Wheel Balancing Equipment/Weights
During the recent Automechanika show, Bosch’s Automotive Aftermarket division displayed its latest tyre workshop products, including two new balancers, the WBE 4200 and 4400. With these new additions, the Bosch tyre services range has expanded to include equipment for balancing car, motorcycle, and van wheels.
Following the launch of Hofmann Power Weight’s type 380 adhesive weight fitted with the new Speedliner strip in June, the company has taken the decision that all HPW adhesive weights will now carry this patented adhesive strip.
“A serviced tyre is a happy tyre,” that’s what the purveyors of fine vintage tyres at Vintage Tyre Supplies say. But old or not, as the only contact a car has with the road, tyres are perhaps the most critical factor in road safety and they are also a big investment. With this in mind, Vintage Tyres have created this unique tyre service kit as part of their 50th celebrations.
Tech Europe, the European arm of Tech International, a producer of tyre repair materials and wheel service solutions, headquartered in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, has launched a new website at www.techeurope.co.uk. The site offers an overview of Tech Europe’s product offering, as well as providing detailed information on the company, its current distribution network, and on-going activities.
Tyre changer, wheel balancer and lift manufacturer, Hennessy Industries has formed a partnership with Hockman-Lewis Ltd., an international export management company, to handle sales and marketing of its Coats, Ammco and Bada branded products throughout Southeast Asia and the Pacific Rim, Tire Review reports.The new partnership represents a commitment to capitalising on the increasing demand for automotive service equipment in those markets, said Hennessy.
As a world market leader for balance weights, Wegmann Automotive says its Hofmann Power Weights are ready to meet the challenges of the future through a focus on a “high level of product quality boasted by the ‘Made in Germany’ mark and spreading the word to all about the subject of balancing.” Exemplifying this approach, Thorsten Thom, who took over as managing director at Wegmann Automotive at the start of the year explains the company’s special training approach to explaining the effects of imbalance, along with how to install weights correctly.
With some standard wheel balancers tricky vibration issues, which may lead to low level background vibration and poor ride quality, are candidates for the ‘too hard basket’. Not so with the Hunter Road Force Balancer (GSP9700); according to distributor Pro-Align, this unit is the only wheel balancer available capable of solving such difficult problems. The GSP9700’s effectiveness in tackling vibration issues begins with the start of the balance process, at which time a load roller is used to apply up to 700 kilograms to the wheel and tyre in order to locate stiff spots within the tyre wall.
According to RacingAGE, a division of Automotive Garage Equipment Limited, Fasep wheel balancers are now widely seen as the "must have" wheel balancer in motorsport circles. The Alvechurch-based supplier of the Italian brand says nothing comes close to the Fasep B212 in terms of build quality, accuracy, speed and price. “Although they may seem expensive compared to the many wheel balancers coming out of the far east at the moment, you certainly would not be able to trust one of those lesser makes to balance 2000 wheels in 24 hours of desert heat,” commented a RacingAGE representative.
Following investments in “constant research to improve the quality standards of its products and services to all customers” wheel weight manufacturer BF Srl has published a new company slogan – “step up.” And according to the manufacturer, the latest news that the firm has produced a new balancing weight (the Z12) for French Alloy rims with the edge of Citroen, Peugeot and Renault reflects this motto.
Hennessy Industries will be the exclusive supplier of Bada steel wheel weights to Goodyear company-owned stores, reports Tire review. Beginning this summer, the weights will be used in some 600 Goodyear Gemini and Just Tires locations across the US.
Following the lead of the New York State Assembly, the state senate last week voted 35-26 to ban the use of lead wheel weights in the Empire State, reports Tire Review. The bill was sent to governer David Patterson for signature just before the holiday weekend.
New York is poised to be the next state to formally ban lead wheel weights, reveals Tire Review. The state assembly, by a 79-20 vote, passed Assembly Bill 8687B, which would effectively ban the use of lead wheel weights as of 1 April, 2011. The bill moves on to the New York State Senate, where passage is expected. The bill may even make it to Governor David Paterson’s desk for signature by the end of this week.
Bosch reports that it is offering “great deals on its ‘around the wheel’ tyre equipment,” which provides vehicle technicians with the ability to service tyres and rims on passenger vehicles, light commercial vehicles and motorcycles.
Like most companies Trax JH, Europe’s second largest wheel balancing weight manufacturer, experienced a drop in sales during 2009. However, that hasn’t stopped the company, which exports 70 per cent of its production output to carmakers and aftermarket distributors around the world. During the last 12 months the company maintained investment in production, and if the rumours Tyres & Accessories has heard are true, has some more announcements to make at June’s Essen show. Following a slight pickup in sales during the first quarter of 2010, the Newtown-based company hopes to achieve further OE and aftermarket growth in the rest of 2010, with addition export growth across all markets moving forward.
Hofmann, a brand within Snap-on Equipment, has introduced a new design for the geodyna ‘off-the-vehicle’ 980L and 4800L truck, bus and coach wheel balancers. Both machines now feature a reinforced cabinet, which is, Hofmann claims, stronger yet 30 per cent lighter than before. Other enhancements include a redesigned wheel guard support that enables the guard to be handled more smoothly and conveniently.
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