BB and BBi - wheel balancing and alignment w/vintage tires | FerrariChat
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BB and BBi - wheel balancing and alignment w/vintage tires

Discussion in 'Boxers/TR/M' started by NGTTwo, Sep 16, 2025 at 12:00 PM.

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  1. NGTTwo

    NGTTwo Rookie

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    Basel Basel
    #1 NGTTwo, Sep 16, 2025 at 12:00 PM
    I have a BB here which wears new but period correct XWX tires - 215/50-70 and 225/50-70 if I'm not mistaken. Tires are probably ~2 years old.

    Getting a front - right side vibration at around 60-70 mph and appears (?) to be tire related. I was surprised to see that none of the wheels have any balance weights on them.

    Does this seem incorrect?
     
  2. NGTTwo

    NGTTwo Rookie

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    #2 NGTTwo, Sep 16, 2025 at 3:09 PM
    Sorry typo above 215/70-15, 225/70-15 for the tire sizes...
     
  3. bjunc

    bjunc Formula Junior

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    #3 bjunc, Sep 16, 2025 at 4:33 PM
    I would think it's more likely that you had weights that fell off.
     
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  4. ago car nut

    ago car nut F1 Veteran
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    #4 ago car nut, Sep 17, 2025 at 11:06 AM
    Very rarely tires balance without weights. Then again, if you shift the tire on the machine it could change. I watched tire guy spin balance my DD tires on the machine. Drive it, and vibration at certain speed. Bring it back and get it rebalanced. Maybe his machine is the problem? Or like above, maybe weights fell off. There are some newer machines that balance with a type of road device!
     
  5. fatbillybob

    fatbillybob Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #5 fatbillybob, Sep 17, 2025 at 12:59 PM
    1- balance the wheel/tire combo
    2- check shocks
    3-check a-arm bushings
    4-check steering rack bushings
    5-check ball joints
     
  6. Dr Tommy Cosgrove

    Dr Tommy Cosgrove Three Time F1 World Champ
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    #6 Dr Tommy Cosgrove, Sep 18, 2025 at 7:37 AM
    Nope.

    There is absolutely no possible way on earth that you have FOUR wheel/tires that require no weight balance.
     
  7. NGTTwo

    NGTTwo Rookie

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    #7 NGTTwo, Sep 18, 2025 at 10:57 AM
    Thanks I have an appointment with a local expert on tires who will look at it...go through each wheel + tire, check whether there may have been internal balancing (?), and then check the suspension/alignment.

    Any tips from the experts here on the suspension setup other than what's in the workshop manual? We got the shims pack for the 1 - 3+ mm in steps of 0.5 mm just in case.
     
  8. bjunc

    bjunc Formula Junior

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    #8 bjunc, Sep 18, 2025 at 7:45 PM
    I'm not an expert, but I did just make some suspension changes so it's somewhat fresh in my mind.

    IMO, I think the factory specs are fine for most people. They are designed around the weight / spring balance of the car, for higher speed stability, and with some understeer.

    Personally, I'm running a little more camber (both front and rear), and a little less toe in the rear. I guess you can say it's a slightly more sporty setup than factory. Dialing in rear toe can be a little finicky because it uses shims; which impacts your camber. So I found that if you take camber tweaks into account before you set the toe, then the toe shim will push the camber the rest of the way there. Unless you're super picky, you probably won't notice or care about that though (we're talking tenths of a degree).
     
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