Hi all,

On my way to work this morning, my TPMS light popped on. I stopped by the local Honda dealership to have them take a look. They found a drill bit in my front driver's side tire. The tire was repairable fortunately, however, according to the service advisor, it took 60 grams of weights to balance the tire. He stated that this is very unusual and my rim might be bent.

I don't recall hitting any large bumps and my car was just at Acura this past Saturday for an oil change and tire rotation. I also don't recall an excessive amount of weights on the rim prior to today. So, I am starting to also wonder if it could be installer error. What are your thoughts? I have the tire/wheel package so the rim would be covered regardless, but I am debating whether or not the vehicle needs to go into Acura asap.

Lastly, I drove the vehicle on the highway after the tire repair and I didn't notice any vibrations or anything out of the ordinary.

Thanks!

 

if no vibrations, i'd leave it alone, but if you have the tire wheel package, a new wheel/tire combo doesn't sound too bad either if free

 

If the below is accurate for your trim level, then I agree. Get your new wheel if it is covered?

 

This 100%. I would take advantage of the wheel/tire combo if needed, but don't fix what isn't broken.

 

If you have been driving on this tire up to (and apparently after) the TPMS light came on, then it doesn't seem likely you have a defective rim, unless it was damaged during the repair at the Honda dealership.

Or...
there was already a 60 gram weight installed, and the Honda guy is just letting you know that this is unusual.

Or...
​​​​​​When tires are new, they have paint spots of various colors. The yellow dot represents the lightest point on the tire, and this dot should be installed next to the heaviest point on the wheel, which is at the valve stem. When the dealership removed the tire to patch it, they should have marked the tire adjacent to the valve stem, because the original yellow dot had probably worn away. If the tire was not re-mounted at the correct location on the wheel, its possible that the heaviest part of the tire is now adjacent to the heaviest part of wheel, and an extra large weight had to be installed at the opposite side of the tire to balance it.

If this theory is correct I expect the weights would be placed opposite of the valve stem.

 

Are you sure? They are really hard to see especially with the multi-spoke wheel designs. I just went and looked at my car (2023 Tech) and I really had to look hard for the weights. May be slightly easier with some of the designs with fewer spokes.

 

I never knew what the colored dots were on tires. Thanks for that info!

It was my understanding that a good tire shop, upon seeing that much weight during the balancing process, should stop, dismount the tire from the rim, rotate the tire on the rim, and then rebalance in order to minimize the amount of weights. Of course, that takes time. And there is no guarantee that the new position won't require more weight!

Ron

 

For a more detailed explanation LINK

And you are probably correct. If the installer didn't take the time to mark the tire at the location of the valve stem, then he certainly won't take the time to remove and reinstall the tire multiple times looking for a better position. Sticking on a heavier weight is much quicker. Also for the owner of the car, it shouldn't have any effect.

 

@swttsx007 any updates? Still driving as is?

 

I am still driving with the additional weight and everything seems fine. I am not noticing any type of vibration or air loss. I do, however, have an appointment with Acura in a couple of weeks to have the rim looked at. I have the wheel/tire warranty, so I might as well use it. I will update what Acura finds.

 

Sounds good. Interested to hear how things play out and if the dealership gives you a hard time about the warranty.