Lead wheel weights

[plaz]

I live in San Diego, CA and I have been having a bad time trying to locate tire stores that use lead wheel weights. They tell me it is now against the law to use lead weights and they are using a composite of mostly steel. Does anyone have any news about this prpoblem? Where will I get the lead now?

[koehn,jim]

Presently in Calif they cant put on lead wts as of last Jan1 But there are millions out there on tires . I get them used froma dealer or scrap yard, or better yet there are plenty of members in the wts forum that sell them already smelted.

[Ole]

I bought probably about half my stash from ebaY and other sources (reclaimed lead shot).

ebaY typically runs around $1/lb for ingots, around $.70-.90/lb for raw weights.

There are advantages/disadvantages to buying both. If you decide to buy ingots, make sure you only buy one lot and cast with it before you buy more. Zinc contamination can be a problem buying lead ingots on ebaY.

[462]

Plaz,
Develop working relationships with as many tire stores as you can. Ask for the owner or manager, introduce yourself, and explain that you are looking for used wheel weights to cast boolits. Ask if they are interested in trading weights for soda, pizza, doughnuts, whatever, or selling them. Use your imagination. Remember, you are selling yourself -- look presentable and be polite. And, take a bucket. Or two, or...

National retailers -- Goodyear, Firestone, Costco, etc. -- will have contracts with their distributors or battery companies, so don't waste your time. Concentrate on the local chain and the mom and pop stores.

Lead weights will be available for a long time, however, more steel and zinc weights are showing up in the used-weight buckets.

Good luck.

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

Plaz,

My son manages a store for Americas tire Company, in the Riverside area.

It is know as Discount tire in locations other then the Southern Cal. area.

Anyway, as indicated, in Cal. they were forced to stop using the lead Alloy WW as of the first of the year.

All unopened boxes of WW were sent to their recycler and unopened boxes were picked up to be shipped out of state to other stores in the chain. There will be lots of real WW coming in on old tires for awhile, but that will decrease rapidly in a couple years of less.

Keep em coming!

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[Bullshop]

The change over wont take long. Up here in Ak. we have two tire seasons one for studs and one for no studs.
May 15 was the deadline to change over to no studs. I picked up about 150lb yesterday from a shop in FB and they look to be about half steel.
A couple change overs and lead ww's will be very rare here.
BIC/BS

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

Your correct in a bunch of places, Bullshop.

My son got his first tire experience as a teenager in the two season enviroment.

Have ask him about how it works in Southern Califunnyia, and it seems to be more of a steady things rather then Spring/Fall.

If they have a "tire rush" in his location, it is more likely to happen as people gear up for Summer travel.

If I could have gotten the the used WW that went thorugh his shop in the last coup[le years, I'd have been fixed for life.

Keep em coming!

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot