Hi guys, I friend of mine gave me a manual tire changer as a gift. So now I need to pick up a bubble balancer and was wondering if someone could recommend a good one. After checking online, it looks like all of them are identical, the only noticeable difference being the manufacturers name and the price tag. There's the Harbor freight balancer for $85 to the Coats balancer for $385, and everything in between ! I don't mind spending the money, if I'm actually getting something that is more accurate and of better quality, but honestly, they all look like they've come out of the same factory. Does anyone know if that's actually the case? If quality and accuracy are that important to me, should I pony up the money and go with the Coats model, or will the cheaper balancers suit me just a well? I'd really appreciate any advice you guys can give me.
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Looking for a tire bubble balancer
- Thread starter jgelack
- Start date
txvwnut
Well-known member
You want a bubble balancer that dampens the cone with oil as it will give a better resolution to your balance then one of the harbor freight style units. Bada, Coats and I think Weaver? were all big names back when bubble balancers were a popular option. They have stepped way up in price over the last year rough units that might be good for parts are in the $200 range on ebay and good useable units are $300 plus on ebay.
Los_Control
Well-known member
I have never seen or used new ones from harbor freight, I did have a tire machine and a bubble balancer that came out of a GoodYear tire store.
They work pretty good, I also used them professionally when I worked in the tire stores and spin balancer was just coming out.
Anyways my thoughts, they need to be leveled using the adjustable feet first. Is easy.
Possibly the better quality will have better adjusters, heavier base and hold level longer. They still get bumped & kicked and need re-adjusted after time.
I may be wrong, but I picture you using the balancer, set it up get your work done, then you move it back into the corner til next time you need it. And then you will need to set it up again.
As @txvwnut the oil filled may be easier to read ... what are the cheap ones filled with? cant be water they would freeze.
Just saying at home with a manual tire changer, I think the cheaper ones will work fine for occasional use.
They work pretty good, I also used them professionally when I worked in the tire stores and spin balancer was just coming out.
Anyways my thoughts, they need to be leveled using the adjustable feet first. Is easy.
Possibly the better quality will have better adjusters, heavier base and hold level longer. They still get bumped & kicked and need re-adjusted after time.
I may be wrong, but I picture you using the balancer, set it up get your work done, then you move it back into the corner til next time you need it. And then you will need to set it up again.
As @txvwnut the oil filled may be easier to read ... what are the cheap ones filled with? cant be water they would freeze.
Just saying at home with a manual tire changer, I think the cheaper ones will work fine for occasional use.
Bubble balancers seem to go for $25-75 around here at swap meets. Of course we haven't had many of those lately, but I'd look for used if it's an option. Really not a lot to go wrong with these things if they aren't physically damaged.
You want a bubble balancer that dampens the cone with oil as it will give a better resolution to your balance then one of the harbor freight style units. Bada, Coats and I think Weaver? were all big names back when bubble balancers were a popular option. They have stepped way up in price over the last year rough units that might be good for parts are in the $200 range on ebay and good useable units are $300 plus on ebay.
Are these the ones that kind of look like a traffic cone for the base with a leveling cone sitting on top? If so, checked eBay, no luck finding one right now. Thanks anyway!
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I have never seen or used new ones from harbor freight, I did have a tire machine and a bubble balancer that came out of a GoodYear tire store.
They work pretty good, I also used them professionally when I worked in the tire stores and spin balancer was just coming out.
Anyways my thoughts, they need to be leveled using the adjustable feet first. Is easy.
Possibly the better quality will have better adjusters, heavier base and hold level longer. They still get bumped & kicked and need re-adjusted after time.
I may be wrong, but I picture you using the balancer, set it up get your work done, then you move it back into the corner til next time you need it. And then you will need to set it up again.
As @txvwnut the oil filled may be easier to read ... what are the cheap ones filled with? cant be water they would freeze.
Just saying at home with a manual tire changer, I think the cheaper ones will work fine for occasional use.
None of the ones I can find have leveling feet, they do however have a couple of screws on the cone where you can adjust the bubble if necessary. All of the balances that I can find look identical in design. Just a bubble in a cone, balancing on a center rod attached to a metal drum for a base. Since they all pretty much look like they've come out of the same factory, just wondering if there is any real difference in quality and accuracy between the $85 HF model and the $385 Coats model. Is the Coats balancer that much better, or am I just paying for the name?
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engineer2
Well-known member
I assume you are doing skinny tires (bicycles, motorcycles, antique cars). They don't work so well on wide ones.
Los_Control
Well-known member
I got nothing ... I only assumed the new models would have adjustable feet.
The theory is the same .... level the balancer and balance the tire.
In the day we just moved the feet as needed ... if using screws is the current approach.
Yeah I had a life and moved many projects.
The theory is the same .... level the balancer and balance the tire.
In the day we just moved the feet as needed ... if using screws is the current approach.
Yeah I had a life and moved many projects.
I assume you are doing skinny tires (bicycles, motorcycles, antique cars). They don't work so well on wide ones.
Nope, I was planning on mounting and balancing tires for a SUV. I have mounted and balanced several sets of motorcycle tires with a static balancer without issue, but that's a whole different kind of balancer, and won't work for car tires. That's why I was looking for a bubble balancer. Just thought I'd save myself some money buying the tires online, and mounting and balancing them myself. Looks like I just may have to visit the tire shop anyway to have them mounted and spin balanced. Thanks for all your advice guys!
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engineer2
Well-known member
I'll relate an old story about bubble balancers. Some of us from Bear Automotive were working with Goodyear at a CART race back in the day. They mounted them, we would balance them on a high tech balancer. A team came up with a set of tires complaining about severe vibration. We said no way would we put weights on like that. The team mechanics said they balanced them on a "brand new bubble balancer". Had to explain to them about static (up and down) and dynamic (side to side) balance on wide tires. We properly balanced them and no more problems. The way the physics works out you should have a maximum of one weight on the inside of the rim and one on the outside. Bubble balancers can't do that.