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Bundt wheel weights

Started by zedster, 31 August 2011, 11:02 AM

zedster

I just picked up a new set of bundt rims and will also be getting new tires. Should I ask them to put all the wheel weights on the inside or do you guys think having them on the outside as well is fine?
1979 450 SEL "Spinne Blaue"

chrismsullivan

Depending on how the wheels are balanced, you might not have a choice. Either way, the weights are fine on either the inside or the outer lip.

jbrasile

Bill,

Originally the wheels came with weights attached to the outer lip, however, most tire shops do not have the correct style weights and in my opinion the generic ones just don't look right. On my US 450SEL I have regular weights attached to the inner lips since you can't see them, and adhesive weights glued inside the wheel near the outer edge.

Currently on the 78 car here in Brazil I have original MB weights on the outer lips, BUT, once the wheels get repainted next month I am seriously considering just using adhesive weights to make sure the new paint stays perfect.

Your call... as a side note, the shop I use here in Sao Paulo balances the wheels on the machine, then mounts them on the car and re-balances the front ones, the result is perfection I have never been able to achieve with the 80 450SEL that lives in LA.

Tks,

Joe

zedster

I had the tire shop balance the tires with weights on the inside and adhesive weights on the inside near the outer edge. They ran into one problem though, the lugs sent with the new rims were acorn or conical lugs and should have been ball seat. So they proceeded to use my old ball seat lugs (which looked bad in comparison to the new shiny rims) until I could get the proper lugs. Then problem 2 surfaced where the back lugs were too long (rims are thinner where the mounting holes are) and would not allow the wheels to turn freely. I now have 4 new tires with two new rims on the front and two old rims in the back. I need to find proper lugs or have ones cut. Who knows!? What a pain!  >:(
1979 450 SEL "Spinne Blaue"

Nutz

Tape weights are so much cleaner looking than a big lead turd on the outer lip.

chrismsullivan

#5
From what I could gather it sounds like your new wheels are the wrong offset to the hub. You might require some spacers?
Not an ideal fix for the handling of the car or the longevity of your hubs, but a quick fix if you want to retain your new wheels.
As to the wheel nuts and where to get them. eBay is your friend.

wbrian63

Quote from: jbrasile on 31 August 2011, 06:22 PM
Your call... as a side note, the shop I use here in Sao Paulo balances the wheels on the machine, then mounts them on the car and re-balances the front ones, the result is perfection I have never been able to achieve with the 80 450SEL that lives in LA.
In my younger years, I worked at a repair shop that had one of those on-the-car balancing rigs. There was a fixture that you attached to the rim. You'd then jack the car up and there was an electric drive motor you'd place against the tire (looked like a big floor buffer with a rubber wheel sticking out of the top, perpendicular, rather than parallel to the ground.

The fixture on the rim had a set of knobs cocentric on a shaft in the center of the fixture. The mechanic (only one guy knew how to use the unit - a "well seasoned" fellow) would spin the tire with the motor and grab the various knobs alternately until the desired results were achieved. I watched a couple of times as he used the unit - never could figure out what he was doing.

For the rear tires, they'd just use the car's engine and the design of an open differential to spin one rear tire at a time.

The customers that received this service wouldn't go anywhere else to get their tires balanced.

I did see an almost disaster one time as he tried to balance the rear tires on a vehicle equipped with a limited-slip differential. Almost drove the car off the jack...
W. Brian Fogarty

'12 S550 (W221)
'76 450SEL 6.9 Euro #521
'02 S55 AMG (W220) - sold
'76 450SEL 6.9 Euro #1164 - parted out

"Bond reflected that good Americans were fine people, and most of them seemed to come from Texas..." Casino Royale, Chapter V

jbrasile

wbrian,

The shop that does the work for me has one guy operating the machine spinning the tire as the owner of the place sits in the car with the palms of his hands on the steering wheel telling the tech what to do, works perfectly. In have never seen this done in the US, not even at high end tire shops.

Bill, if you got original 6 1/2 x 14 bundts you should be ok as far as the offset. The bolts are p/n 108 401 00 70 that have been replaced by a 126 p/n - $3.40 list

Tks,

Joe

zedster

adsitco.com says they are 6 1/2 x 14 bundts. The area where the hole is definitely thicker on my old rims almost like there is a washer welded or whatever to the front of the rim. The new rim does not have this and is thinner. The very knowledgeable tire tech is saying the conical ones sent are wrong and should be ball seat. He also says you DO NOT want to use spacers. My original lugs with the new rims hit the brake hardware in the back.  :(
1979 450 SEL "Spinne Blaue"

chrismsullivan

Your tyre guy is right, spacers aren't great for your hubs.
If the wheels are hitting the brakes, then they can't be the right offset! You might want to check this before searching around for new nuts. I don't really see how the style of nut is going to change the offset of rim to hub.

zedster

I will try and post pictures tonight.
1979 450 SEL "Spinne Blaue"

jbrasile

Aha!!!

Ok, so you got the wheels from adsitco right?

They sell a "replica" which is supposed to be pretty good but from what you are saying it does not have the conical washers where the bolts sit on the face of the wheel and that is why it looks like your bolts are too long. I don't think you have an offset problem. These washers can be removed, they are not welded onto the wheel and if you tap them with a rubber hammer in order not to damage anything  they should come loose. Then try using the washer on the new wheels and see what happens.

If that doesn't work, either get a set of bolts from Adsitco that will work with their wheels, or return them, buy a set of used originals on e-bay and have them refurbished, that would  have been my first choice anyway.

Let us know how it goes.

Tks,

Joe


Nutz

LOL, returns at adsitco? Good luck with that.

zedster

Here are the pics. They really don't show what I mean.







1979 450 SEL "Spinne Blaue"

jbrasile

Bill,


Your tire tech is absolutely right, the bolts you have will never work on these wheels.

This is what you need:



Get the correct bolts and you will be fine.

Tks,

Joe