Wheel balancing weights

[Jim T.]

Some may know this, but new to me yesterday. Took my 1996's wheels to the Goodyear store yesterday to get them rebalanced.
Specifically asked the service manager about the continued use of coated weights on my wheels.
He told me that lead weights will no longer used for wheel weights eventually. They will use what they have in the store and then have all steel weights for installation. The steel weight he showed me is coated.
If lead weights are no longer used nationwide, will this be another item that will will lose judging points if they are replaced on wheels.
What comes on the 2011 Corvettes wheels?

[Joe L.]

Re: Wheel balancing weights

Some may know this, but new to me yesterday. Took my 1996's wheels to the Goodyear store yesterday to get them rebalanced.
Specifically asked the service manager about the continued use of coated weights on my wheels.
He told me that lead weights will no longer used for wheel weights eventually. They will use what they have in the store and then have all steel weights for installation. The steel weight he showed me is coated.
If lead weights are no longer used nationwide, will this be another item that will will lose judging points if they are replaced on wheels.
What comes on the 2011 Corvettes wheels?

Jim-------



Yes, California banned the use of lead wheel weights some time ago and I believe the USEPA followed suit. Or, the EPA action drove the California action. While lead weights are banned, I thought that either steel or zinc weights could be used. The last weights I had installed here in California (on the wheels on my old Eldorado which I had new tires installed on about 6 months ago) were coated zinc.

The configuration of the new weights is different than the old so there's no way they are going to fool any judge.

As far as I know, the EPA rule only prohibits the installation of any lead weights on a vehicle. As far as I know, it does not prohibit the manufacture or possession of such weights. Of course, if they are not allowed for installation I do not suppose that any manufacturers will continue to produce them. At least, none in this country.

I do not know what weights are used on 2011 Corvettes but I fully expect they are steel or zinc. In fact, I'll bet that such weights were used prior to 2011. There's really no functional problem created by steel or zinc weights. However, for any given gram weight, they are going to be larger than lead.

Addendum:

I did some further checking. Apparently, there is no national prohibition on the use of lead wheel weights. They have been banned by California and, possibly, other states but the USEPA has not banned them. However, the USEPA has an national initiative to discourage the use of lead wheel weights. All of the major auto manufacturers have signed on as well as many other wheel and tire manufacturers and retail organizations. So, that's most likely what's affecting you where you live. I still expect that the national initiative will drive the market away from lead weights and, likely, manufacturers will cease to produce them at some point. But, for now, I think lead weights should be readily available. Whether, or not, retailers that have signed on to the initiative will install them at customer request is another question.

[Scott S.]

Re: Wheel balancing weights

Why would California, or anyone else for that matter, ban the use of lead wheel weights?

[Edward J.]

Re: Wheel balancing weights

Scott,Hazardous waste.

[Scott S.]

Re: Wheel balancing weights

Scott,Hazardous waste.

Do you mean the potential "problem" of lead wheel weights from millions of cars over the decades being concentrated in junk yards?

It's not for fear that people are being harmed by touching them occasionally or fear that children might swallow them?

[Terry M.]

Re: Wheel balancing weights

The ban also has to do with the manufacture of the weights. If there is no market there will eventually be no manufacture either. I bet every auto shop with a wheel balance machine has a pile o old wheel weights (as well as new wheel weights) laying around.

My 2008 has what appear to be lead wheel weights -- stick-on type. I guess to be sure I would need a scientific analysis though.

[Joe L.]

Re: Wheel balancing weights

Why would California, or anyone else for that matter, ban the use of lead wheel weights?

Scott------

A lot of wheel weights are claimed to be thrown off and end up being part of roadside debris. Then, the lead corrodes and lead salts are leeched into the soil over a long period of time. Just how big of a problem it really is, I don't know, but that's the purported problem. There's no doubt that lead is a toxic heavy metal, though. That's why it was taken out of gasoline and paint. Actually, I expected they'd get around to wheel weights eventually.

[Edward J.]

Re: Wheel balancing weights

Scott------

A lot of wheel weights are claimed to be thrown off and end up being part of roadside debris. Then, the lead corrodes and lead salts are leeched into the soil over a long period of time. Just how big of a problem it really is, I don't know, but that's the purported problem. There's no doubt that lead is a toxic heavy metal, though. That's why it was taken out of gasoline and paint. Actually, I expected they'd get around to wheel weights eventually.

Scott , I would bet that if enough of these lead weights made it to the land fills they may make its way into the ground water. over a long period of time it could harm our eco system.

[Paul J.]

Re: Wheel balancing weights

Scott------

A lot of wheel weights are claimed to be thrown off and end up being part of roadside debris. Then, the lead corrodes and lead salts are leeched into the soil over a long period of time. Just how big of a problem it really is, I don't know, but that's the purported problem. There's no doubt that lead is a toxic heavy metal, though. That's why it was taken out of gasoline and paint. Actually, I expected they'd get around to wheel weights eventually.

Joe is correct that the primary concern is with weights that fall off of vehicles. Whether this is a significant threat or not has supposedly been confirmed by a study by Robert Root in 2000, as well as a few other sources. The concern with the lost weights is that they will degrade into dust, which can be ingested by animals and washed off into surface water bodies. Hence the interest by EPA.

This was also the concern with TEL, although the airborn threat was stressed more than roadside deposition.

The concerns with lead additives in paint were entirely epidemiological in nature. The main concern was with children ingesting lead from lead based paint chips. This was also the concern with window blinds from Hong Kong and China which contained lead. The outdoor threat of degraded paint contaminating soil around foundations was how the EPA got involved, but it was a lesser threat.