Yellow and red dots

[The Dan]

I read this article on MSN and it seems to me they are wrong as to where to put the yellow dot.
"
Where Are the Paint Dots Placed?
The yellow dots identify where a tire weighs the least — the lightest point on a tire. The yellow dot should be directly across from the valve stem, which is the wheel's heaviest point.

The red dots identify where the tire is flattest — the lowest point on a tire. The red dot should be directly across from the highest point of the wheel, which is usually indicated by a colored dot or a notch on the wheel.

If a tire has a yellow and red dot, the red dot takes precedence when balancing the tire.



Why Are These Tire Dots Important?
The yellow and red dots indicate inconsistencies in a tire's weight, construction and structure, which can cause them to vibrate when spinning. Vibrating, unbalanced tires can negatively affect ride quality, fuel economy and braking effectiveness, among other things. A vibrating tire/wheel assembly makes controlling your vehicle more difficult, especially at high speeds, and can increase stopping distance.

"

Full story here- What Does a Red or Yellow Dot on Your Tires Mean? (msn.com)

Just a FYI.

 

[Jjonahjamison]

I don’t recall any of the Michelin’s I have installed having any dots. I always look.

 

[TPadden]

I read this article on MSN and it seems to me they are wrong as to where to put the yellow dot....The yellow dot should be directly across from the valve stem, which is the wheel's heaviest point.

Full story here- What Does a Red or Yellow Dot on Your Tires Mean? (msn.com)

Depends what they mean by "across from"; at or opposite? The yellow dot should be mounted AT the valve stem.

Tom

 

[Andrew Shadow]

I think that Tom is probably correct, by stating directly across they meant at the valve. Whether or not that is what they meant, the fact that we are questioning what they meant means that it was poorly written.

Dan- have a look at the below;

Tire Mounting Question | Shinko

I got new Shinko 705's for my V Strom. The rear (150/70R 17) has a little red circle and a white stamp 'Q13' (the stamp is about 1/3 the way around the tire from the red circle). Obviously the tire goes on the rim with the red circle next to the valve. The front (110/80R 19) has no red...

www.st-owners.com

 

[cjames431]

Can’t say I ever noticed dots on my Michelins either.

 

[Oldoval]

On at least two different motorcycles I've owned in the past, the valve stem wasn't the heaviest point on the bare wheel. The front wheel of my previous Ninja 1000SX for instance had it's heaviest point about a 1/4 turn from the valve stem. I'm pretty certain few if any dealer techs ever check the balance of your bare wheels before placing that dot.

One of the many benefits of doing your own tires is possibly getter a finer balance on them, and maybe ending up with less weight in the process.

Some tires I've noticed lately don't come with a dot. Bridgestone's S22 comes to mind.

PS. That articles use of the word "across" is wonky at best.

.

 

[The Dan]

I agree, across is the wrong word to use. Beside would be better.

 

[Igofar]

If you use Ride-On in your tire to balance them, you don’t have to worry about the dots.

 

[rjs987]

My current tires are Metzeler FeelFree tires. I am about to replace the rubber on the rear with the same.
I went and looked after reading this and there is a red dot (not a circle but a dot) on one side. No yellow dot or circle anywhere.

I was considering replacing the tire myself and using Dyna Beads for balancing. So how to determine where that red dot should go? Also, I cannot find any tire size info for the beads for my tire size. The rear is a 160/60 (the rest is not relevant from what I can find out). I did find a warning somewhere to avoid using beads on a tire with less than a 65 profile so since mine is a 60 that would exclude using beads. But I also see the ST1300 uses a 170/60 tire so can Dyna Beads be used on a 60 profile tire? Or are weights the weigh to go?

Don't mean to hijack this thread onto some tangent so move this post if needed.

edit: profile = aspect ratio.

 

[The Dan]

The rear is a 160/60 (the rest is not relevant from what I can find out). I did find a warning somewhere to avoid using beads on a tire with less than a 65 profile so since mine is a 60 that would exclude using beads. But I also see the ST1300 uses a 170/60 tire so can Dyna Beads be used on a 60 profile tire? Or are weights the weigh to go?

Don't mean to hijack this thread onto some tangent so move this post if needed.

I used beads for years and 2oz is a good place to start. You can and I have added more if it has a problem.

