How to balance a tire 

1.                  To balance a tire properly, you must first obtain the following items, including the ones that come standard with the balancer: the base, side rods, and top (all included), weights, cutters, a permanent marker, racers tape, and a front wheel hub. 

2.                  Begin by choosing the first tire you want to balance.  Attach the wheel to the hub and slip this onto the top part of the balancer (the part that spins). 

3.                  Place the top part of the balancer on the two rods and lightly spin the tire.  Make sure the tire spins freely without any obstruction.  Let it spin until it comes to a complete stop on its own.

4.                  Mark the highest point on the wheel with a permanent marker.  This is the lightest point of the wheel and will be the place the weight will be added to.  Be precise with your mark.

5.                  Snip off a piece of weight from the strips you have and tape it to the marked part of the wheel.  Do not use the sticky part of the weight.  Try to get as close to the hub as you can without having to tape over anything important.  Now turn the wheel so that the mark you made is at the 3:00 or 9:00 position.

6.                  Let go of the tire.  If the marked line falls toward the 6:00 position, weight needs to be taken off.  Do this by removing the tape, cutting off some weight, and reapplying.  If the marked line raises toward the 12:00 position, weight needs to be added.  Remove the tape and weight and place a larger stick of lead on the wheel.

7.                  Repeat steps 5 and 6 until the tire is perfectly balanced.  This is done when the mark can be placed at any location and the tire does not move.

8.                  When you have the correct weight, peal the paper from the back of the weight and attach it to the wheel.  Make sure the wheel is clean before applying, acetone works good for cleaning.  Apply a small piece of racers tape over the weight and you are finished.

 

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