# What are these clip things on wheels? **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [April 6, 2013, 6:46am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-are-these-clip-things-on-wheels/78498 "2013-04-06T06:46:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ParrotsandPotatoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/71c47a/32.png) [@ParrotsandPotatoes](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ParrotsandPotatoes)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 6:46am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-are-these-clip-things-on-wheels/78498/1 "2013-04-06T06:46:29Z")
![](https://bay160.mail.live.com/att/GetAttachment.aspx?tnail=0&messageId=ee81bd8f-9e61-11e2-9a18-00237de3e436&Aux=54%7C0%7C8D00085D606F330%7C%7C0%7C0%7C0%7C0%7C%7C&cid=946c59fa8aebb41b&maxwidth=220&maxheight=160&size=Att&blob=MHxJTUdfMjAxMzAzMzBfMTQ1OTU3LmpwZ3xpbWFnZS9qcGVn) What are these clip things that are clipped to the edges of wheels for? ---
**Author:** ![common-sense-answer](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/common-sense-answer/32/716_2.png) [@common-sense-answer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/common-sense-answer)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 6:52am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-are-these-clip-things-on-wheels/78498/2 "2013-04-06T06:52:56Z")
**_Car ? (I Cannot View The Image)_** Do You Know What Wheel Weights Are ? If Not, Perhaps That’s What You’re Looking At. They Are Clipped/Stuck On To Balance The Wheel/Tire During A Wheel Balance So That The Car Runs Smoothly And Tires Wear Evenly. How many are on each wheel ? What is the car make, model, model-year ? CSA ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 6:53am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-are-these-clip-things-on-wheels/78498/3 "2013-04-06T06:53:53Z")
Don’t see any image but are you talking about the lead weights clipped to the wheels? They are to balance the tires. Tires and wheels have heavier spots on them so the weights counter balance them so they won’t bounce around at highway speeds. ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 6:54am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-are-these-clip-things-on-wheels/78498/4 "2013-04-06T06:54:04Z")
No picture. This wheel weight? ![](http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/08/lead_weight.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![EllyEllis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f14d63/32.png) [@EllyEllis](https://community.cartalk.com/u/EllyEllis)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 7:04am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-are-these-clip-things-on-wheels/78498/5 "2013-04-06T07:04:48Z")
How long have you been driving?? ---
**Author:** ![MG-McAnick](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mg-mcanick/32/188_2.png) [@MG-McAnick](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MG-McAnick)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2013, 9:00am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-are-these-clip-things-on-wheels/78498/6 "2013-04-06T09:00:14Z")
Your tires have to be balanced. If they weren’t, you would feel a jiggle in the steering wheel. If a tire is badly out of balance, it will cause the whole car to shake at highway speeds. Unbalanced tires will also wear poorly. ---
**Author:** ![ParrotsandPotatoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/71c47a/32.png) [@ParrotsandPotatoes](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ParrotsandPotatoes)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 6:16am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-are-these-clip-things-on-wheels/78498/7 "2013-04-07T06:16:28Z")
Ah! My picture disappeared! But yes, the picture texases posted is the one. The car is a 2003 Odyssey, but I see them on most cars. Thanks for the answers! I couldn’t really get any answers by searching it up, so you guys are a big help in answering my question. @EllyEllis I haven’t driven once. I’m still 3 years away from the legal age of obtaining a driver’s license. ---
**Author:** ![common-sense-answer](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/common-sense-answer/32/716_2.png) [@common-sense-answer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/common-sense-answer)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 6:23am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-are-these-clip-things-on-wheels/78498/8 "2013-04-07T06:23:34Z")
_ **" I’m still 3 years away from the legal age of obtaining a driver’s license. "** _ ParrotsandPotatoes, good for you. It’s great that you’re curious and trying to learn about cars. Keep on finding out as much as you can. It will make driving easier, safer, and more pleasant for you. Good to have a younger passenger on board, here. _ **CSA** _ ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 7:23am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-are-these-clip-things-on-wheels/78498/9 "2013-04-07T07:23:58Z")
Additional note: On decorative wheels, you won’t see the weights on the outside like this but they are flat weights that stick on the inside of the wheel so you can’t see them. ---
**Author:** ![bscar2](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bscar2/32/2468_2.png) [@bscar2](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bscar2)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2013, 5:09pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-are-these-clip-things-on-wheels/78498/10 "2013-04-07T17:09:12Z")
If you look close enough, you can see the strips on the inside of the wheels. I would think this would be the preferred method since a pothole or curb rub could knock on of the clip-ons off. Then again, the glue used for the inside weights could just as easily come undone and they’d fall off while driving. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2013, 8:15pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-are-these-clip-things-on-wheels/78498/11 "2013-04-08T20:15:55Z")
We used to call those weights that Bing referred to “tape weights”.