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Steel Wheel Weights
Azuma, Japan
Steel Wheel Weights
Azuma, based in Japan has pioneered the development of steel wheel weights. Steel wheel weights have been in production since June of 1998, when Azuma, a Japanese company, began manufacturing adhesive steel weights. Clip-on steel weights have been available since April of 2001, but a number of disadvantages have prevented their wide acceptance. Firstly, steel clip-on weights, unlike lead or tin, cannot be manufactured with an integral clip, as the clip would melt in typical molding injection processes. A separate clip must be attached to the weight, increasing the cost and time of manufacture. Azuma weights have a riveted on clip. Another disadvantage of steel is its rigidity which requires weights to be custom designed for different rim sizes and configurations. Weights are avaiable both coated and un-coated in 5 to 50 gram sizes, in standard steel and aluminum clips.
For more information, go to Azuma on the Web (Japanese only).
Perfect Equipment Co. LLC, Tennessee
According to personal communications, Perfect Equipment Company, LLC in Tennesssee, the world's largest producer of wheel weights, is presently gearing up to manufacture steel (and zinc) wheel weights for the future N. American market. At this time, none of these new products have been advertised. We will post more information about this development as it becomes available.
Information about Perfect Equipment can be obtained at: http://www.perfectequipment.com/
Steel Wheel Weights
Additional corrosion-resistant coatings are also necessary for steel weights to prevent rusting and disintegration. Although steel is cheap and plentiful, the production of steel weights is a relatively high-cost process, one that involves expensive capital equipment, increased die wear, and a significant departure from existing production processes. Finally, steel's hardness is a drawback, as the installation of these weights is likely to cause damage to alloy wheel coatings, thereby marring the wheel's appearance and corrosion resistance. The use of non-malleable weights causes particularly severe problems in the aftermarket, as tires are rebalanced. Rebalancing weights account for fully two-thirds of all wheel weight sales. Although lead and tin weights can be spot-adjusted to fit almost any type of rim, precise designs are required for non-malleable weights to fit a rim without causing undue damage. Fortunately, these problems are not as severe for adhesive steel weights, which are uniform in appearance and can fit any type of rim with the proper adhesive. The production costs of adhesive steel weights still exceed those for lead, but the cheap value of raw steel makes it an attractive and inexpensive alternative to adhesive lead weights.