I was told the colored paint dots on tires were put on the tire by the manuf and should be aligned with the valve stem for optium balance.
The tire shop mounted my tire and did not align the colored dots with the valve stem,is this a big deal? I plan on installing dyna beads so i did not have the tire installer balance the tire.
Should i have the tire broken down and rotated on the rim so the colored dots align with the valve stem?
Thank you
Mark

 

Normally, a shop that knows what they are doing will mount the red dot aligned with the valve stem.







But if you are using Dynabeads, it pretty much becomes a moot point, the Dynabeads will balance it regardless of where the dot is at, and they don't require rebalancing as the tire wears out, its just a smooth ride. I wouldn't worry about it.

My tire (in the pic) is a car tire on my Road King, using 3 oz. of Dynabeads and its like riding on glass.

Regards,

 

Its there for optimum balence....I wouldn't use that tire shop again.

 

As Jerry stated... why start out in a hole even if you are going to use dyna beads... these shops generally have a "non-tech" type individual mounting tires and usually do not remember to give them good training before setting them to work... I would and have insisted on them aligning the dot with the valve stem.

 

Reputable HD dealership informed me that they found Dynamic balancing a gimmick and doesnt hold true. Weather and temperature play into affect. On most high quality wheels like PM, you usually dont have to put any weights on them. If they balance out under an ounce, then you can get away without any.

 

Run as fast as you can away from that dealer's service department!!!



What you need to know about Wheel Balance & Wheel Vibration Control

At 60 miles per hour, an average size tire rotates 850 times per minute. At this speed, slight variations in balance, sidewall stiffness or roundness can cause the wheel to literally slam into the pavement 14 times a second. The ultra-sensitive road feel of today's vehicles gives drivers a hands-on detection of vibration, a warning of potential problems. Unchecked, excessive wheel vibration can result in expensive damages and unsafe driving conditions such as:

Excessive Tire Wear
Damage to Suspension and Steering Components
Unsafe Steering and Handling

What Causes Excessive Wheel Vibration?

Wheels Out of Balance

Static wheel balance measures only "up and down."
Static wheel balancing uses a single weight plane and only addresses "up-and-down" imbalance. This is simply not adequate for today's wheel vibration sensitive vehicles.
Dynamic wheel balancing uses two weight planes. This eliminates "up-and-down" and "side-to-side" imbalance. Dynamic, two plane wheel balance should always be requested, even on custom wheels when hidden weights are required.

Dynamic wheel balance also measures from "side to side."

Wheel Force Variation

An out of round tire (runout) causes wheel vibration.

A stiff spot hitting the pavement causes vibration. A perfectly balanced tire can still vibrate due to Force Variation. Wheel Force Variation is most frequently due to wheel runout or uneven tread or sidewall stiffness in the tire. Runout is when a tire or rim is out of round when rolling; frequent causes are a bent rim or uneven tire wear.

Uneven tread or sidewall stiffness can be found in new or worn tires. Tires by design are never uniformly flexible throughout nor are they perfectly round. And no two tires are exactly alike in these characteristics.

How Wheel Force Variation is Corrected

OEM Match Mounting matches a high point or stiff spot on a tire...
with the low spot on the rim, for maximum roundness.
1. Match mounting a tire and rim by matching the high point or stiff spot in the tire
with the lowest spot in the rim, can make the wheel "round when rolling." Thus the
dot on the tire.
2. In some cases a wheel is so out of round it should be replaced.
3. In some cases a tire with excessive Force Variation is defective.

Tire Pressure and Wheel Alignment

Improper tire pressure and/or misalignment causes irregular tire wear which creates and
amplifies imbalance, resulting in wheel vibration. Alignment can be adjusted and wheels
serviced to reduce or stop the vibration. Ask your technician.

Steering and Suspension Components

Steering and suspension components need periodic inspection. They can eventually
wear out resulting in wheel vibration. Excessive wheel vibration from other causes can
also shorten steering and suspension component life.

Other Hidden Causes of Wheel Vibration

Wheel to axle mounting error
Brake component wear or failure
Drive train or engine component wear or failure
Vehicle component characteristics

A knowledgeable technician with proper training and equipment can diagnose these problems.

 

100% agreed,this guy has no bussiness installing tires(or much else for that matter)even if the wheel is berfecly balanced,the tire isnt

 

WOW, That's a lot to digest.

 

Just got my tires back from the local indy to mount only. I'm using Dynabeads for the firt time so he didn't balance them. (As an aside, I thought $75 PLUS tax was steep to remove and install ME880's on cast 17" Fatboy wheels.)

He didn't align the red dots on tires to the valve stems. He's about 8" off on the front and 1/3 of a tire off on the rear...the front is aligned to a mark on the tire casing that looks like '/', which I thought was the valve stem locator. So no worries? Dynabeads will distribute and balance regardless?

I've mounted the wheels back on the bike so it's too late to just run 'em back up to him. The front is easy enough to remove if I had to but the rear is a PITA (doing it by myself).

ps - he claims to have 35 years of HD experience, working for a MoCo dealer and having his own place for over 20 years....

 

ps - he claims to have 35 years of HD experience, working for a MoCo dealer and having his own place for over 20 years....[/QUOTE]



There's your problem in a nutshell... I would stay away from this guy.