 

[rjs987]

A little more reading on this was done tonight. The article mentions that the red dot takes priority. It also mentions that the red dot should be lined up with a dimple/notch/colored spot on the wheel. My Mezeler tires do not have a yellow dot but they do have a red dot. I did have a dealer replace the front tire last month. They lined up the red dot with the valve stem. Fortunately the colored spot (my wheels have a colored dot/sticker instead of a notch) is close to the valve stem on the front. I also noted that the manufacturer lined up the red dot on the rear tire (remnants are still visible on the tire sidewall) with the colored sticker/spot of the rear wheel. The manufacturer is right, the dealer is wrong based on the article in post 1 and several other articles on the subject. As it turned out the front tire/wheel balanced out neutral with no weights added. But the issue is the high and low areas of the tire and wheel, IOW the round-ness of the tire/wheel. So far the front is very smooth running at all speeds so the offset between the colored spot and valve stem is not enough to matter very much if at all. IOW the differences of the wheel high spot and tire low spot is not enough to show up on the front... yet (we'll see how it wears). So replacing the rear tire on my bike will be with knowing where to line up that red spot on the tire. If I end up having the dealer do it I'll have to have a conversation with them on that. Hopefully the shop tech is not color blind.

Now, are there any others here besides The Dan who have used beads in the rear tires with aspect ratio of 60? What I have found out is that tires with aspect ratios of 65 or less are more prone to lateral imbalance (side to side). I don't know if that is more or less than with automotive wheels. I would imagine less being narrower. Or am I wrong on that. This is the reason a few web sites I visited warned against using beads for such low profile tires.

 

[skidgillen]

Beside is a more fitting term.

Michelins have not used dots for at least a decade. I remembering reading a long time ago on their new manufacturing process that the dots were no longer needed.

I have used Dyna or Counteract beads since 2008. I use 2 oz in each tire.

 

[rjs987]

I notice on the Counteract beads application calculator that a 160/60R15 tire size is invalid. The lowest aspect ratio allowed in the calculator is 70. Hmmm.

 

[Skunkape]

My Goldwing manual say to line the yellow dot with the x stamped on the wheel. If it has a red dot use it instead. The x on both of my wheels is about 6 inches from the valve stem. Just put two new tires in using this method and one required no weight and the other .5 oz if I remember correctly.

 

[Al Gully]

My Goldwing manual say to line the yellow dot with the x stamped on the wheel. If it has a red dot use it instead. The x on both of my wheels is about 6 inches from the valve stem. Just put two new tires in using this method and one required no weight and the other .5 oz if I remember correctly.

Now the question is, does the ST have the X's on the rims, I always line up the yellow dot as close to the valve stem as I can.
Spooning on tires by hand and lining up the yellow dot is not my favorite pastime.

 

[rjs987]

I did send email to Counteract to ask why their tire size/bead calculator does not have any allowance for any motorcycle tire with a 60 aspect ratio... or anything under 70 aspect ratio for that matter. Haven't heard back yet.

I continue to read up on those dots and so far everything I've read says that if there is a red dot then that has priority and should be lined up with the mark on the rim for the flattest/lowest spot if there is one. Only one article I read by a motorcycle journalist stated that if there is no low spot mark on the rim to line up the red dot with the stem. If no dots on the tires then I guess it doesn't matter as long as the tire/wheel can be balanced by your preferred method.

 

[rjs987]

Finally found where the colored dots issue is mentioned on the Metzeler tire web site. Since I have Metzeler tires on my bike I figured it would be good to be sure of what they say since they are the manufacturer. So this is what their web site states:

Some Metzeler tires have a red dot on the side wall. This indicates the lightest point, and should be positioned next to the valve.

This would seem to contradict what the article in post 1 states, as well as many other articles I have read. So my dealer installed the front tire for me correctly lining up the red dot with the valve stem.

 

[rjs987]

Putting this here since it is where I initially mentioned it in association with the color dots info.

FINALLY got an answer about the aspect ratio warnings I've read on many balancing beads web sites. The warnings are to NOT use beads alone if the aspect ratio is 65 or less. My rear tire is a 160/60 R15 so that is an aspect ratio of 60.

I contacted a few of the makers of balancing beads asking about this and one replied with only the information about how many oz. of beads to use but no info on why the warnings. Finally, after contacting Innovative Balancing (maker of Dyna Beads), I got an answer that actually addresses the question I asked.

Robert,

On a 160 mm sized tire it's 2oz of beads. 12" and up tire size on a scooter is 2oz. Don't have to worry about the low profile of it. That's more for the automobiles.

Tire Chart Map

Thank You,

Joe Macri

Sales Mgr / Shipping & Receiving Mgr
Innovative Balancing LLC
1651 Sunset Rd
Suite A109
Las Vegas NV 89119

(702) 550-6841 Office

Emphasis is mine. I suspected as much since all the motorcycle charts excluded anything about the aspect ratio and only gave info for the tire width and/or rim size. But there just was no indication about that otherwise, only the implication of maybe.