Christopher

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My alpinas are carrying some serious weights on the internal rims to balance the tyres. So much so that I'm loosing one or two from time to time, as they lose their adhesive on a non flat surface.

Is there any remedy that can be applied to the wheel itself ?. I've previously had them staightened, but the amount of weights seems to increase with each balance now.
 

autokunst

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My alpinas are carrying some serious weights on the internal rims to balance the tyres. So much so that I'm loosing one or two from time to time, as they lose their adhesive on a non flat surface.

Is there any remedy that can be applied to the wheel itself ?. I've previously had them straightened, but the amount of weights seems to increase with each balance now.
I have run into this on larger wheels (4x4 jeeps). Sometimes the tires/rubber carries more out of balance weight than we realize. I'd try breaking the bead, rotating the tire on the rim about 180 degrees +/-, and re-setting the tire. Then try balancing again. If you have had to add that much weight, I doubt it will get worse - and it might end up well within spec. :)
 

Tony.dreamer

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Why do you think you are out of balance ? Are you having vibration issues? Have you checked the rotors ? Check the tires for uneven wear! Wear a glove and rub your hand against the surface of the tires you would definitely feel it if there are uneven wear mostly caused by weak or bad shocks !

Best wishes !
Tony P.
 

Markos

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My alpinas are carrying some serious weights on the internal rims to balance the tyres. So much so that I'm loosing one or two from time to time, as they lose their adhesive on a non flat surface.

Is there any remedy that can be applied to the wheel itself ?. I've previously had them staightened, but the amount of weights seems to increase with each balance now.

They are likely bent, causing excessive runout.. A wheel repair shop can test them and fix if needed. You can ask to only fix the inside. The machine leaves teeth marks however. If you refinish your wheels you can have them filled.

You could also put dynabeads balancing beads inside the tires also. They are very popular with off-road vehicles with tires that are too big to fit safely on typical tire shop balancers.

 
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Stevehose

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When I had cinturatos put on my alpinas fortunately I brought them to a local porsche shop who did just this-kept rotating the tires to minimize weights. Worth the extra cost over the big box places that just throw them on and stick a bunch of weights on. But yes they also may be out of round a bit.

I have run into this on larger wheels (4x4 jeeps). Sometimes the tires/rubber carries more out of balance weight than we realize. I'd try breaking the bead, rotating the tire on the rim about 180 degrees +/-, and re-setting the tire. Then try balancing again. If you have had to add that much weight, I doubt it will get worse - and it might end up well within spec. :)
 

Markos

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You simply can’t expect to get that level of service from a box store. If you do the tire fitment work plus the beads you wouldn’t n any weights at all. If the wheel is bent, there is only so much you can do. In my experience the inside of the barrel is bent more often than the outside, so you can take a machine to the inside without changing the exterior appearance.


Edit: I see that you alreadyhad them straightened but I'll leave this in here since it may help others down the road...

Here is how you test runout. See the little steel ball that runs along the rotating wheel lip. The machine to fix it is 3x the size and much more expensive. It needs to “grab” onto the wheel and leaves “shark teeth” as @sfdon describes them.
8316F11B-4FD8-4990-910C-1C7BDD818284.jpeg


Here are some good results, as well as a bad result, but low enough over the threshold (far right) that one can ignore. Your Alpina wheels likely have lots of red. Ronal-based Alpinas are notoriously soft. 17” BBS wheels with low profile tires, no problem as seen below...
6FA39C5F-EDE8-4932-921E-AA9FEB036699.jpeg


5F16501F-9896-4381-AA35-56C4B411F1F7.jpeg
 

Ohmess

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Christopher - I know some e39 guys who have had balancing problems because of the tires they purchased. More than one person had tires that were so out of round they could not be properly balanced.
 

Gary Knox

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When I was doing that weird stuff called track driving, I put a piece of chrome adhesive tape over the top of the weights to be sure they weren't lost of displaced. Worked well, and IF any did come off, the chrome tape was a great indicator that something wasn't correct.

And, since it comes in a fairly good sized roll, it will last forever (and you'll have plenty to use in making the tail light, brake light, etc. reflecting surfaces much better, thus increasing the visibility of your e9 from the rear when braking and at night).

Gary
 
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