Errors when installing adhesive weights
Installing adhesive weights when balancing wheels seems like a trivial task, but failure to follow procedures often results in the weight falling off the rim. Świstowski experts remind of the correct course of installation of weights and pay attention to rims painted with water-soluble lacquers.
Temperature, purification, radius and time
First, make sure that the temperature of the environment, the rim and the weight is 16 degrees Celsius or higher. Then you need to clean the rim with a suitable cleaner, such as isopropanol or extraction gasoline, to remove residual grease and other contaminants.
Later, you can match the weight with the protective film to the contour of the rim. The curvature of the weight and the rim should be coincident, or the radius of curvature of the weight may be slightly smaller. Once the weight is fitted, remove the protective film from the adhesive tape. This activity should be done carefully so as not to touch the adhesive tape before sticking it to the rim.
The weight must be pressed against the rim, starting from the center and moving toward the edges, exerting a pressure of at least 100 kPa. Once the weight is installed, the adhesion force between the weight and the rim increases over time. After a day, it reaches about 80-90% of the final adhesion value, while maximum adhesion is reached after about 72 hours.
Note: Water-soluble rim paints
Since 2005, all rim manufacturers have been using water-soluble paints (previously, the composition of paints was based on solvents). They are characterised by the deposition of wax on the surface of the rim. This wax can be removed by cleaning with a suitable agent, such as isorpopanol or extraction gasoline.
Without first cleaning the rim, it is not possible to achieve a surface tension suitable for gluing the weight. It should be no less than 32 mN/m to make the installation of the weight durable and safe. For an uncleaned rim, this value falls below 28 mN/m, as a result of which the weight can fall off without any apparent reason within 2 days of balancing the wheel.
