Steel Rim Run Out

[Gacannon]

I have been chasing my tail with steel rims lately. I guess I never studied the situation closely before. I have been dial indicating rims for several weeks, steel rims, and they are all over the place "out of the box" Coker tire specified .065 radial run out as their max spec.

Summit racing steel wheels typically had .040 to .060 radial and lateral run out. the back sides of the wheel, the ones further from the mounting surface were usually worse than the outside of the rim.

Mount tires and they are yours is the policy. What the heck is ok as far as runout on steel rims. I know alloy rims are much more accurate so I guess that is why many go with them, but I want old school steel with baby moons.

I have talked to several wheel manufacturers and they say .030, but I have checked their rims and heck no, its more like .045. Sometimes I find one good radial bead surface that is .020 TIR, but that is rare.

Does the tire kind of make up for this run out. I am sure less is better, but I am telling you as a machinist, everything I find has considerable run out both laterally and radially.

Not a wheel expert however. What is acceptable?

My Rod is a 28 Ford PU with traverse spring suspension. I am running an old progressive cast alum. wheel now that does fine but want steel wheels for old school look.

Any help appreciated.

I even got into it with some other hot rodders and had them bring some wheels over and guess what, they had considerable run out on their rims. If I mount tires, I own the rims! Need to know what is allowable. If you tell me .020, I will tell you GOOD LUCK finding 4 with that low of a TIR. If you have a warehouse full, you can go through them and find four, but I am telling you I have checked 5 different manuf sets and they all have runout.

Whats the deal, am i worrying about something or nothing?

gacannon

 

[Gacannon]

Answering my own thread

I found that .040 lateral or radial run out with steel wheels, on a higher profile tires just evaporates in the rubber. Small areas over .040 to .060 also evaporate. The rubber just blends it out. Cast wheels are more accurate, steel wheels are much more tougher. Hard to find anyone to straighten a steel wheel, but some run out with 60 or 70 profile tires is just not a problem. I was chasing numbers and when you look at alum. wheels, they are so accurate that steel wheels seem to be off the cliff on runout. Not the case. Lower the profile, the more critical runout becomes. My wheels are mounted and run great with almost no balance weights. TIR radial on worse bead seat was .060. Worst Lateral was .045. Each wheel had outboard bead seats with .030 TIR. Inside bead seats were the worst as they are further from the mounting surface. I was chasing numbers I did not really understand well.

Gacannon

 

[Sam_Fear]

Just read this. Yep. I think you were over thinking it. The 'runout' on the tire is gonna blow away what is out on the rim. On our trucks at work, we call 'em wop-wops - cause that's the sound they make going down the road.

 

[Tim...Ok]

I bought 10" wide outer rims from speedway and welded them onto old centers..I got them to .020 runout and wondered if that was close enough..I took my wheel and my tire to get it mounted..it didn't need any weights to balance..I bet the .050 and .060 wheels would be just fine too..