Buying a wheel balancer is only part of the total balancing solution. How the wheel is mounted in crucial to the accuracy, and can go beyond what even the balancing machine alone is capable of.
The common ‘cone’
We all balance wheels with a cone. It is the ‘norm’, and to be fair to the cone is a sensible, universal, quick and easy way to mount a wheel on the balancer. But is it the best way? Actually, no, it isn’t, and here is why…
Back in the day when we all had steel rims, the centre bore (the hole in the middle of the rim) was pressed out of a piece of steel. This provided a fairly good circle in which a cone could sit. Similarly, those rims and the tyres they were fitted with represented a much lighter assembly than todays large alloys fitted with wide tyres.
With the advent of alloy rims, the casting process led to a less accurate means of mounting the wheel through the centre bore. Wheel manufacturers don’t produce rims with us balancer manufacturers in mind, that centre bore is there to allow the rim to sit on the hub.
Consequently, some centre bores can be quite elliptic (oval) or just generally inconsistent in the ‘roundness’ of the hole, and the quality of the area in which the cone will sit. This means that the most precise way to mount the rim is by the stud holes, exactly as it is secured onto the vehicle.
What does stud-mounting do for me?
Well, in simple terms, it will give you a better balance, and total repeatability. Have you ever balanced a wheel on a cone, had cause to take it off and put it back on again, and found you got a different reading? It doesn’t mean there is a problem with the balancer, it means there is a problem with the mounting. Do the same with a stud mounted system and we can guarantee you will not experience this problem.
So, when you put the wheel back on the car that was balanced on a cone, there is always a chance that there can actually still be an imbalance, which can be minimal or considerable. If it is considerable (normally large assemblies such as those on large SUVs, or cheap aftermarket rims) then your customer may well come back, and you will have to do it again. Worse, they might just never come back. Using our ‘SpeedPlate’ system is your sure-fire way of doing the job right, first time.
SpeedPlates can set you apart
If you are a tyre shop or garage, you can use the SpeedPlate system to set you apart, and even create extra revenue. If you have invested in equipment to balance the wheels as they would have been balanced when the vehicle came off the production line, then let your customer know! Flaunt the fact you are equipped to give them that ‘from new’ feeling in the form of a smooth ride, as well as saving them money on wear and tear from incorrectly balanced wheels.
Some customers even charge extra for it – if a customer has just spent hundreds of pounds on fitting new rubber to their pride and joy, chances are they are happy to pay to get the best value and comfort from them.
American engineering at its finest
Our SpeedPlates are manufactured in the USA by leading precision toolmaker, Oreka. Boasting some of the most sophisticated manufacturing facilities and processes available today, Oreka are ideally placed to focus on precise results, being involved in other demanding industries such as Aerospace.
Why SpeedPlates are better than other systems
Let’s do a comparison with other stud-mounting accessories available…
The Problem with the Others
• Inaccurate clamping design doesn’t entirely eliminate poor balancing results and come-backs
• Slow, time-consuming setup between 4-stud and 6-stud patterns
• Risk of scratching aluminium wheels or cracking plastic-clad truck wheels
• Bulky designs that take up too much shaft space
• Fragile mechanisms that lose accuracy if dropped
• Heavy and cumbersome
The SpeedPlate Solution
• Precision clamping ensures accurate balancing every time
• Self-releasing planetary gear for instant pattern change
• Protective design that never scratches or cracks wheels
• Space-saving built-in pressure ring—no extra parts needed
• Drop-safe gear assembly that clicks right back into place
• Lightweight and ergonomic
Lighter
Fast operation
Virtually unbreakable
Let’s elaborate on some of those advantages
Compact, Space-Saving Design – the built-in Pressure Ring reduces shaft space consumption and eliminates the need for extra parts, as your existing wingnut fits neatly inside the SpeedPlate.
Drop-Safe Planetary Gear – a self-releasing mechanism ensures the gear assembly detaches safely if dropped, then clicks back into place without losing balancing accuracy.
Ergonomic SpeedGrip™ Control – balanced to rest comfortably on four fingers, the SpeedGrip™ allows smooth, one-handed adjustment of the bolt pattern (PCD).
Versatile, Hardened Torque Tips – quick-change, rust-proof Torque Tips adapt instantly to any wheel nut type, ensuring durability and consistent performance.
The advent of Electric Vehicles just made this a whole lot more important. Vibration due to imbalance on the wheels of EVs are even more prominent than traditional vehicles for the following reasons:
Heavy Battery Weight – EV battery packs add hundreds of kilograms of mass, placing constant high vertical loads on tyres and suspension components.
Instant Torque Delivery – Rapid acceleration puts intense twisting and scrubbing forces on the rubber, accelerating wear patterns that lead to imbalance.
Acoustic Amplification – Because electric motors are virtually silent, drivers notice subtle high-frequency road vibrations and tyre hums that would normally be masked by an internal combustion engine.
Foam Insert Failures – Many EV tyres use sound-absorbing acoustic foam inside the casing. If this foam detaches or shifts, it causes stubborn high-speed imbalances that standard wheel balancing cannot always fix.
So, now more than ever, the way you mount wheels onto your balancer is crucial to the accuracy and potential comebacks you may face. Using our SpeedPlate system is your guarantee for perfect, first-time zero/zero results.
Call us today on 01733 920 440 to discuss whether this is the right wheel balancing solution for you.