# How does a computerized tire-balancer work?



## Will_325i (Jan 27, 2004)

Tried to look it up on the net but couldn't find anything.

I went to my local shop for balancing and watched as they mounted the tire on the machine and without too fast a spin, the unit determined where and how much weight to place on the outside and inside of the rim. I've seen this process many times but this time I got to wondering how the machine determines the imbalance "direction" and magnitude.

BTW, it cured the shimmy my car had above 90mph, even though the balancer clearly didn't spin the tires that fast.


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## wag-zhp (Apr 8, 2004)

Google search "hunter tire balance" produced this as the first hit: http://www.gsp9700.com/pub/technical/4127T/4127t.cfm


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## Test_Engineer (Sep 11, 2004)

It is basically done by reading the vibration in the mounting shaft with load cells and calculating the correction. You first have to tell the machine the location of were the weights are placed, so it knows the moments it is dealing with. It is actually a pretty simple machine with a fairly simple moment calculation. But they work pretty good. I use one all the ime at work.


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## Penforhire (Dec 17, 2005)

You can do about as well with an inexpensive static balancer -- two bearings, a shaft, and fittings to center the wheel (conical or custom-to-the-axle-diameter inserts) but it takes a LOT longer to do. I balance all my m/c wheels myself.


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