Adhesive vehicle wheel weight and method

A balanced vehicle wheel assembly comprising,

• a vehicle wheel having a tire mounted thereon and having an axis of rotation,
• said vehicle wheel having a rim flange substantially parallel to the plane of rotation of said wheel,
• said rim flange having a protruding lip extending substantially perpendicularly to the plane of said rim flange,
• a mass of a heavy metal having a body positioned on said flange,
• said body having a length greater than the width and thickness and including top and rear surfaces,
• said rear surface of said body being a substantially planar surface for receiving an adhesive layer thereon,
• said top surface of said body having an abutment surface for contact with said protruding lip,
• a chamfer formed between the top and the rear surface by a removal at the arris formed from each surface,
• said top abutment surface extending from the end of the chamfer surface to form abutment direct surface to surface contact between the protruding lip and top abutment surface along a sufficient length substantially concentric with and substantially parallel to said axis of rotation,
• a layer of adhesive positioned on the rear surface for securing the weight to the rim flange to abut the protruding lip with at least a portion of the top surface whereby said weight is held in place without any movement relative to said wheel solely by both the adhesive and said abutment direct surface to surface contact of said top abutment surface with said protruding lip.

In a method for counterbalancing vehicle wheels having an axis of rotation having a rim flange with a protruding lip by determining with a conventional balancer the proper mass of the weight and the proper balancing location on the wheel the improvement comprising,

• selecting an adhesive backed wheel weight having a top abutment surface, a rear surface having an adhesive and a chamfer formed by removal of the arris between the surfaces,
• positioning said weight onto said rim flange by inserting said chamfer between said rim flange and said protruding lip,
• forming an abutting direct surface to surface contact between the protruding lip and the top abutment surface along a sufficient length substantially concentric with and substantially parallel to said axis of rotation to prevent dislodging the weight, and
• pressing said adhesive on said wheel weight against the rim flange to secure said weight to said rim flange and counterbalance the vehicle wheel whereby said weight is held in place without any movement relative to said wheel solely by both the adhesive and said abutment direct surface to surface contact of said top abutment surface with said protruding lip.