Balancing 19.5 Vision wheels

[Artum_Snowbird]

My wheel balancing shop has told me that I should have some kind of a sleeve on my axle that will help center the Vision 81 wheels onto my F350.

Has anyone ever heard of this, or do I just need to take the wheels and tires to a shop that is capable of balancing the larger wheels and tires... perhaps more of a commercial shop?

thanks.

Mike

[JumboJet]

I went with the Centramatic balancers for my 19.5" tires and wheels on my Dodge RAM 3500. Well worth the $$.Centramatic

[Bedlam]

No problems with balancing the Visions on my 2005 Ford. It uses tapered lug nuts instead of the OEM flat type to keep the wheel centered.

[KansasKen]

I have an '01 F350 crew 4x4. I bought my Michelin tires from a commercial tire shop who spin balanced them. If they did anything unusual to spin them I didn't notice. As you appear to know, I got a different set of lug nuts. The bigger problem arose later, I couldn't find a valve stem extension that would work for the outside alum wheel where the stem can't be used with a standard offset truck gauge. I am adverse to long extensions anyway because I had a charter bus and tried them on my inside duals and vibration would cause the stem to break off. I solved the problem by using a Cats-eye dual wheel system set for 100#. I notched the plastic hub covers and mounted the center piece under a screw that holds the cover on. Now I have one easy to access stem and a nifty indicator that tells me at a glance where I am relative to the 100# mark. PM me if you need more info.

[tad94564]

I have the 19.5" Visions on a 2001 F250..

and the only change was the lug nuts to make it work.

[Artum_Snowbird]

Butch50 wrote:
When you put the Visions on your truck did you not change to different lug nuts? The Ford wheels are hub centered but the Visions are lug centered. I got all new lugs with mine when I put them on and they are a tapered lug nut to center the wheel. My stock ones are a lug with an attached washer but again the wheels are hub centered and do not rely on the lugs to properly center them.

Yes, I did put new wheel nuts on. I used Rhino nuts specifically designed for these wheels.

[BigToe]

You may have both problems.

Definitely have the first problem... achieving an accurate and repeatable dynamic balance definitely relies on precisely centering the wheel and tire assembly to the machine.

Will not just tightening the wheel nuts down in a reasonable pattern hold the wheel onto the mounting plate studs exactly centered?

No. Especially not if the rim is hub-centric, which won't have tapered lug nuts or lug seats.

Ford even recommends Haweka centering devices to be placed on commercial spin balancers for the OEM factory truck, bus, and motorhome wheels that are 19.5" and larger.

The wheel stud centering sleeve kits can help center a wheel on your hub too.

There are also dynamic balancers, by Centramatics or Balance Masters.

[Butch50]

When you put the Visions on your truck did you not change to different lug nuts? The Ford wheels are hub centered but the Visions are lug centered. I got all new lugs with mine when I put them on and they are a tapered lug nut to center the wheel. My stock ones are a lug with an attached washer but again the wheels are hub centered and do not rely on the lugs to properly center them.

[Artum_Snowbird]

Will not just tightening the wheel nuts down in a reasonable pattern hold the wheel onto the mounting plate studs exactly centered?

I am trying to figure out if I am having a wheel balancing problem and need to have someone with proper centering equipment, or a wheel mounting problem onto my truck?

[Mandalay_Parr]

It may or may not be true. I would get a second opinion,
I had to get special centering stud bushings for my motorhome 22.5 wheels.

[sch911]

My BIL owns a Dynamic balancing business. We had to make a center hub up on the lathe out of plastic to get mine centered for balancing. Any good professional balancing shop should be able to do this. Were not talking about tire shops here either....