On Wed, 12 Jun 2019 21:37:49 -0400, Clare Snyder wrote:

> Yes and no. The smaller tire has less total mass so a small amount
> of weight has more effect than it would on a bigger tire - but it is
> not as far from the center (shorter moment arm) so it has less effect.

Thanks Clare as I never mounted and balanced a tire so fast on purpose, not
even taking time to clean the wheel or even remove the old weights until
AFTER I put it on the static balance stand.

These tires are Lexani LXTR 203 model tires, of size P185/65R14 with load
range 86 and speed range H (traction A, temperature A, and treadwear 500),
where I don't know WHAT specific thing makes these so easy to balance, but
they're so easy that something is very different.

I was surprised that I skipped a bunch of steps, and yet, the wheel _still_
didn't cause any perceptible vibration, according to the driver, even as
it's a front wheel drive vehicle with the tire being the driver side front
tire.

I had told the owner to take it to Costco for the $5 wheel balancing, but
that wasn't even necessary, even as I skipped a bunch of balancing steps.

The old tires on her car were model "Grand Prix" of size P185/65R14 load
range 86 and speed of T (traction A, temperature B, and treadwear 500)
which seem to be wearing on both edges, where here are the front two tires
of this FWD vehicle with the tires set up in the appropriate position.
<https://i.postimg.cc/JzvTyjKg/mount18.jpg>

I had previously replaced her passenger front tire due to this gouge
<https://i.postimg.cc/4dTBPZDQ/mount19.jpg>

Where the driver front tire wore into the steel belts which jutted out
<https://i.postimg.cc/85Bwn9DQ/mount20.jpg>

She needed to be somewhere so I was in such a rush, that I didn't even
_see_ the yellow (weight) dot when I mounted the valve stem to the red
(uniformity) dot:
<https://i.postimg.cc/7L8HPbtb/mount16.jpg>

Where I only noticed the yellow dot when I looked at this picture!
<https://i.postimg.cc/kG1M7cLd/mount15.jpg>

Back to how easy it was to statically balance these tires, not only did
this tiny car have the only four-lug wheel I've ever worked on, but popping
the first bead of this tiny 14-inch P185 tire was so simple that it took
only a couple of pumps and about triple that to break the second bead.

Removing the third bead and fourth bead was, likewise, surprisingly simple.
Popping on the fifth bead was almost entirely done by hand, it was that
easy, where only the sixth bead took any effort whatsoever that required a
force that any teenager could exert.

With two wheel weights already on the rim, and by match mounting the red
dot (I didn't even _see_ that yellow dot until I looked at the picture
afterward), the balance was spot on in the middle of the bubble level.

So I didn't even remove the _old_ wheel weights, which I normally would
have done as part of the wheel prep after breaking the bead and removing
the old tire. I didn't even replace the valve stem, as I recently used up
the four valve stems I had bought after speaking to you about getting the
bolt-in kind so I didn't have any available.

The tires have been waiting for her outside in the mud and rain, so I
simply bounced and blew out the leaves and crud where I would have cleaned
the tires more had I more time, where I might have noticed that yellow dot
which was slightly worn away from being outside all winter.

> GOOD tires of any size are easier to ballance than crappy tires. Ealy
> Hankooks were a real pain to ballance. Apparentlythey have gotten
> better.

Funny you mention the Hankook's where I just snapped this for you!
<https://i.postimg.cc/zGVtXxwK/mount17.jpg>

Those are Hancook Optimo H724 model tires of size P225/75R15, with the load
range of 102 and speed range of S (traction A, temperature B, and treadwear
500), which were MUCH HARDER to mount and dismount and harder to balance
too, it seems.

I'm planning on mounting and balancing them this weekend on an SUV which
keeps wearing out the front tires which I have to get alignment tools to
check the camber mostly since they're wearing on the outside edge.

When I mount those thick-sided Hancooks, on steel wheels, I will mount by
the _yellow_ (minimum weight) dot for the first time, instead of by the red
(maximum runout) dot, as I recall you recommended for when there's no match
mounting mark on the rims.

Thanks for being helpful where you're just about the only guy on this
newsgroup who knows anything about this subject matter, which I greatly
appreciate your advice, and where I try to remember it all over the years,
where I'm starting to lose count of how many tires I've done in the past
five years with the crappy Harbor Freight tools (they work, but they suck).