Since 2003 B.F. s.r.l. has been one of the leading producers of car balance weights using tin and zinc in compliance with European directive 2000/53/EC. Recently, development of the factory’s clip plant has enabled the production capacity to be greatly increased.

At Autopromotec B.F.’s representative, M. Prestini advised T&A, “The company has always followed a practice of using a plastic coating for weights. This procedure was established initially to cover the balancing weights sold to Nordic countries where resistance to corrosion was paramount. With the introduction of zinc balance weights, as a replacement for lead, the company carried out numerous evaluation tests and using the results from this, coupled with the knowledge and experience gained from our many years in the wheel weights industry. It was obvious that zinc weights also needed to be coated.

“One of the strongest reasons for using a plastic coating on zinc weights is in order to avoid the possibility of a rogue electrical charge when an uncoated weight contacts the alloy wheel, the weight is likely, in a very short space of time, become completely oxidized. B.F. fully respects the standards for wheel weights required by car manufacturers, to meet a minimum of 500 hours saline fog test resistance.”