tire balancing for those who wheel

[lankchevy]

just wondering how everyone that wheels keeps there tires balanced? i just threw some sand in mine when i was mounting them, if i could do it over tho i would go with BBs because sometimes if i let air out or put air in my tire then a peice gets in the valve and gets stuck. on realy big tires ive heard of people using golf balls even, anyone tried antifreeze either? just wondering what every one does.

kolby

[lazyxj]

just wondering how everyone that wheels keeps there tires balanced? i just threw some sand in mine when i was mounting them

Maybe Fred Flintstone used sand but most of us have our tires balanced on a high-speed balancing machine. You might have noticed how some (mostly all) wheels have lead weights attached to the rims...works a lot better than sand.

[DaffyXJ]

I actually get mine balanced. I just don't expect a very good balance or for it to hold for very long.

When it gets real bad on the road, I get them balanced again.

35 TrXus on AR767 15x8's.

[Kejtar]

just wondering how everyone that wheels keeps there tires balanced? i just threw some sand in mine when i was mounting them, if i could do it over tho i would go with BBs because sometimes if i let air out or put air in my tire then a peice gets in the valve and gets stuck. on realy big tires ive heard of people using golf balls even, anyone tried antifreeze either? just wondering what every one does.

There was a thread not too long ago posted by someone who did the bb balancing and in a long run things didnt work out too well. Anyways I heard someone using shops at truck stops for balancing tires. Anyways, big question is what is the size of your tire?

[ChuckD]

First you need to buy some quality tires: GY's, BFG's and maybe the Traxus MT's

Second get them at a shop that offers free tire balancing

Third there are a few shop, like American/Discount Tire, that offer really good tire warrenties due to punctures.

With free tire balancing, get them balanced every 6 months at a minimum.

Lastly make sure you junk is aligned properly. Why would you expect the balance to be on when the tires wear uneven.

[Blatant]

I may be misreading the question, but he seems to be asking for those who wheel a lot. Which means, those who knock their balancing weights off a lot or have an aired-down tire shift on the rim (thereby making the balancing weights ineffective).

In my old rig I ran four golf balls in my 38.5 SX and my 37 MT/Rs. Not perfect, but good enough to drive on the street without excessive vibration.
dion

[CharlesS]

The only way to keep them balanced when you air down and wheel a lot is to have a lifetime rotate and balance policy.
Many years ago when my XJ was stock I purchased a lifetime alignment policy.
Now I just bring the Jeep in when ever I think the Jeep needs some attention and it is done for FREE.....

[Loose_Nuts_Enterprises]

I used to use 4 oz of BBs in each tire, 35 inch Pro Comp Mts, because my brake calipers were too close to the inside of the rim, and it would peel the weights off. It worked pretty well up to around 75 mph, any faster and I would get a slight shimmy. Now I have 16 inch beadlocks, with 36 inch Iroks, balanced on the bubble balancer in the garage.

HTH, Dan

[Beezil]

depends on the size and usage.

[mission-inc]

Kinda new to this concept, but, where do the golf balls and bb's go? Inside the tire? Seems like they'd create alot of noise... :shiver:

[DaveD912]

I have a few friends using counteract (www.counteractbalancing.com) in their tires. You need to put a special valve stem in to stop the beads from clogging it when you air down, but so far they like the stuff. I'm thinking about putting it the XJ tires.

[Root Moose]

What about "backyard balancing"?

I've heard that there is a way to balance the tire on the axle by letting the heavy part of the wheel rotate/settle to the bottom - then add a weight at the top. Or something like that...read it a long time ago.

Any one know more? Does this redneck balance work for high speed rotation like on the highway?

r@m

[cherokeekid]

I run equal (like a silicon sand used for big truck tires) with steel beadlocks and 35" mtr's works really well so far. the only real complaint I have is with the special valve stems with the screens... it takes forever to ari down. last time I aired down I think I dropped about 2lb in 15 mins

[Loose_Nuts_Enterprises]

I run equal (like a silicon sand used for big truck tires) with steel beadlocks and 35" mtr's works really well so far. the only real complaint I have is with the special valve stems with the screens... it takes forever to ari down. last time I aired down I think I dropped about 2lb in 15 mins

Did you try pulling the valve core? Thats how I usually do it for quicker air downs.

Dan

[lankchevy]

accualy the sand works very well for me. if i would have used weights then i would have knocked off a few by now and ive only had it since the begining of summer. what was the long run problem with the bb's?

kolby

[Loose_Nuts_Enterprises]

As far as I could tell, there were no long term problems.

[Roxtar]

I've heard these stories for a while now and I'm kinda baffled by the theory here. What makes you think that adding bbs or any weight rolling around loose in a tire will balance it. Why would these objects mysteriously go to the lightest spot on the tire. Centrifugal force causes rotating objects to go to the farthest spot away from the axis. That is where they will settle at, reguardless of what part of the tire is lightest. If anything that will tend to cause the tire to go further out of balance since this spot will usually be "heavier" anyway.

[Loose_Nuts_Enterprises]

must be FM.

[Beezil]

http://www.trucktires.com/us_eng/library/publications/periodicals/RealAnswers/97V2Issue1/images/108466.jpg

[MaXJohnson]

must be FM.

yup

[Starboard M]

My MTR's are balanced every 4 months or so for free by the Goodyear people. Often, the weights get knocked off and I just go in and they replace it. Some of my friends run tires that are not balanced and they are fine. I guess some tires are different then others though.

[SyCo]

Might want to try these:

http://www.ih8mud.com/tech/centramatics.php
http://www.centramatic.com

[Ramsey]

must be FM.
whats fm

[lankchevy]

i dont know the reason it works but i dont have ANY vibs from my tires up to any speed ive taken them (about 80)

so has anyone actualy tried this style method and didnt like it? cause noone on this thread has said they didnt like it, only negative stuff came from those that didnt say they had tried it.

kolby

[sidriptide]

my next venture will be Equal when i go to 35s.... LAWNCHER said he had some bad effects using BBs in his D/D suburban but i cant remember what they were.. and using sand i would expect the abrasive surface of the sand to scrub all the paint off the inside of the wheel and scour the inner layer of rubber too.. i'd expect to find a pile of paint/rubber powder inside the tire after a good amount of use.. for a trail rig it may take alot longer but i would expect the same results.....

mike

[Loose_Nuts_Enterprises]

whats fm
F*****g Magic.

[cherokeekid]

Did you try pulling the valve core? Thats how I usually do it for quicker air downs.

Dan

That's what I ended up doing, otherwise we woulda been there all day!
I just kept the core right above the stem so I didn't lose any of the equal.

normally I would have been aired down in about 5 mins

[Abugarcia]

I use static tape weights down the middle. Never lost a weight or had a vibration problem.

[LT1XJ]

Also, A lot of times, people think they are running a balanced tire, but they will be a whole lot smoother if properly balanced. I get people in the shop all the time that Have me doing axle work and they might mention something else, so I throw them on the balancer and they will be out a couple of ounces. It makes a big difference. Even an ounce can be noticeable. Get it doner right if you do much street driving, find a good shop and see if they have any sort of re balancing policy. If you just wheel it, then I guess I wouldn't bother either way.
Dustin

[y2kxj]

hmmm. Would having an out of balance tire cause a consistant wobble in the frontend at certain speeds? I ask because I'm still trying to find out why I have deathwobble (barely noticeable at highway speeds now that my new stabilizer hides it....but I can still feel it trying sometimes over big bumps) and maybe this is it. I just can't see why an out of balance tire could cause the DW's only when hitting a bump. ???

[Nihil]

ditto. got them on my rig, never have to balance a tire again

Might want to try these

http://www.ih8mud.com/tech/centramatics.php
http://www.centramatic.com