Alcoa rims

[Dvldog 8793]

Any experiences Good or Bad with Alcoa rims???
Thanks for the thoughts!
Conley

[Billman]

Nothing but good.

I have the 'Hotshots'.

[bespander]

Alcoa just sent me my second set of LTS wheels. This is the third set of LTS wheels I have had on this truck ('83 Crewcab dually, Banks turbo with 310k miles). Two sets of wheels have been replaced under recall. I have not had a problem and every six or seven years I get a new set. The latest set was installed Saturday, 10 Jan 04, and appear to be the new Dura-Bright finish. The latest recall was initiated June 03 and I didn't find out until Sept 03. Wheels were shipped UPS and refused because of damage. Returned wheels sat in UPS warehouse for five weeks before they were returned. Alcoa reshipped the same day returned wheels arrived. This set sat in UPS warehouse for six weeks, before They got around to delivering.

[tanker]

I have them on my suburban, just love them. Didn't know about a recall. I'll have to check into that. :rolleyes: Photo's of my truck, in the photo contest on the towing forum. ;)

[98flatbed]

I have the classics on my one ton, They look great but it take alot of rubbing if you let them go for a few months. I dont know if anyone else has had this problem but mine dont balance well. I have had three different sets of high dollar tires so far and all have taken a lot of weight to balance, sometimes they will not balance. Doesnt matter though, in about 2 or 3 months they have slung all the weights off anyway. I have tried boths styles of weights and none will stay put. They sure do look good though

[Billman]

98flatbed

I've never had trouble balancing my Alcoa's. I don't use High dollar tires either. I balance them myself using the 'Static' method. Dynamic balancing requires weights on both sides. I don't have the heart to hammer a weight on the outside of my brand new rim.

Another thing I do is to use the stick-on weights. Clean the rim good, place the weight on, and use a little silicone around the edge of the weight to help it stay put.

[MJEasly]

I mounted the stick-on weights on the inside of my classics and secured them with some racing tape. I replace the tape when I rotate the tires. It seems to work.

The biggest problem I have with the wheels is with the finish. Alcoa makes a cleaning kit that is supposed to clean them up to like new. We will see what the kit can do for my 4 year old classics.

[98flatbed]

Billman:
My alcoas have been hard to balance since I first installed them. I just put up the the vibrations. I know how you feel about hammering weights on the outside but it still doesnt help. I have had numerous tire dealers that are familiar with dual wheel setups balance them and still the same story. I had the best luck with a shop that spun them on the truck but the damn weights still work thier way off. On top of that, it always takes a huge amount of weight to balance them. I wanted to write the company to complain but I dont know who to write to. Probably wouldnt help cause the wheels are 4 yrs old. I guess I am going to have to cough up the dough for the centramatic balancers.$$$ Be glad to hear any suggestions

[98flatbed]

MJEasily:
I found a good way to shine them wheels. I use a right angle die grinder and cotton buffs you can purchase through most body shop suppliers and I think eastwood has them. Then get some mothers aluminum polish, coat the buff with the stuff, you will be amazed at how nice you can make them look. Be careful though, the high speed grinder will tear up the buffs if you spin it too fast. I like the 1" buff for the holes and the 3" buff for the rest. Dont use the flat buff, use the one that looks like a ball of rag on the end of a 1/4" shank. Makes this job alot easier.

[Billman]

98flatbed

About a year ago, I was thinking about buying the Balance Masters for my truck. A member here had them for sale. (Bill)jbplock is his name.

I decided not to buy them.

Maybe he still has them?

I just remembered... Roger Clemens. That's the guy you could talk to from Alcoa. He's some design engineer or something. When I called them for information, everybody directed me to him. The people at Alcoa seemed very friendly. Call their 1-800 number and ask for him. Maybe he can help you.

How could you forget a guy's name like that...The same name as that "meatball" who used to pitch for the Yankees.

[ 01-19-2004, 02:18 PM: Message edited by: Billman ]

[Dezman125]

On the balacing issue...
I have a garage in a small town,years ago i fixwd a tire on a big rig that had golf balls in it.Thought it was strange and asked the driver about them,he used them for balance.I now use them in all my big rig wheels,i have 2semi's and 2 dumptrucks on the road.Had a customer that had huge tires on his Suburban that were unbalanced.They were to big for my balacer,so i sugested the golf balls two him.We tried it and it worked for him,30mph befor the balls and it would shake so bad he couldn't drive it,after the balls unlimited speed.We used two balls in front tires and one in the rear.On my big rigs i use 4 in front wheels and 3 in rear,New drivers are always amazed how smooth my old trucks are.Use good quality balls.