Wheel surface must be thoroughly clean prior to setting weights in place.

I encourage you to slow down at rail crossings. Poorly maintained crossings will change alignment and adjust wheel weights.

I've never had that happen! And I've seen lots of roads, uncountable RRXs. I'd be very suspicious of the mechanics who balanced your tires.

I agree that you should get out on the road right away, Paw; test the balancing job again before your next appt.

This is common, usually happens when someones in a rush and doesnt clean the tire correctly. Get Pawprint ( your car) out on the open road and do a test drive.

If you've ever paid close attention to a street/road when you're walking across it, you'll see wheel weights all the time...

Years ago we had a long wheel base dodge van that was all customized for travel trips with a fridge and sink and table and chairs etc. I drove it to work every day. We stopped at a well known chain store to have it serviced. They put it up on the lift. We drove off and soon realized we had a problem. We couldn't go back because we were the last customers and they were closing when we left. I called immediately the following day and talked to the supervisor, there happened to be a regional supervisor in the store and I told him as soon as we left the van was shaking so much we could barely get home. I said my husband thinks the driveshaft is bent. He said do you have a long wheel base dodge van? Yes. He said yes it is bent. We will replace it for you and supply you with a ride for the day. Apparently the lifts they had, if not extremely careful, could put pressure on the driveshaft and bend them. He was going around to the stores to teach them how to do it properly and they were replacing some of the lifts for use on those. I was amazed at how easy it went. If he had not been there it would have been a different story. So keep that in mind! Going on the lift can damage things with out anything else done.

Thanks for giving us a lift today, Raven. May be helpful to one of us, some day.

o j

Only time I can recall this kind of problem was on a WV Beetle WAY back when in college. Went to college in Poconos... COLD and SNOWY winters. Lived in half of an old house with very limited parking in an alley behind. Since we knew the guys who lived in other half of house, agreed that parking would be first come, first servved. If you couldn't find a space in alley, had to find sot on street... could be a walk from car.

We had a heavy snow (like 6-8") and none of us had a snow shovel. It was REALLY cold and the WV was the ONLY vehicle that started right up, but couldn't make it thru snow in alley. I would gun it and go as far as it would go in snow before stopping. The guys would push car out of drift, I'd back up and do it again. Eventually used that Beetle to "plow" the alley. First time I was out on a road with any kind of speed involved thought the wheels were gonna fall off! Ended up severely out of alignment.. I never told my Dad that it was very likel my fault completely?!?

Test it right away. If it is out of balance, you'll need to know this before too much time passes. The tire shop might be reluctant to redo the job if you bring it in a month later.

I think I know the type of weights you are referring to. These are special weights that go on rims for high performance, wide profile tires. These rims are wide and have a rather large, wide surface in the inside diameter. The weights are small square coupons that are glued on the inside diameter or the rim. (I looked at a set yesterday on my Buddy's Mustang.) The main reason these come off is a poor glue job and the wheel not rotating very fast when going over really jamming bumps like a railroad crossing in poor condition. They rarely come off at high speed because the centrifugal force presses them against the rim.

Good adhesion requires that the surface be chemically clean.

To test, get your car up to at least 60 to 65 miles per hour. The wheels should run smooth at 65 mph before accepting the balance job.

Another factor that can cause a wheel to be in balance at zero speed,but go out of balance at speed is a tire with a stretched belt. The belt may have been damaged with too much air pressure during mounting. (The pressure cast in on the sidewall of a tire is the maximum pressure the tire should ever see for any condition. This IS NOT the max. allowable running pressure. The max. running pressure is less.) At low speed, a ruined tie can be round, but goes out of round at speed. Typically, this shows up as the speed approaches 55 MPH. It can happen at other speeds.

Jem, yes. Those are the ones I have. Here's the weights on inside of my front tire. Looks like they stick on.