R Robinson

For a 1984 911 Carrera with standard 16 Fuchs can a proper balance be achieved with weights only on the inside? A friend who races, owns several cars and tire mounting and balancing machinery (true fanatic) did my rear tires and for looks placed the weights only on the inside. The dealership who mounted the front says my wheels were not designed for inside weights alone and a good balancing requires weights on the outside as well.

I do not like the looks of the weights on the outside. Who is right?

Thanks

bds1

my 2c

If the car rides good with weights on inside only it's a done deal: looks good, rides good. As long as he used tape weights and places them in the centerline must be OK.
I don't think that the porsche dealer would lie.
If you get vibrations then you need to explore other options.

Jay H

Reg:

When I had my '86 with Fuchs wheels, I tried both having weights on just the inside and then had them rebalanced with weights put on both the outside and inside. I felt the tire and wheel was much more in balance with weights in both places (inside and outside).

My dealer always used special tape weights that looked good (for what they are).

Jay
90 964

Jim Michaels

What's wrong with the looks of wheel weights? Someone might get the impression that you had your wheels balanced? Did you ever notice those ugly valve stems sticking out of the wheels? Why don't they put those ugly things on the inside too? Function over form.

R Robinson

Good question. Why do those valves have to be on the outside? Maybe because they require accessibility for routine maintenance? Weight visibility does not mean the wheels are balanced. Thus my original question.

If you look at wheels with weights on the outside (my front) and those without (my rear) the difference in appearance is striking. However, I am not going to let performance noticibly suffer for aesthetics.

Remember when you look at your car much of what we see (paint pigmentation, "turbo look flares", leather trim, lettering etc, etc) is for the eye alone. The important stuff is (mostly) on the inside.

Thanks bds1 and Jay for your useful input.

Jim Michaels

Ok, RR, I didn't really want to be helpful, but you've shamed me into it. I stick with function over form. Thus, I prefer the best balance. If that means putting weights where they can be seen, I'll take that. If my primary venue were concours, I might feel differently, even if they don't deduct points for visible wheel weights.