57
votes
Accepted
Strange metallic stickers on rims after repair shop visit
Those are wheel weights. They are to balance out imperfections in the weight of the tire to avoid vibration at speed. I would recommend not removing them. If you're concerned about them standing out ...
- 1,698
54
votes
Accepted
Is it necessary to have the wheels of a car aligned with the body when parked, due to weight on the axle?
Not at all, in fact there are many occasions when you would want the tires at an angle to the body of the car. Any time you're parked on a hill it is prudent to angle the wheels of the car so that if ...
- 14.5k
41
votes
Accepted
Why are wheels labeled "R16" when the 16" is actually the diameter?
Tires (or tyres) are marked as www/hhRdd where www is the tread width in mm, hh is the sidewall height as a percentage of width and dd is the inner diameter in inches. I.e. 245/75R16 has a width of 24....
- 492
38
votes
Accepted
What are these metal clips where my wheel rims meet the tires and what are they for?
They are exactly what you stated: wheel weights. They are used to balance the tire so when you are going down the road you don't get an out of balance condition. These are VERY important for several ...
- 160k
33
votes
What is the small metal square attached to the wheel or tire?
Those appear to be wheel weights. When mounted on the rims, tires are often not totally and absolutely balanced. When you drive, it may cause all sorts of shaking issues if it is badly out of balance....
- 944
27
votes
What is the small metal square attached to the wheel or tire?
This is a wheel balancing weight. This type is held onto the inner side of the wheel with double-backed foam type adhesive tape. The the "1/4" stands for one quarter of an ounce. The "FE" denotes ...
- 11.6k
26
votes
Is it necessary to have the wheels of a car aligned with the body when parked, due to weight on the axle?
Perhaps my post is a bit late, but make sure you always face your wheels to an angle if you park your vehicle on a hill. A brake failure can lead into some heavy damage.
If you parked your vehicle at ...
- 371
26
votes
Accepted
What is this wire in my tyre?
These wires are probably the wires in the steel belt of your radial tire. If you see those wires, the tire is worn out. You should replace it today! No, you should have replaced it yesterday!
For ...
- 15k
24
votes
Accepted
Why do mechanics give the wheels a spin after raising a car for inspection?
Probably a combination of things - as you surmise, it's a good way to check for worn bearings (you may also spot them rocking the wheel up and down or side to side, that's also checking the wheel ...
- 28.8k
21
votes
Accepted
What is the purpose of this black plastic loop around rim spokes?
The wheel trim that it is holding on is likely damaged, so a previous owner has added the cable/zip tie to stop it falling off. The damage may not be visible from the outside. There are plastic tabs ...
- 25.5k
17
votes
Why are spare wheels smaller than normal wheels?
Because you rarely use it, reducing its size and weight is an effective method for cutting down costs. It also saves space and makes packaging easier for the engineers. The cost aspect is also the ...
- 2,964
17
votes
Can the car jack get adjusted?
The gear mechanism skipped a tooth. It's likely broken and dangerous to use.
Such jacks are quite cheap; in Norway they are available for 20-25USD, so I would simply pick up a new one, or raise a ...
- 798
16
votes
Accepted
Why are spare wheels smaller than normal wheels?
Do all cars that come factory fitted with alloys follow this rule?
No, there are three basic options that I see all the time.
An Emergency wheel - Will get you to the next tire shop or gas station. ...
- 365
15
votes
Accepted
Why nitrogen and not carbon dioxide is used in critical tire applications?
Nitrogen is inert and doesn't affect rubber or the steel rim.
Carbon dioxide is highly reactive and affects both the rubber by causing swelling in the rubber. It also would cause corrosion in iron ...
- 3,962
15
votes
Should I not drive with this huge chipped rim?
Do NOT drive this at all.
Change the wheel before driving it again.
That can cause sudden loss of control if the bead shifts.
- 34.7k
14
votes
Accepted
When buying a new tire at car shop, they pumped the new tire and it popped loudly, is that normal?
This is absolutely normal. What's going on is they are seating the beads of the tire against the rims. In order to get them to do this, they have to over pressurize the tires a bit, which then allows ...
- 160k
14
votes
Will this tyre fail its MOT?
If you can't see or feel the cords by lifting the edge of the cut with a blunt instrument (e.g. a coffee stirrer), then it shouldn't fail:
any ply or cord that can be seen without touching the tyre – ...
- 28.8k
12
votes
Why nitrogen and not carbon dioxide is used in critical tire applications?
Nitrogen makes up around 80% of Air - therefore its more readily reclaimed and separated than the smaller amounts of other gases in air. I.e. the process for reclaiming nitrogen from air could be ...
- 2,665
12
votes
Why do mechanics give the wheels a spin after raising a car for inspection?
What exactly are they looking for?
Anything that could be wrong or irregular.
Tire defects
Bent wheel rims
Worn bearings
noisy anything
dragging brakes
health of differential gears
condition of CV ...
12
votes
How can a wheel fall off while wheelnuts remained in place?
It seems to be an extreme case, but if the lug nuts were not fully secured against the rim, the forces involved in driving can erode the holes in the wheel, especially if the wheel is not steel and is ...
- 4,915
12
votes
My 2016 Chevrolet Spark started making a noise at high speeds, but then stopped. Is it safe to drive?
That isn't an alloy wheel, that's a regular steel wheel with a plastic wheel cover on it. The plastic cover is obviously in bad shape, it's just for appearances so you can just take it off and throw ...
- 17.1k
11
votes
Accepted
Is balancing necessary on a full-wheel change?
No, you don't have to balance the summer wheels again.
I have two sets (winter & summer) and swap them over with no issues.
The only time you need to get balancing re-done is when you have new ...
- 34.7k
10
votes
Hit a curb today, taking a chunk out of the tire and some damage to the rim. Is it still safe to drive?
I highly recommend having the tires replaced.
Even if physical deformation/damage is not evident from a visual inspection, there could be damage to the internal structure of the tire, like the steel ...
- 129
9
votes
Correct fitment of wheels using hubcentric rings
There is one other figure you need to take into consideration; offset.
The offset is the measure of how far pushed out or in the centre point of the wheel (that bolts to the hub) is when compared to ...
- 23.4k
9
votes
Is it necessary to have the wheels of a car aligned with the body when parked, due to weight on the axle?
(I would have added this as a comment but I don't have the reputation yet)
As dlu pointed out, on steep hills you want to angle your front wheels towards the kerb, but there are also situations where ...
- 91
8
votes
Accepted
Cast or Forged Wheels, is there any real-world difference?
I think bubbles are less likely to have anything to do with it. The forging process makes the metal more durable by aligning the grain of the metal. After forging, there is less of a chance for stress ...
- 160k
8
votes
Accepted
Hit a curb today, taking a chunk out of the tire and some damage to the rim. Is it still safe to drive?
The chunks taken out are not affecting the integrity of the tire.
Since there isn't any structural damage to the tire you should be fine.
If you feel some vibrations in the steering wheel after the ...
- 39.2k
8
votes
Strange metallic stickers on rims after repair shop visit
They are wheel weights, and are usually divided between both sides of the wheel.
A wheel assembly can be unbalanced in more than one plane, and modern digital balancing machines take this into ...
8
votes
Accepted
What is the best DIY approach to keeping brake dust off your rims?
The easiest way I'm aware of is to change your brake material to ceramic. While there is still dust, it's about 90% less apparent than is metallic or organic friction compounds (in most cases).
As ...
- 160k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible