Tire Weight Hardness Changing???

[Pirate69]

I have always heard that the clip-on wheel weights were much harder that the stick-on weights. I saw a post earlier that stated this was changing as a result of lead recycling and import of lead from other countries. Clip-on is becoming must softer and stick-on are becoming harder in some cases. Can anyone speak to this change? If it is indeed occurring, then there may be little benefit in sorting the clip-on from the stick-on weights.

[lwknight]

In the old days clip on tire weights were about 9% antimony and as of the last 15 or whatever years they usually are 3 or less % antimony. Antimony is expensive. So I would think it reasonable that the decline in antimony content is probable.

[RickinTN]

I've had 3 separate batches of clip-on wheel weights analyzed in the last several months. All three came back at just about 2.5% antimony and .5% tin. This is less than the 3% or so antimony I was expecting.
Rick

[dragon813gt]

What's really happening is that lead wheel weights are disappearing all together. I have found a few weights that look like lead but won't melt at any reasonable temperature. I still treat stick on weights like pure.

[William Yanda]

I suspect coww manufacturers do as makers of dive belt weights and sailboat keels are alleged to do, use whatever is available. In a couple of years of sorting wheelweights I have noticed that some cowws are softer than others, almost as soft as Pb soww.

[farmerjim]

I have some COWW from 45 years ago: BHN 22. Some from the scrap yard this year: BHN 11 .
I just bought some COWW ingots: BHN 14. Yes it can be anything, but it is getting softer.

[44man]

Yes, it is changing. Too many stick on's and some are zinc. They don't sort out bad stuff.

[Hardcast416taylor]

The car dealer that is a friend of mine and gives me the weight pail from his repair area remarked to me last trip about the way WW are changing. He said he had heard of a change in how the formula of a lead weight had changed in the past. He also said the iron and zinc weights were being phased in throughout the auto industry. The weight pails I have been getting are getting larger percentages of these weights on every time. The last pail was about 25% non lead.Robert