Wheel balancing

[eagle19952]

Just a thought, but if valve stem is placed at 6 oclock, it shouldn't be a problem. At 12 oclock, I could see some dropping from top inside of tire to valve stem inlet on inside of rim.

didn't seem to matter.
another thing i found (i had a low tire flat come off the bead)
seating the bead and airing a tire on the side of the road....the medium sat on the bead and stayed an additional slow leak...
that's my story.
over 100,000 miles later.
no balancing.

[chessie4905]

I see from reading more on balancing beads that special valve cores with filters on end to keep particles from valve seat location are recommended on all tires using balancing beads. Interesting.

[eagle19952]

I see from reading more on balancing beads that special valve cores with filters on end to keep particles from valve seat location are recommended on all tires using balancing beads. Interesting.

this is not (balancing beads) what was in my tires...
it was more like 220 grit.
30 years working on hvy and on road trucks. Never needed or saw a benefit to balancing tires. Particularly internal.
But we always used Michelin or Bridgestone.
still do.
probably always will

[chessie4905]

Looks like something to snort with a straw.☺

I mostly use Michelins on all my vehicles. If they need any wheel weights, it's always very little. Less than an oz.

[Lin]

I put Centramatics on some years ago.  At the time, I believed that I felt a difference at highway speeds.  Might be my imagination I suppose.

[kyle4501]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq263AYgyYg

There is a big difference between a pail and a tire - the pail limits where the water can go when it is traveling in a circle. However, a tire allows the water to move as it desires.

It works because of inertia - the fluid mass shifts position to minimize the movement of the total rotating assembly's center of mass.
In layman's terms " F'in magic "

All that said, so far, I have only used stick on weights.

For what its worth, out of 10 Michelins, only 3 didn't require any weight. All Alcoa aluminium rims that were checked with no tire to ensure straightness & balance.

[gumpy]

Centrimatics on the steer and drive axles.
Antifreeze in the tags.

[chessie4905]

The Michelin I was commenting about were car and truck tires, not coach tires. With that much mass, it would be rare to only need an ounce or less.

[chessie4905]

Looked up Centramatics. Average $200 per axle. Pretty expensive. Maybe why antifreeze on tag axle?

[Oonrahnjay]

The Michelin I was commenting about were car and truck tires, not coach tires. With that much mass, it would be rare to only need an ounce or less. 

        With that much mass, if you only need an ounce or less to get it in "perfect balance", would you notice it if it were not there???

        (Not trying to be a smart-alec, it's a real question in my mind.  If careful balancing makes a difference in ride and tire life, I'm all for it, but I'd love to know just how much careful balancing you'd need to make a difference in real life.)

[DoubleEagle]

I use spin balancing now, but I tried the Equal balancing compound because certain trucking companies swore by it. I found that it did work if the air was dry inside the tire, but as air is added the moisture could increase, and the compound would clump. So, you had roughness until the clumps banged out from running. You also needed special air valves with color coding to prevent problems with the compound messing with the seal. I decided it was not worth the trouble. Now I use aluminum wheels with good tires that require minimal or no balancing.

[TomC]

After 21 years and 1.3 million miles of driving my own truck-this is what I've found out that works the best. Run aluminum wheels-less unsprung weight and they dissipate heat the best. When buying new tires have ALL tires spun balanced on a digital wheel balancer. If your shop doesn't have a wheel spin balancing machine, find one that does. Then just on the front run Centrimatics. Equal, beads, ball bearings, golf balls or anything you put inside the tire doesn't work worth a hoot.
Then most importantly, weigh your bus fully loaded, tanks full, ready for travel with the front, drive, tag axle and look up the proper tire pressure to run at those weights. You'll have a smooooooth running bus! Good Luck, TomC

[Jim Eh.]

        With that much mass, if you only need an ounce or less to get it in "perfect balance", would you notice it if it were not there???

        (Not trying to be a smart-alec, it's a real question in my mind.  If careful balancing makes a difference in ride and tire life, I'm all for it, but I'd love to know just how much careful balancing you'd need to make a difference in real life.)

Each ounce of static off balance equates to 6 lbs of force hitting the pavement on a 24.5 wheel.

[kyle4501]

        With that much mass, if you only need an ounce or less to get it in "perfect balance", would you notice it if it were not there??

The out of balance tire will cause a 'shake'. That shake adds wear and tear to everything attached to it. That will shorten the life of the components.

Might not wear anything out in the miles we put on the coach, but it will open up clearances . . . .

[OKIE9ERS]

Equal "claims" to be unaffected by moisture, and as I said earlier, not a single customer has asked for a refund. The color coding is just so people will know what wheels they have put the equal in- a little yellow ring to put on the valve stem. Multi truck fleets might have a hard time keeping up with it...After the feedback from my customers, at 12 bucks a wheel, I'll be using it when tire time comes around.