My question is: Are wheel weights supposed to be organized the same for all four tires or are they just an ad-hoc accessory to balance the tires if they happen to be out of balance? On my particular C5 A6 4.2, there is a strip of 5 wheel weights all strung together marked "1/4oz 7gm" on the right rear, left front and left rear tires, with the last having one of those weights missing. On the front right tire, there are four wheel weights grouped in pairs of two about a wheel spoke apart (4.2 w/ 5 spoke sport package wheels). Could this discrepancy cause slight vibrations or imbalances within the wheels? They appear to be the adhesive type weight, if there is any type other than that. Roads in my area tend to be poorly maintained and there are numerous potholes and ruts around.

Thanks for your help!

 

Those are tape weights. Instead of using regular wheel weight that are hammered to the lip of the rim, the use tape weights. These are used in aftermarket wheels and wheels that should really not have the regular weights on them. The would scratch the lip or there's no way to get the weight on the rim, so they use the tape weights on the inside of the rim.
There not supposed to be the same weight on all four tires. When each rims gets balanced, each are off by a certain amount (hence the amount is in ounces). The amount depends on the vibrations on the tire and rim when balancing, the shop will put on the amount of weight in order to keep the rim and tire balanced as you go down the road. If you presume that the tires are out of balance, go to your local tire shop to have them re balance the tires.

 

In theory the adhesive style wheel weights can fall off easier (I have experienced this going down the road and it is hard to miss) but they do offer more flexibility when balancing the wheel because the technician can adjust the location from the inside to the outside of the wheel and anywhere in between versus the old clip on weights that are either on the outside edge or the inside edge (and look horrid on the outside edge).

The primary problem I have found with the adhesive weights is that the techs in the low-budget tire shops don't understand that adhesive doesn't stick well to a coating of brake dust, and they think a dry rag is going to clean the wheel. A professional would clean the area with brake parts cleaner or some other solvent and ensure it is clean and dry before applying the weights.

My recommendations? Find a shop who has qualified technicians who know how to use the equipment and treat your vehicle like it deserves - not those quick lube or low budget tire shops who pay their employees minimum wage to balance wheels on an old school level style balancer.

If you can, find a shop that has a Hunter GSP9700 balancer (or an equivalent)as it applies force to the wheel to give you the most accurate measurement possible. Hunter has a search tool on their website (http://www.gsp9700.com/)telling you some shops in your area that have them so it might be worth a look if you are concerned about your balance or are feeling any vibration, but even the best equipment is only useful under qualified hands.

I had a vibration in my wheels when I bought my car and had a low budget shop balance them but it didn't help (and some of the weights fell off almost instantly). The second time around was better but they still weren't perfect, so I asked my independent shop to see if they could find the source of the vibration thinking I had a bad CV joint or possibly a bearing on the way out. They checked everything out and said one of the lips on the inner side of a wheel was slightly bent (previous owner enjoyed meeting curbs since there is more rash on those things than a Boy Scout allergic to trees) and that the wheels were out of balance. They re-balanced all four wheels and said none of them were right, and when they were done I have no more vibration.

The slight bend on the lip shouldn't be an issue, but I suspect new wheels may be in my future anyway. That is another topic for another day though.