When I used to race SCCA in the early 70's, the Goodyear guys at the track
just used a plain old bubble balancer and I really don't remember any
significant balance problems ever. They'd put weight on the frontor rear of
the wheel - sometimes both, sometimes one side only. Never asked how they
figured out where to put the weights. It worked well up to the 140 MPH that
my car would go.
I also remember watching them do some tires for Denis Hulme's Can-Am car at
Elkhart Lake the same way. He set a new track speed record in that car - as
I recall, it was something like 221 MPH. Wheel balance didn't seem to be a
problem for him either.
What magic did they have over 30 years ago to get such good results with
just a bubble balancer?
Karl Vacek
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