GEN 2 Questions about Red Dots and Yellow dots on tires

[Raptor911]

It is my understanding that tire manufactures mark tires with a red dot or yellow dots where the red dot represents the heavier spot and the yellow is the light spot.

So, on my KO2s there are clearly red dots on all 4 tires. During balancing the red dot should be in the opposite location from the valve stem as the valve stem is the heavy spot on the wheel. Placing the red dot opposite of the valve stem helps with balancing the tire as opposed to using weights to do the same.

BUT on my 2019 Raptor, the red dot on every tire are really close to the valve stem. I don't get it??

Can someone chime in? #pacific wheel

 

[Pacific Wheel]

@Raptor911 It all depends. We typically start with it opposite of the valve stem but that isn't always best. Some times the wheel has a high/low spot and tire is better suited in a different location on the wheel. The ultimate balance is "ride match" or a "road force" to match the high spot on the wheel with the low spot on the tire for the best overall roundness as a unit.

Seeing that Ford over inflates every tire I've ever seen on these trucks (some times over the tires max psi) I'm guessing they didn't put much thought into mounting/balancing them. Look for a local shop with a nice Hunter Road Force balancer if you're having issues. They'll be able to measure the roundness of your tire too.

 

[fur_pig]

That is actually incorrect. I was an engineer at Goodyear previously and those are final QC dots. Green is X-ray, white is uniformity and red is balance. The machine called a kokusai auto dots them upon quality control completion.

 

[BaseRaptor]

Thanks, always wondered what those were for.

 

[Raptor911]

Thank you!

That is actually incorrect. I was an engineer at Goodyear previously and those are final QC dots. Green is X-ray, white is uniformity and red is balance. The machine called a kokusai auto dots them upon quality control completion.

 

[Rednose]

That is actually incorrect. I was an engineer at Goodyear previously and those are final QC dots. Green is X-ray, white is uniformity and red is balance. The machine called a kokusai auto dots them upon quality control completion.

Thank you for the information I always wondered what are these for.