balance beads

rsnbrg1 · 10-20-2009, 05:28 PM

Has anyone on here use them before. I am putting new tires on my truck this weekend. They are 285/75 R16 and I am going to put 8 oz in each tire. I don't like using wheel weights because they look like **** on my nice rims. I heard good things about them from other guys. I like to hear some of your opinions on them.

72'CaminoKid · 10-20-2009, 09:42 PM

alot of off roaders use them and i've heard some truckers use them as big tires can be hard to balance. i've heard mixed reviews about them, but mostly good. some people have said they use bb's instead of buying actual "balance beads" theres a chart somewhere online that says how much weight you should use for a certain size tire, i've seen it on one of my jeep forums but cant find it right now

gmctrucks · 10-21-2009, 12:19 AM

Your tires will never be balanced correct.

BernieB · 10-21-2009, 01:41 AM

This is the first I'm hearing about these, so I went and looked them up and did some reading.

My conclusion is that, while the idea sounds good, the actual physics and mechanics of it just don't "work" in my view. For one thing, for this concept to even have a hope of actually working properly it requires that the inside of the tire be perfectly smooth and friction free, and for the tire itself to be perfectly uniform and circular - which, if all that were true, wouldn't really need to be balanced, would it? Oh, yeah, just a little, to account for the weight of the valve stem.

What happens if you get a flat? If the tire is patched there's going to be a bump inside, and maybe a bit of an edge that the beads can hit and bounce on. If it's plugged, well now you've got yourself a Pa*****o machine inside your tire, bead blasting the rims on the inside.

As to wheel weights on nice looking rims, if they're using standard weights on your nice looking rims then you're not going to the right tire shop. Find a shop that deals in mags and custom rims and let them show you some of the alternative weight systems.

mudseeker · 10-21-2009, 04:21 AM

that size tire does not warrant the use of beads. you can have the tire guy set up the machine to balance the tire with only weights on the inside rim lip instead of both sides(what i did when i balanced mine at the shop). if they have stick on weights you can also do it that way.

Crmzendrgone · 10-21-2009, 10:32 AM

I have never heard of those either. I am confused on how something loose on the inside could add balance. When I was working at the dealership had a tire that the balance keep changing every time I added weight even position. broke the bead found there was water in the tire. So wouldn't those have that same affect.

gmctrucks · 10-21-2009, 12:08 PM

Back in the mid 1970 we were trying this liquid to keep tires from going flat at this tire shop I was working at and it was nothing but problems people would complain about the tires bouncing up & down.

BernieB · 10-21-2009, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crmzendrgone

I have never heard of those either. I am confused on how something loose on the inside could add balance. When I was working at the dealership had a tire that the balance keep changing every time I added weight even position. broke the bead found there was water in the tire. So wouldn't those have that same affect.

Reminds me of a stunt we used to pull on certain "clueless" customers in the shop I managed. We convinced them that they had to bring their cars in, twice a year, for us to change the air in their tires. No charge for it, it was a free service. We explained that if you put in "summer air", with its high humidity, and left it during the winter the moisture would freeze and could damage the tire, and if you left in the dry "winter air" over the summer it would be too dry and could hurt the rubber.

So, twice a year we had a half dozen really clueless people coming in for us to put the car on the lift and change all the air in the tires for free.

Of course, what it really did was give us a chance to get the car on the lift and look it over for potential problems, which we'd then point out and usually get the go ahead to fix, because we were such nice guys.

Sold a few exhaust systems that way, several new axles, some motor mounts, a few seal jobs and four complete sets of tires. All perfectly valid and legit repairs.

Crmzendrgone · 10-21-2009, 12:28 PM

I like it. best way to make money is to have the repeat business. That's why a lot of place do the whole FREE inspection.

10-20-2009, 05:28 PM	#1
rsnbrg1 Full Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Manning, IA Posts: 21	balance beads Has anyone on here use them before. I am putting new tires on my truck this weekend. They are 285/75 R16 and I am going to put 8 oz in each tire. I don't like using wheel weights because they look like **** on my nice rims. I heard good things about them from other guys. I like to hear some of your opinions on them. __________________ www.powderkoatthis.com

10-20-2009, 09:42 PM	#2
72'CaminoKid Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,756	alot of off roaders use them and i've heard some truckers use them as big tires can be hard to balance. i've heard mixed reviews about them, but mostly good. some people have said they use bb's instead of buying actual "balance beads" theres a chart somewhere online that says how much weight you should use for a certain size tire, i've seen it on one of my jeep forums but cant find it right now __________________ 99 suburban xlt 96 silverado 91 wrangler (my baby ) 08 Honday shadow 750 (my mistress)

10-21-2009, 01:41 AM	#4
BernieB Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Fredericksburg, VA Posts: 1,906	This is the first I'm hearing about these, so I went and looked them up and did some reading. My conclusion is that, while the idea sounds good, the actual physics and mechanics of it just don't "work" in my view. For one thing, for this concept to even have a hope of actually working properly it requires that the inside of the tire be perfectly smooth and friction free, and for the tire itself to be perfectly uniform and circular - which, if all that were true, wouldn't really need to be balanced, would it? Oh, yeah, just a little, to account for the weight of the valve stem. What happens if you get a flat? If the tire is patched there's going to be a bump inside, and maybe a bit of an edge that the beads can hit and bounce on. If it's plugged, well now you've got yourself a Pa****o machine inside your tire, bead blasting the rims on the inside. As to wheel weights on nice looking rims, if they're using standard weights on your nice looking rims then you're not going to the right tire shop. Find a shop that deals in mags and custom rims and let them show you some of the alternative weight systems. __________________ If the guys who design 'em had to take one home, use it every day for 2 years, and do all the maint and repairs themselves, cars would have a button on the dash to change the oil, filters & plugs.*

10-21-2009, 04:21 AM	#5
mudseeker Senior Moderator Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: michigan Posts: 6,375	that size tire does not warrant the use of beads. you can have the tire guy set up the machine to balance the tire with only weights on the inside rim lip instead of both sides(what i did when i balanced mine at the shop). if they have stick on weights you can also do it that way. __________________ i'd rather be hunting

10-21-2009, 10:32 AM	#6
Crmzendrgone Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Arizona Posts: 1,420	I have never heard of those either. I am confused on how something loose on the inside could add balance. When I was working at the dealership had a tire that the balance keep changing every time I added weight even position. broke the bead found there was water in the tire. So wouldn't those have that same affect. __________________ ENGINES PRODUCE POWER. MOTORS RECEIVE POWER. https://lastroundbestround.com/Home_Page.html

10-21-2009, 12:19 AM	#3
gmctrucks Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Houston,Texas Posts: 4,035	Your tires will never be balanced correct.

10-21-2009, 12:08 PM	#7
gmctrucks Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Houston,Texas Posts: 4,035	Back in the mid 1970 we were trying this liquid to keep tires from going flat at this tire shop I was working at and it was nothing but problems people would complain about the tires bouncing up & down.

10-21-2009, 12:28 PM	#9
Crmzendrgone Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Arizona Posts: 1,420	I like it. best way to make money is to have the repeat business. That's why a lot of place do the whole FREE inspection. __________________ ENGINES PRODUCE POWER. MOTORS RECEIVE POWER. https://lastroundbestround.com/Home_Page.html

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