Hi All,
Can anyone recommend a glue for reattaching wheel weights that fall off? I was at VIR last week and a weight came off but still hung on by the hvac tape. I would like to glue it back on myself if possible but don't know what to use.

Thanks,
Mark

 

I suggest you go to a tire shop and get a new weight the same size, put it back where the old one fell off, then tape over all your weights with good duct tape or aluminum tape to prevent a recurrance. this is especially desireable on the inside weights where it is harder to see that they have fallen off.

 

Don't waste your time with duct tape. HVAC tape is what you want. It's available at any hardware store. (It's like a heavy aluminum foil with adhesive on one side.)

 

Two words: Aluminum tape.

 

I second the Aluminum tape. But be warned.....it will give a new meaning to the phrase paper cut and a hole lot of blood. I thought I was playing hockey, eh!

 

No shortcuts. Take the wheels off. Get them rebalanced. Then use alminum tape.

 

It just needs to be close. I still have the original weight and it's obvious where it goes since it was hanging on by the HVAC tape which was also separating from the rim . Someone at the track recommended Gorilla glue but I was hoping there was a standard glue used for wheel weights available somewhere. I'll get it rebalanced if there is not a standard available glue. BTW, is aluminum tape different from hvac tape? I use hvac tape I get from Lowes.

Thanks,
Mark

 

Gorilla Glue......good

 

FWIW, "HVAC Tape" = "Aluminum Tape".

Get another wheel weight from a tire shop, get a can of brakleen and clean the residue off from the old wheel weight, wipe clean and brakleen leaves a film and attach your new weight...it's the only way to do it.

Unless there's a better suggestion for brakleen?? ...the wheel weight residue remover "stuff" made by Camel and other manufacturers isn't as readily available as brakleen, that's why I suggest that.

 

I tried the aluminum tape and my weights still came off. Now I have my tire shop balance using high temp silicone. Never lost a weight since.

 

on my old IT7 car, that cracked rotors every weekend. I would use RTV - ultra grey silcone as glue, then go over with alum duct tape. never lost one after that.

Also, do you mark the stem when you have the wheels balanced?

Did you know the rim spins on the tire. after a few track days, the stem will be 25 to 50% rotated from the start.... (and its time to rebalance again)

 

Clean the spot well first using red can Brake-Kleen and as was said many times tape the weights down with foil tape not the cloth like duct tape. Many a pro track car does just this and it seems to work well for them.

Wheel tire spin. Ready for a novel fix? Hair spray. I recommend unscented. Clean the rim bead area and tire bead real well with red can Brake kleen. Clean the tires and rim bead areas well! You need to get all the mold release off the tire and mounting soap off the rim. Spray the rim and tire bead areas fully wet with hair spray and mount the tire on the rim. Re spray if you are slow and things are drying out. The hair spray is slippery when wet and replaces the soap normally used while mounting tires but dries like glue after a while. If you can, wait up to a week or so before track driving on the tires. The longer you wait the better the resistance to rotation. We had cars that rotated tires 180 out during one 20 min run and many of the higher weigh and HP cars would rotate the tires Fronts rotate one way and rears the other.
The hair spray method, when done to the letter, will reduce or stops the tires from moving on the rims completely and is better than dry mount. The key is clean well and give some time to let the spray dry in the bead area.

 

As for what glue to use...

Just remember there will be a time when you'll want to take the weights back off.


Why not just put brand new weights on? They're not expensive.