Wheel Balancing

[cfc1]

Ok people, some of you may allready be aware that there is, or will be a change in the law with reguards useing LEAD weights to balance wheels. New regulations have banned the use of lead, and now we have to use ZINC weights. (eviromental issues)

This may sound a bit silly, but zinc is lighter in weight than lead... so, to get a 40g weight, the size/shape of the weight itself is bigger. Also, zinc weights are working out to cost roughly 4 times as much as lead weights to buy in, so you might find the prices of balancing (or even tyres) your local tyre dealer will increase to cover this extra cost.

What i personally am going to find interesting, is when i balance a wheel and it requires about 80g on either side of the wheel... there will be more zinc than wheel (i have seen some cheap tyres require weights of up to 160g+ on either side)

We tried to get some zinc self adheisive weights (for alloy's) the other day, only to be told that there are none available in the UK.. so, no-one in the UK can legally balance an Alloy wheel... unless the dealer managed to get some before the law changed.

Anyway.. keep your eye on those prices people.

[popwud]

Would it be possible to re-use the old leaded weights. :arrgg-matey:

[cfc1]

Nope.. lead has been/ will be banned altogether... as soon as i find out more.. i'll let you know.

[dicey2k]

Enviromental issues? Pah.

They want to stop people driving round in ageing tranny vans which pump out more fog than a coal fired power plant before they start going on about tiny lead weights on wheels!

Seems the government have lost the plot yet again. :censor:

[Moffmo]

what an increbiblably stupid law...

welcome to britain!

[MarkMcQ]

The government are determined to remove from the road cars that are either fun, or are major pollutants.

I've decided to use 4 Land Rovers as weights to balance my wheels.

[Moffmo]

The government are determined to remove from the road cars that are either fun, or are major pollutants.

I've decided to use 4 Land Rovers as weights to balance my wheels. 

←

what about the wheels on the land rovers? :P

[cfc1]

This is what its about.......

Directive 2000/53/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 September 2000 on end-of life vehicles - Commission Statements

Amoung a host of other things, it states the following....

It is important that preventive measures be applied from the conception phase of the vehicle onwards and take the form, in particular, of reduction and control of hazardous substances in vehicles, in order to prevent their release into the environment, to facilitate recycling and to avoid the disposal of hazardous waste. In particular the use of lead, mercury, cadmium and hexavalent chromium should be prohibited. These heavy metals should only be used in certain applications according to a list which will be regularly reviewed. This will help to ensure that certain materials and components do not become shredder residues, and are not incinerated or disposed of in landfills.

Member States shall ensure that materials and components of vehicles put on the market after 1 July 2003 do not contain lead, mercury, cadmium or hexavalent chromium other than in cases listed in Annex II under the conditions specified therein;

Within the procedure referred to in Article 4(2)(B), the Commission shall evaluate the following applications:

- lead as an alloy in aluminium in wheel rims, engine parts and window levers

- lead in batteries

- lead in balance weights

- electrical components which contain lead in a glass or ceramics matrix compound

- cadmium in batteries for electrical vehicles

So there you have it.

[alanbradley]

The thing is that all of the other countries in the EU will just ignore the directive. Only the UK will go out of its way to conform. As usual...

[Boro Sera]

it's not just cars though...........................

All electronic production must soon switch to Lead free solder. We're having to adapt all the process equipment at work for this.

Lead free is a pain in the ***** though, it's full of scare stories at the moment and the actual solder hasn't been long term tested, so nobody knows how reliable it may or may not be. Military, medical and basically any Life-or-death circuitry is already exempt indefinitely from this directive.

It's not a complete ban with regard to cars though.......The directive states that a car cannot contain more than 3 grammes of lead per tonne ( something like that anyway...I forget the exact figures ). HOWEVER, the directive has an exemption for the car Battery, which is full of it and weighs loads. Maybe it will have long term environmental gain, maybe not. But for the moment it's a pain.

[jaxx]

Enviromental issues? Pah.

They want to stop people driving round in ageing tranny vans which pump out more fog than a coal fired power plant before they start going on about tiny lead weights on wheels!

Seems the government have lost the plot yet again.  :censor:

←

and buses

'we should use public transport as its more friendly to the environment'

have you seen how much cack comes out of a bus!

as opposed to my well maintained engine! eejits!

[Karma Supra]

I have alread seen cases of the lead weights hitting the calipers on supras, as our brakes are rather large... I hate to think what will happen when we need even larger zinc weights!!! especially as I have my eyes on a 380mm disk conversion*!!

*funds allowing, so give ita few years!)

[Twincam.GTi]

What about the use of lead in air guns/ shotgun cartridges and the shot/bullet that is cast for Black powder cap'n'ball guns? :(

[GIDDLEPIN]

it's not just cars though...........................

All electronic production must soon switch to Lead free solder. We're having to adapt all the process equipment at work for this.

Lead free is a pain in the ***** though, it's full of scare stories at the moment and the actual solder hasn't been long term tested, so nobody knows how reliable it may or may not be. Military, medical and basically any Life-or-death circuitry is already exempt indefinitely from this directive.

It's not a complete ban with regard to cars though.......The directive states that a car cannot contain more than 3 grammes of lead per tonne ( something like that anyway...I forget the exact figures ). HOWEVER, the directive has an exemption for the car battery, which is full of it and weighs loads. Maybe it will have long term environmental gain, maybe not. But for the moment it's a pain.

←

Use car batteries to balance wheels.

[Gnome]

How does this affect wheels already balanced?

I got my bike wheels balanced about 6 weeks ago, when I had new tyres fitted. Will they just have to be re-done when I fit new tyres?

Lucky me with standard wheels on the car! :D

[dj_davo]

we should all remove the lead weights from our wheels, craft some very good artillery from it, and aim it in the general direction of big ben.

and i bet the EU wouldnt mind either!

[Fidgits]

what an increbiblably stupid law...

welcome to britain!

←

Actually, its European law - and probably part of the RoHS legislation...

[Boro Sera]

Once it's implemented with cars though.......it's only a matter of time that Church Rooves will have to be Lead Free.

When that happens we'll have nothing left to steal !

[cfc1]

How does this affect wheels already balanced?

I got my bike wheels balanced about 6 weeks ago, when I had new tyres fitted. Will they just have to be re-done when I fit new tyres?

Lucky me with standard wheels on the car! :D

←

It won't affect wheels that are allready balanced.. but when they get redone, weights will be lead free.

As for steel wheels... they get balanced too, its not just alloy wheels that get lead weights put on them.

[MarkMcQ]

what about the wheels on the land rovers? :P

←

Big Macs.

[nrgizerbunny]

doesn't zinc + alloy wheels = serious corrosion issues?

zinc is loads more reactive than lead so i would have though you'll get nice blobs of corrosion where they attach.

[Twincam.GTi]

nrgizerbunny Posted Today, 09:48 AM

  doesn't zinc + alloy wheels = serious corrosion issues?

zinc is loads more reactive than lead so i would have though you'll get nice blobs of corrosion where they attach.

Thats a point !

[AMH]

Use stick-on ones - ahesive will keep zinc off alloy ...

[cfc1]

The zinc weights will have a protective coating..and , with the clip on weights, the clips will be made of steel or something.. so i'm lead to believe (pardon the pun)

[nrgizerbunny]

the protective coating will do naff all to protect the wheel.

zinc + steel+ alloy wheel = Battery (galvanic charge)

this is bad news for alloy wheels.