest to what Peter said, especially on front wheels. Catch something the wrong way at the wrong time and it can create a severe vibration. I picked one up once that was so bad that the wheel "floated" in my hand no matter how hard I gripped. Had to retire the force and vibration was so bad I thought something would break.
I don't know if I would say balancing is absolutely essential, but for sure if you are going to have sustained speeds above 70MPH it's is a very, very good idea.
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Stephan Gaudreau · Posted: Sat Dec 15, 2012 10:39 am Post subject: balancin technique?

Hi

Can someone describe the technique on installing these weight for balancing the wheels? Where do you buy it? Is it Kart specific?

Stephan
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Peter Zambos · Posted: Sat Dec 15, 2012 2:45 pm Post subject:

I was about to type out how to do it, but then I found this:
http://www.wikihow.com/Balance-a-Racing-Go-Kart-Tire

That's nearly exactly how I do it. These are the weights that I use:
http://www.roadkillenterprises.com/tape-a-weight-self-adhesive-wheel-weights/

What I would add is that, after I'm done positioning the weights, I then cover the weights with hight quality duct tape.