Centramatic Balancers

Doug1968 · April 19, 2009, 05:53:16 PM

I have been shopping for a set of 315/80R22.5 tires for my bus and on Saturday I purchased two Firestone FS400's for the front. I live in the Portland, Oregon area and I located a tire dealer that handles large equipment tires and they also supply tires to two local charter bus companies. No one else I have checked with had the 315/80 tires in stock and this company had 60 in their rack.

My current Firestones on the front are probably 40% and I plan to move them to the back. In talking with the service person he stated that he would not recommend running tires longer than 8 years? He also told me that tire treatments can be harmful to the sidewalls.

While discussing price he told me that he could supply me with a set of Centramatic Balancers that bolt between the wheel and the hub and that with these I would never have to balance the tires. The Centramatic Balancers are $195 an axle. Seems kinda of expensive but the balancing cost is $31 per wheel?

Is anyone using these automatic balancers and do they work like they advertise?

I will have the tire mounted next weekend and I plan to check date codes and tire quality at that time. Maybe I end up with a whole set?

Ouch!!! The per tire price is $484 and with excise tax, mounting/moving and balancing the total is $551 per tire.

Please let me know if you are familiar with the Centramatic Balancers.

Doug

Tenor · April 19, 2009, 06:07:03 PM

My bus had a set new in the box when I bougt it. I've put the rears on and the ride is as smooth as Michigan roads will allow! I have Michelin XZA's ( I think that's right) on the rear 22". For some reason the PO bought the ones for the fronts and tags that were for 24" wheels! I need to find a home for those!

Glenn

gumpy · April 19, 2009, 07:03:35 PM

I use them on my drive axle. Seem to work well.

Had them on my steer, but they were not made for the wheels I have and the rings broke. They don't make one for these wheels, so I have to change my rims
before I can put them back on the front. Hoping to do that soon.

Glenn, check your email...

JohnEd · April 19, 2009, 07:33:39 PM

Doug,

The TA truck stop south of you has a sign up that they have Goodyear and Toyo in our size in metric and 11 inchers for $269.....thats USD. I couldn't believe it either. Call them.....its a local call for you and, if its true, you will save $ 250 per tire....can that be correct? This is scary!

HTH,

John

Dreamscape · April 19, 2009, 07:38:05 PM

That's a great price! Wonder what the date codes read. At that price I could afford some! Let me know Doug what you find out. I could have hauled some back home last week! Sheesh!

~Paul~

luvrbus · April 19, 2009, 09:33:24 PM

JohnEd, what is the name of the truck stop. I am coming to Oregon to buy my Toyo tires and Les Schwap is quoting me a lot more than $269.00 for the 315/80 22.5 in fact over $200.00 each
Doug I would check and make sure the tire you are buying will work on your wheels I have 8.25 wide Alcoa wheels and changing from the 12r 22.5 to 315/80 22.5 it is costing me 6 new wheels 9 inches wide.
Doug there is mixed opinion on the Centramatic I bought a set for my Eagle and when I upgraded the brakes to bigger drums they would not work on the new drums and I never got the chance to try them.
My take on the Centramatics after putting a little thought into it was they have nothing to do with balancing a tire or wheel as they attach to the drum and not the wheel so I didn't buy another set.
good luck

pvcces · April 19, 2009, 10:17:12 PM

luvrbus, they don't balance a tire because they balance the whole rotating assembly, including the drum!

JohnEd, would you email or post some contact information for the TA?

Thanks.

Tom Caffrey

luvrbus · April 19, 2009, 10:32:10 PM

Tom, what would be the purpose of balancing the drums and hubs the manufactures do that before shipment. good luck

edroelle · April 20, 2009, 06:43:13 AM

I used them on all wheel positions on my MCI and was satisfied. I did have the tires balanced prior to installation because the Centramatics can only correct so much unbalance.

Ed Roelle

JohnEd · April 20, 2009, 09:21:28 AM

Tom & Others,

I contacted that TA Travel center: they said they didn't handle TOYO and had no GOODYEAR on sale. I told the Parts Manager that there was a sign outside the mens room withy a price of 289 for 315X22.5 and 279 for 12X22.5 and he said " I will definatly go look at that. Doesn't make sense". Well, he was tied up at that moment, the fuel desk wouldn't go look and the resteraunt mgr. is supposed to call me back. Tire salesman said the cheapest Goodyear "product" he had was Kelly for $385. Obviously I don't have a clear understanding of 22.5 tire prices or I would have riped that sign from the ceiling and bought a hundred on spec. I didn't read the fine print and from what I am learning, that price might have involved a kidney. I am still working the problem and waiting for a callback.

John

JohnEd · April 20, 2009, 09:48:43 AM

Ok Guys...,.Hold on to your seat....maybe. There is no name on that sign. The restaraunt mgr put me thru to the parts MGR this time. I talked to "Gordan"( you might want to write down that name) and he said "I don't handle Toyo....I haven't a clue on the origins of that sign....first I have heard about it". That was the bad news. He went on " I do have steer tires made by Dunlop or Kelly or Firestone 590's for $289" but I will have to charge you $40 if you don't have a recapable trade...Sorry." I told him to "stand by to repell boarders". TA Travel Center Service Center Manager...GORDAN, 503 678 2111, ext 82. I'll pray for ya.

HTH and let us know how you made out,

John

Doug1968 · April 20, 2009, 05:38:15 PM

John,

In checking in the Firestone catalog I find that the FS590 tires are not available in the 315/80-22.5 size. The size they have listed is 295/75-22.5 which only has a G load rating. The 315/80 tires have a J load rating. G load rating is 5.675lbs @ 120 psi and the J rating is 7,610lbs @ 120 psi. The 295's have a 2" smaller diameter also.

I appreciate the information and it would be nice to save some money.

Doug

pvcces · April 20, 2009, 07:31:13 PM

luvrbus, it may well be that the drums are balanced at the factory, but I have seen quite a number of references to out-of-balance and out-of-round ones. I never had any trouble believing that they could be out-of-round because of the temperatures that some of them get up to.

These problems show up very easily when turning the drums for a brake job.

In my early driving days, I was warned to never set the dynamites when stopped if the brakes were hot. I was told that the drums could become egg shaped if I did. I much prefer to keep moving until they have cooled off.

If used right, Jakes cut way down on these problems.

For what it's worth.

Tom Caffrey

JohnEd · April 20, 2009, 08:34:22 PM

I have little doubt that centramatics have a limit as to how much weight they will compensate for. I thought that the very best thing they had going for them was that once balanced a tire/wheel/drum assy would "stay" balanced for the life of the tire. I have never heard anything bad about this product but I have heard a lot of rave reviews.

Does anybody know of a shop that shaves the tire "round" before balancing? How about spinning the tire on the bus? Or is that only car stuff?

John

RichardEntrekin · April 21, 2009, 07:52:10 AM

Centramatics, Equal, and other methods of dynamic balance work to a certain extent. However, the BIGGEST issue with bus/truck tires is if they are mounted out of round. No balancing can overcome that. So do yourself a favor, and measure the runout on tires, if it is over .035" have the shop deflate and rotate the tire 180 on the rim. If it's still over .035 ask for a new tire.