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balancing tires with beads

highrider_44s

highrider_44s

1/2 ton status
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Mar 28, 2004
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has anyone herd of tryed balancing a tire by puting beads inside them
i was thinking or trying this on a set of 44's just wandering if anyone else has tryed it
could maby hear some pros and cons of trying this :D
 
Are you talking about those ceramic beads? I have not tried them yet, but on my next set of tires...I am. I think those ceramic beads are the only way to balance a tire that is 35" or bigger. Crimp on wieght balancing is a waste of time and money for any tire 35" or bigger. Another great benefit of using those ceramic beads is the tire is balanced for life. When ever the balacing needs of a tire changes over time from wear and use, the beads will change with it.
 
why ceramic? and how big diameter and where might one find ceramic beads
i was thinking of just using bb's not sure how many i should put in tho
 
I've got them in my 38.5 ground hawgs. I noticed an improvement when I put them in. I used them same stuff as semitrucks use. I can't remember the name, but it comes in a small bag and you use one for each tire.
 
I know this has been discussed some on offroad-tech.com, and the general consensus is that it doesn't work. No one tried the ceramic beads, but airsoft pellets DO NOT WORK. They do ok at some speeds, but for me sucked real bad on highway. Golf balls are a little better tho. I can possibly see the ceramic beads working, being heavier/more dense. The thing about bbs and the like is that they contain steel. If u ever fill at a gas station or from a compressor without a water seperator, you get water in there, rusting the BBs. Makes them pretty useless. That equal powder is supposed to work also, but again, if you get any moisture in there, its rendered useless. Give the ceramic beads a shot, but don't waste your time on airsoft pellets or powder.
 
well since some BB's arent steel (at least on the outside ie Plated), i chose to run them. just put them in this weekend infact. i used 12 oz. (about 800 BB's) in each tire which is i little more than they say to use for my tire, but more doesnt hurt it. i dont know why people thing airsoft wont work. anything should work, even sand or water. just has to be something that can move around in there. the important thing is how much to put in. when i bought my BB's, i almost got airsoft but went with cheap instead. i think people say airsoft doesnt work because they simply dont put enough in there. when i did the math, you would need about 2,800 airsoft per tire which was about 10 oz. that was good up to about a 39.5 tire. the sheet i saw said about 20 oz. for a 44 inch tire.
 
87GMC said:
I've got them in my 38.5 ground hawgs. I noticed an improvement when I put them in. I used them same stuff as semitrucks use. I can't remember the name, but it comes in a small bag and you use one for each tire.
Click to expand...

yep, used 'em loved 'em won't go back, and cheap as hell so don't piss around with the other methods they all have draw backs including not working!
 
sweet those look like a good deal did you guys have to order them or can you buy them at any truck or tire store
 
highrider_44s said:
sweet those look like a good deal did you guys have to order them or can you buy them at any truck or tire store
Click to expand...

Yeah, I got mine at a shop that sells and mounts tires on heavy equipment. The stuff I used had instructions on how much to use by tire weight so follow the instructions.
 
You should also do a search on "tire truing".....

Balance is part of the answer but NOT ROUND is a bigger problem initially..... (IMHO)


:usaflag:
 
Just placed my order. Enough to do 2 trucks(38"and 39.5") and applicator and valve stems blah blah blah 120.00 w/shipping.
 
I was reading this thread and got an idea. What about that tire stop leak stuff. You would think it would "flow" and balence a tire. I don't know how much the stuff costs or how much you'd need but it seems to me like it could be a good solution.
 
The stop leak doesn't work like that. It spreads out too thin. It also eats chrome and doesn't do so nice to rubber in the long run.

I use air soft with no problems. I work at a tire shop so it wasn't a price issue. It was that balance on tall tires is only reletive. I have started to get some ot the bigger tire customers to try airsoft out too. It works well for 37+ tires.
 
how is equal or ceramic beads working with airing down and back up and geting moister in the tires? Always though BBs would work best but I have no experience with any yet.
 
Equal clumps with moisture. York's puke a lot of oil and most home compressors don't seperate water that well. I have had no problems with the airsoft. I have had it in for 6 months. I have had a few tires off for inpection (or changes due to cuts) the tires show no damage and the wheels aren't even chipped (seeing as this is sorta like a constant low velocity bead blast in there. I blew a bead pretty hard last weekend and didn't lose any airsoft either.
 
might try airsofts or BBs, We use equal in the trucks but never liked the idea in the 4x. Figured I would do a static balance of the tire on the machine and add that much worth of whatever balancing medium I decide to use. Right now I have crimp on weight half way around my rim to get kinda close to take the majority of the vibes from the tires out.
 
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