Equal Tire Balance...Good or Bad?

[1-ton]

I need to buy some new tires for my truck, and I am having some problems with balancing. Every time I have the old fashion clip on type weights installed, they are thrown off as soon as I hit about 25 - 30 MPH. I have also tried tape weights, but the calipers rip those off. I was thinking of using the product called "Equal", which is a polymer that uses centrifugal force to distribute the polymer where it is needed to balance the tire. Has anybody had any good or bad experiences with this stuff? What would be your recommendations?

Tire Size 35/12.5/16.5

Rim Size 16.5 X 8.5 (eventually I am going to go to 16.5 X 9.75)

 

[K5MONSTERCHEV]

Goodstff, actually works.

 

[mudhog]

i run it in my 40's and it balanced them out i also ran it with my 38's and it balanced them out as well i am very impressed with the stuff /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

 

[1-ton]

KOOL, Thanx for the response! The only shop in my town, Las Vegas, that sells the product "Equal" is 4-Wheel Parts. I was talking to one of their sales people, and even though they carry the product, none of the sale reps seemed to be very familiar with the stuff. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

 

[spearchucker]

You can also get it here as I recently found out. I'll be using it this week on some new 35 inch MT so I can't exactly give you my opinion yet. Don't forget to get the valve stems too. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

 

[1-ton]

Thanx for the heads-up on the valve stem cores. I had read that web page before, but I got lazy and did not read it to the bottom where they point out the need for special valve stem cores and cap. /forums/images/graemlins/eek.gif

 

[joez]

i run golf balls in my tires.....

if you live near a golf course its a lot cheaper than equal. plus it isnt affected by moisture.

 

[1-ton]

Equal, a product made by IMI Products Inc. [(717) 264-5819, www.imiproducts.com] is a dry, granular polymer. This sandlike compound is placed inside the tire where it is forced outward by centrifugal force as the tire spins. Following the laws of physics, it distributes itself more heavily at the lighter spots of the tire. This brings the tire into balance, reducing vibration levels of the tire and wheel assembly.

Unlike some of the liquid compounds used in tires, Equal is not a tire sealant and does not adhere to the tire liner. It does not absorb moisture and will not harm tire or wheel surface areas. Equal is non-toxic, non-hazardous and requires no special disposal. It is easily removed when a worn tire is dismounted for retreading or disposal.

Equal is installed by placing a self-opening bag — containing a specified amount of the product tailored to the tire size — inside the tire at the time of mounting. If the tire is already mounted, Equal can be installed through the valve stem using a special installation tool called the Equalizer.


Bridgestone says:
These golf balls were ruined by running inside a truck tire for several thousand miles. They also probably did irreparable damage to the tire.

The user had a ride disturbance and heard that a few golf balls inside his tires

would correct it, by automatically positioning themselves to counteract the vibration.

We often hear of home-brew solutions like these, but we can’t recommend them. Here’s why: First, in this case, it didn’t work very well. The ride disturbance and vibration continued.

Second, notice how dirty and black these golf balls are? What’s covering their surfaces is rubber, of course — from the innerliner of the tire.

The innerliner is a specially made, multilayer component, with the important job of preventing air from getting through it and escaping. The rubber dust coating on these golf balls came from their banging into the innerliner, probably damaging it.

We’re not sure what caused the balls to change shape so radically. Perhaps high heat and high-speed collisions with the wheels?

Anyway, as we said, we can’t recommend golf balls as a means of balancing truck tires. So far as we can tell, they don’t work and could seriously damage your tires.

 

[m j]

any big rig tire shop will have, or be able to get, the powder
you do not 'need' special valve stems
if you remember to give a quick shot of air into the tire to clear the powder from the valve you will be fine
I ruined a pressure guage by forgetting to clear the stem
no big deal really
all the 'special' ones have is a sintered filter to keep the powder in

 

[rcurrier44]

Equal sucks for wheelers because it clumps when wet...then it likes to stick to the inside of the tire instead of distributing itself. I and others in my club have tried it with the same results.

I run golf balls in my 44's. They probubly don't work as well as the equal (when dry) but they do work. 4 months ago I had a pair of tires off the rims and the balls looked fine. They were obviously worn/skuffed but nothing like what was posted in that quote. Tires are over half way gone...maybe 10,000 miles.

Bottom line: if you run equal don't loose a tire bead when it is wet out; and use a seperator on your air line when airing up (blow by from a york/condensation from the air tank clumped one buddys equal)

 

[1-ton]

Well, thats two votes for golf balls. Anyone else? If I did use Golf Balls how many ounces of golf balls would I need for 35/12.5/16.5 tires? Also, what tire shop in their right mind would put them in for me? I do not have a tire machine.

 

[ugly_blazer]

You can put the balls in yourself, 16.5 mount/dismount very easy by hand and prybar. I would rather run bricks in my tires than equal.

 

[1-ton]

Three votes for golf balls! Now I just need to know how many golf balls for a 35' tire?

 

[m j]

I ran equal for years and never saw it clump
if it clumped the truck industry would not use it

 

[ugly_blazer]

[ QUOTE ]
I ran equal for years and never saw it clump
if it clumped the truck industry would not use it

[/ QUOTE ]

Are you sure the trucking industry uses it? The trucking company I drive for would rather run an unbalanced tire than use equal. The local semi truck repair shop used equal when it first came out, but refuses to use it anymore. I wonder why? Check out Centamatics, browse their site, they have them for pick-up trucks. They are kind of expensive but really work well and last for ever.

 

[1-ton]

Those Centramatics are an awesome looking product. Thanks for the link! I Have 16.5 inch rims, and they only have them for 16 inch rims. I wonder if the 16 inch ones would work on my 16.5 inch rims?

After going through the web site, they do have a set that fits 16" to 17" rims. It looks like a set of four goes for $199 + shipping "TOTALLY AWESOME!" THANX! /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

 

[rcurrier44]

[ QUOTE ]
Three votes for golf balls! Now I just need to know how many golf balls for a 35' tire?

[/ QUOTE ]

What I did was use a bubble balancer. I set the tire on it and just stacked the golf balls up on the tire (near the tread) untill it was ballanced.

One tire only needed 3 balls ware another needed 14.

 

[ugly_blazer]

/forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

 

[SCJimmy]

[ QUOTE ]
Those Centramatics are an awesome looking product. Thanks for the link! I Have 16.5 inch rims, and they only have them for 16 inch rims. I wonder if the 16 inch ones would work on my 16.5 inch rims?

After going through the web site, they do have a set that fits 16" to 17" rims. It looks like a set of four goes for $199 + shipping "TOTALLY AWESOME!" THANX! /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

You need to call their # and speak to a customer service engineer. When I bought mine, I was running 15" 8 lug rims on a caliper shaved D60. The engineer sent me the right balancer for my application. The balancer are made differently for the front and rear axles.

Here's my install:

Front and Rear balancers

Front mounted on D60 hub:

Top view of front D60, with ground caliper running 15x10 rims

Rear mounted on 14BFF

Side view of 14BFF

Balancer inside of 15x10" wheel

I like mine. I think they really do help balance the tires/wheels. I'm running 16" wheels and MTR's now, and they still are doing good.

If you call the rep, I believe you will find they will offer you a 30 or 90 day money- back trial. I didn't need to send mine back though! /forums/images/graemlins/woot.gif /forums/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif /forums/images/graemlins/woot.gif

 

[1-ton]

The Centramatics are the tire balancing solution I am going for, and not the equal. I think $200 + shipping is a very reasonable price for a full set of four. Thanks for the pics! /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif