Airsoft tire balancing - my story

[yossarian19]

Well, I had a balding set of 30s on there. They were due for replacement on wear alone but the balance was failing too, they started buzzing around 50ish.
Ok, time to change tires. I stepped up to a used set of 31s and balanced them with 8 OZ of airsoft BBs apiece.
Tire wobble at 55 was BAD. a little scary bad.
Ok, so, since I was at 2.5" lift and no caster adjustment, and my track bar was bad...
I threw in RE 1600 bar, torqued everything to spec, and added 3/8" of caster shim.
Wobbles decreased for a time but were still present. Got worse over time. I don't think it was a coincidence that my track bar bracket bolts became loose, allowing an annoying clunk to come back once again.
Today I had the BBs (and several screws) removed from the tires and had them patched & balanced the old fashioned way.
Smoother than it has ever run - all the way up to 60 and I didn't notice any vibes at all.
Moral of the story: Airsoft is better than nothing, especially if you have large soft tires that are hard to balance with weights. THEY ARE NOT the miracle balance that I had heard of. For street use - stick to lead weights.

 

[RoyalXJ]

i have my chunked 35s perfectly balanced on diy beadlocks with them.

 

[RCP Phx]

Id definately say your's is a rare story,balance usually isn't even an issue till you go 33's or bigger.I good trackbar would help alot more!Brand of tires is also a big factor.

 

[MaxxXJ]

i've heard a few stories about air soft bb's but i wouldnt want to play with the air soft weight just to get it right...

besides you get your tires installed by a shop and get free balancing until they wear out =)

 

[ocean_jet]

Odd.

 

[RoyalXJ]

i've heard a few stories about air soft bb's but i wouldnt want to play with the air soft weight just to get it right...

besides you get your tires installed by a shop and get free balancing until they wear out =)

what shops offer lifetime balancing? especially with an offroad tire

 

[SPXJ]

I have 33's on Allied beadlocks with air soft's in them no issues. The reason I put them in was when I put tires on my motorhome, Wing Foot Tire (commercial tire dealer) used a product very much like air soft's in 295 / 85 / 22 tires. My motorhome is as smooth as the day they installed the tires.

Its a life time balance if done right. I do know that some large off road tires have issues due to out of round issues but that can be solved by having the tires shaved.

 

[stroked88]

what shops offer lifetime balancing? especially with an offroad tire

our local shop does. if you buy it there they give free rotate and balance for the life of the tire

 

[ECKSJAY]

what shops offer lifetime balancing? especially with an offroad tire

Discount/America's Tire offer it at the time of purchase. You pay a nominal fee and you get them balanced every time you go in for a rotation. As a matter of fact, I'm doing it next week with my 37s since they're startin' to feel a little wobbly.

 

[MaxxXJ]

what shops offer lifetime balancing? especially with an offroad tire

i run the bfg at's and like stated, i go thru americas tire =)

i went to discount tire and got their lifetime alignment plan... for as long as i own the vehicle i can get it aligned as often as i'd like.

 

[mcantar18c]

Weird. All the stories I've heard about em, and the few of my buddies that run em, and the ones in the 37s on my old truck, all balanced perfectly with no issues. I suppose it's possible that you didn't use enough :dunno:

 

[Talyn]

Firestone offers lifetime alignment and balancing.

 

[djrethoret]

discount tire is pretty awesome to wheelers around here. basically if youve ever bought tires from them they will rebalance them for free. i bought tires on craigslist and took them there and had them balanced for free i love discount tire

 

[cal]

I've balanced about 10 sets of tires now with them, no issues - even if my beadlocks are packed with mud after a trail they will balance out.

 

[cwstnsko]

How much weight did the tires take to balance the old fashioned way? That might give you some insight as to whether you had the right amount. I think too little airsoft or way too much can both cause less than perfect results. I also think that any sub-standard steering components can allow the airsoft pellets to lock-in to a bad imbalance.

I have 33's with about 5 oz in them, I think I'm a bit light. When I have them on my YJ (with very tired steering) they are a bit hit and miss on the balance. The can get really messed up if I hit a bump while accelerating through a turn pulling away from a stop. It's scary to the point of not letting the wife drive the Jeep. It "locks-in" to a badly off balance condition and will not stop shaking until I slow down enough to hear the pellets "rain" down on the wheels. I can then accelerate again and it's smooth......

I've also discoverd that at some of the Discount Tire stores, they will only balance the 2 tires that are coming from the back to the front during a rotation. When I pointed it out, they told me to go drive it and bring it back if it didn't feel balanced :| Needless to say, that didn't impress me.

 

[yossarian19]

How much weight did the tires take to balance the old fashioned way? That might give you some insight as to whether you had the right amount. I think too little airsoft or way too much can both cause less than perfect results. I also think that any sub-standard steering components can allow the airsoft pellets to lock-in to a bad imbalance.

Yes, I noticed that sometimes it was better and sometimes worse - the BBs would shift when my speed varied or when I hit a bump that jarred them loose and allowed them to re distribute through the tire.
I had ~8 oz in a 31 if I recall correctly. 10K pellets split into 5 tires. Maybe too many?

I might try it again with another set of tires some day. I might not. Having the tires balanced when they start to buzz isn't such a huge inconvenience or expense - especially if you get the lifetime balance with new tire purchase. Having the front end rattle your track bar loose... well, that sucks. Of course if I could get the results some of you all have posted....

 

[Darky]

what shops offer lifetime balancing? especially with an offroad tire

Any shop I've been to that offers road hazard warranty. It's not free, but you pay maybe $30-40 up front and get lifetime flat repairs and balancing.

 

[keep0njeepin0n]

what shops offer lifetime balancing? especially with an offroad tire

Goodyear

http://www.goodyearautoservice.com/custserv/locate_store.cmd

 

[RoyalXJ]

i dont see how they can offer lifetime balancing unless its paid for in advance like Darky said. otherwise arent they loosing money on labor. an offroad tire goes outta balance quite often from wheeling it. weights come off, radials stretch and tires get chucked.

 

[MaxxXJ]

i dont see how they can offer lifetime balancing unless its paid for in advance like Darky said. otherwise arent they loosing money on labor. an offroad tire goes outta balance quite often from wheeling it. weights come off, radials stretch and tires get chucked.

their not really losing much there buddy.... think about it, out of all the bro trucks and farm trucks and just all around daily drivers that use the mud terrains and off road tires because they look cool never usually use that balancing feature but they pay for it "just in case". and its not "lifetime" its the life of that set of tires. if you pop one, you have to buy the plan for the new tire going on it

for me, i bought a lifetime alignment fully knowing i plan on changing out axle's and lift kits etc here hopefully in the next few years. so i fully intend on using this plan to its fullest. as for others will buy it and only use it once or twice before they sell their vehicle thinking lifetime is a good deal cause its forever ya know?

sorta off topic but thats how the balancing plan works. i buy tires for my civic and get the road hazard and balancing deal every time for safe measure's and so far i dont think ive EVER used it. so im pretty sure their still making money off of those deals