TPMS and wheel balancing January 25, 2021, 04:39:29 pm These questions may be picking the" fly specks out of the pepper," but we are about to get a new set of Michelins from Discount Tire in Everett, WA. and are wondering if the weight of the TPMS senders will adversely affect the wheel balance. We also have the valve stem extenders from Chuck the Tire Man so I will need to caution them on how to deal with them, although I would think that they would not have to be removed to replace a tire. I also see references on this site that suggest that the tire covers should be removed by the owner and not left to the tire shop to remove. Are they that tough on them? Then comes the question of stud extenders of which I have a few, but not on on every stud. What is their purpose, etc. Would appreciate your thoughts and comments.Ian Walker27 MB "Silver Fox"Seattle
Re: TPMS and wheel balancing Reply #1 – January 25, 2021, 05:08:41 pm OK, step by step, 1. My TPMS have been on through several sets of tires.I do not think they weigh enough to affect the balance. On the rears, the TPMS units are offset 180 deg., so they cannot affect the balance at all.2. While a competent shop should know to protect the stems, a discussion beforehand is much friendlier than accusations after the fact. Talk to them.3. Tire covers - mine have the faux nuts, not removable. I was asked once which ones were to be removed to take off the cover. I said none, took a large screwdriver and popped them off. The tech guy's eyebrows went up. We were both glad he asked.4. Stud extenders are in place to prevent the wheel covers from shifting over time and cutting into your valve stems. I strongly recommend removing and storing them. Before you do, they are made of fairly soft metal and only have three threads, so when you go to remove them, back one off a quarter turn, then tighten it a quarter turn so you can feel how tight to make them.Ken F in NM
Re: TPMS and wheel balancing Reply #2 – January 25, 2021, 05:16:42 pm Follow-up - here is a pic of a valve stem that was chewed on by a wheel cover that shifted.Ken F in NM 1 Likes
Re: TPMS and wheel balancing Reply #3 – January 25, 2021, 05:19:38 pm "...mine have the faux nuts, not removable. I was asked once which ones were to be removed to take off the cover."I know not what changes may have been made to the wheel covers (simulators) between my '04 and your '08 but two of my pseudo nuts ARE removable. They are identifiable by depressions on opposite sides of the flats. There is a threaded ring or collar inside those nuts which grasp the extended lug bolts thereby holding the simulator to the wheel. But things like that do change from year to year.
Re: TPMS and wheel balancing Reply #4 – January 25, 2021, 05:32:28 pm Quote from: Kenneth Fears - January 25, 2021, 05:16:42 pmFollow-up - here is a pic of a valve stem that was chewed on by a wheel cover that shifted.I have the Tireman extenders also. I noticed one of them was rubbing on the wheel cover so shortly after arriving home I notched out the wheel cover. Rotating the wheel cover would not have helped in this case.
Re: TPMS and wheel balancing Reply #5 – January 25, 2021, 05:57:54 pm Discount Tire broke one of the rear dual extenders, I had talked with the manager beforehand to warn them. They did replace it but required a week's wait for the proper extension, ordered from Borg. They installed a short stem to tide us over until the replacement showed. Take Ken's advice and talk with the manager first. We now carry an extra long stem in case an on-the-road issue requires one.The TPMS sensors are lightweight and mounted toward the center of the wheel where the centrifugal forces are less. Our TPMS sensors did not affect the balancing.Ian's 2015 LD uses a new style of wheel cover than what Steve, Ken or our rig has, I'm not sure what wheel covers his rig has, they may the conventional=type covers that pops on.Our 2003's wheel covers needed the valve stem access holes expanded to prevent the TPMS and extended stems from rubbing. A Dremel tool, with a sanding drum, or a die grinder, with a carbide burr, both work fine to provide the needed clearance.Larry 1 Likes
Re: TPMS and wheel balancing Reply #6 – January 25, 2021, 07:07:22 pm "Our 2003's wheel covers needed the valve stem access holes expanded to prevent the TPMS and extended stems from rubbing. A Dremel tool, with a sanding drum, or a die grinder, with a carbide burr, both work fine to provide the needed clearance."---Ditto. Brother used a grinder and a plasma cutter to ream out the wheel cover holes to accommodate the long valves on my 2003. 1 Likes
Re: TPMS and wheel balancing Reply #7 – January 25, 2021, 07:47:03 pm Mine needed somewhat more removed, and the dremel sanding option wasn't up to it. I had a pkg of rotozip bits leftover from something a longish time ago. Went thru about a bit per cover. Not as pretty as some but prettier than sitting on the roadside because a valve stem developed an extra hole. As ever, YMMVjoel
Re: TPMS and wheel balancing Reply #8 – January 26, 2021, 11:12:22 am Ford wheel design changed through the years; depending on the model year, the 16" wheels on one's LD will have different numbers and configurations of holes in the wheels. The wheel covers used on various years obviously changed along with the wheel design; one might have bolt-on wheel covers, or "snap on" wheels covers or those held in place by tiny fairies clinging to the rim! Can't say.The best source of wheel covers, wheel cover variations and changes, wheel cover equipment, and wheel cover information and answers is the Kaper II company:KII WHEEL SIMULATORSI suggest perusing their web site to learn all about the wheel covers on specific years of Fords (and other makes), and ordering a supply of whatever bits and pieces, e.g., bolt extenders, acorn nuts, removal tools, etc., that are relevant to the wheel covers on your LD. KII customer service is very responsive, and happy to answer questions and guide a customer to making the right choices.Re: covering the long valves with vinyl tubing. The creeping wheel cover issue started with 2007 Fords and the snap-on covers. These covers could and did migrate around the rim and cut into the long valves; if the owner didn't notice this, the wheel cover could shear off the valve; stainless steel is harder than brass. To mitigate this issue, it's advisable to slip lengths of 3/8" ID vinyl tubing over the long valves; obviously, a migrating wheel cover can still cut through the vinyl, but, hopefully, the owner is checking the tires and wheels and will catch the problem before damage occurs.The solution that some owners have decided on is to forego cosmetic concerns and just take the wheel covers off! Or paint the wheels some pretty complementary-to-the-rig color, or install aluminum wheels (they have their own issues). Or find a new crew of fairies. Or something. YMMV, as always. 5 Likes
Re: TPMS and wheel balancing Reply #9 – January 26, 2021, 12:16:15 pm Quote from: Joan - January 26, 2021, 11:12:22 amThe creeping wheel cover issue started with 2007 Fords and the snap-on covers.We have bolt-on covers with the lug nut/jam nuts. The change must have been later in 2007 or 2008 as our chassis build date was 2/14/07 and the LD build date was 8/01/07.Charles
Re: TPMS and wheel balancing Reply #10 – January 26, 2021, 12:26:32 pm I was going by a friend's 2007 with the snap-on wandering covers, but I don't know the specific build date of that rig.
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Topic: TPMS and wheel balancing (Read 236 times)
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