eli5: If wheel manufacturers are so precise with the wheel they produce why do we still need to balance them?
In: 5
Because your putting an imperfect tire on said wheel. You’re balancing the tire and wheel combination.
Your tire isn’t balanced. Not so sure the wheel manufacturers are really all THAT precise, either.
more about the tire than the wheel.
it’s relatively straightforward to machine a piece of metal into a perfectly balanced shape, but it’s a lot more complicated to make a 30lb hunk of rubber full of steel and polyester belts perfectly balanced within 0.25oz.
Most wheels are balanced to begin with, it’s the tires that usually have variations that require weights to balance out. You stick the weights to the wheel because there’s no good way to stick them to the tire.
Heck, some manufacturers even struggle to make tires that are perfectly round. Some shops still “true” tires by shaving excess rubber off the uneven side to make them perfectly round, and then balance the tire for the best possible ride.
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