Insist on stick-on wheel balancing weights on alloys

[aspire_helen]

On another C5 thread I highlighted that a pair of knock-on rim weights, on the inner rim, had been fouling the hand-brake cable guide bracket, unseen since fitting in 2018.
I have started this thread to highlight the other problem knock-on weights can cause - corrosion. The photos tell the tale. So, I recommend insisting on stick-on weights. As my alloys are 23 years old, I have for some time asked the local fitters to give me the tyre-less rims, to touch up as necessary. I did learn something from them this time. The fitters said that on older wheels they run an abrasive wheel along the sealing surface of the rim and use a silicone sealant, so they can achieve a first time air tight fit. Good for them, but not for the bare metal so exposed. I counted 15 trails of corrosion leading from the bare metal around the inner rim to inside the tyre space.

[GiveMeABreak]

Fitters should be using stick on weights by default for alloys....

[wheeler]

Agreed on the stick on weights are more ideal however i have seen some that are a bit to thick & can rub on brake callipers too, some caipers have a tiny clearanc with the wheel.
Also many alloys leave the factory with hammer on weights including PSA ones, if using hammer on weights they should be specific coated ones for alloy wheels.

I did learn something from them this time. The fitters said that on older wheels they run an abrasive wheel along the sealing surface of the rim and use a silicone sealant, so they can achieve a first time air tight fit. Good for them, but not for the bare metal so exposed.

The reason they need to do this is because of corrosion in the first place, where the bead has been sitting on the tyre you get corrosion, after a few years you find the paint has all bubbled & once disturbed there is a good chance it wont seal, its fairly normal to have to clean it up with a wire brush. It's either that or sending your wheels for a full refurb at every tyre change.

[Rp0thejester]

Having done tyre balancing blah blah, stick ons can be hard to 'stick' on. But as long as it's balanced once fitted then there is no come back if they fall off. No way would I have fitted tack ons without the owners permission.

[Jay-Bruce]

As someone who owns an "automatic" tyre changer and wheel balancing machine, I can confirm that the adhesive weights can be a bawbag to fiit... If there's ANY contamination on the area you need to put the weight, frustration features strongly in your immediate future. I use strong solvents like the ones for cleaning the inside of a tyre in preparation of fitting a puncture repair plug, to clean that area of the inside of the rim, this works on brake dust + grease, but often reveals bubbly paint where the alloy is corroding behind the coating, at which point out comes the diegrinder with a wire wheel, two or three attempts later, it's got lead weights stickied onto the alloy, rinse repeat a few times till it's balanced up, slap the weights and surrounding area with hammerite on a paint brush, put it infront of a space heater for ten minutes while I go for a cuppa. And that's me, an enthusiast, working mostly on my own of my friends/family's cars out of the love of working on these things, I can totally understand why a tyrefitter in a commercial context, working for not the best pay, with pressure to deliver a certain ammount of throughput per day, might take shortcuts like knock on weights onto alloy wheels. If I looked at a car, and it obviously wasn't someone's pride and joy, getting a budget tyre balanced op, and I was getting nowhere with stick on weights, I might go ZeeFeeGee and slap on a couple knock on weights.

[Sloppysod]

While, you are talking about problemswith tyre fitters (or those that think they know how to).
I had two instances, because I couldn't use my local fitter, where the "fitter" used the spikes to grip the inside of the wheel, instead of clamping from the outside.

• First time, Citroën garage, I had a warranty claim for corrosion, so brand new wheels with spike marks, complained and they just touched up the damage looked terrible!

• I had all four wheels on my X7 powder coated, then as I was in a rush asked the powder coasters to put the tyres back on yep, all 4 had 3 sets of double spikes, 1 wheel must a slipped, so not only 6 spikes but a couple of deep gouges too!

So yes, sticky weights, but also make sure they clamp the wheels and don't use the spikes.

[aspire_helen]

Sloppy Sod
You remind me. My wheel has such holes on the inside, four sets of 4 or 5 holes, 90degs apart just as if the clamp face has had a row of pimples for grip. All have been the seats of corrosion. Of course, I cannot determine when during its 20+ years this has occurred, but only once. See photo.