Balancing golf balls...

Mrbill4108 · August 12, 2006, 07:29:45 AM

I'm using Dyna Beads from Innovative Balancing.

http://www.innovativebalancing.com/index.html

Put them in my front tires about 6 months ago when I installed new front tires and 1000 miles later still working good.
Was going to put the powder stuff in but found this product and it sounded a little better then the powder.

Mrbill4108

DrivingMissLazy · August 12, 2006, 12:44:50 PM

I am curious as to how you can tell it is still working good, or even working for that matter, since you installed it in new tires?
Richard

Quote from: Mrbill4108 on August 12, 2006, 07:29:45 AM
I'm using Dyna Beads from Innovative Balancing.

http://www.innovativebalancing.com/index.html

Put them in my front tires about 6 months ago when I installed new front tires and 1000 miles later still working good. Was going to put the powder stuff in but found this product and it sounded a little better then the powder.

Mrbill4108

gumpy · August 13, 2006, 07:42:28 AM

Well Richard, I can tell you how you can tell when it's NOT working

I could not believe how bad it shook the bus when they didn't work!

Evidently my 6 balls had some planetary type attraction force which kept them all clumped together
for some reason, which threw it completely out of balance. It also seemed like the two tires got
180 degrees out of sync so the two clumps really were acting in the worst possible way.

I'm suspicious that because the 2 tires were close to being balanced when I put them in that there
was not enough shake to dispurse the 6 balls evenly. I really don't think 8 will be better, but I think small beads like the dyna beads link might work well. I may try that.

Before I can experiment further with golf balls, I need to get a better tire iron for these big tubeless tires... and another can of ether

My other concern is that one of my drums might be out of balance. When I had them turned, there was a hard spot in one (don't recall which one) and we had to turn it a second time. I may end up replacing the drums.

craig

DrivingMissLazy · August 13, 2006, 08:48:51 AM

Sorry Gumpy, I should have been more specific. I was actually asking Mrbill4108 the question since he indicated he put them in new tires and they are still working great. If they were put in new tires, then how would you know that they were doing anything? I am really trying to understand how something like this works. It kinda sounds like smoke and mirrors to me.
Richard

Quote from: gumpy on August 13, 2006, 07:42:28 AM
Well Richard, I can tell you how you can tell when it's NOT working I could not believe how bad it shook the bus when they didn't work!

Evidently my 6 balls had some planetary type attraction force which kept them all clumped together
for some reason, which threw it completely out of balance. It also seemed like the two tires got
180 degrees out of sync so the two clumps really were acting in the worst possible way.

I'm suspicious that because the 2 tires were close to being balanced when I put them in that there
was not enough shake to dispurse the 6 balls evenly. I really don't think 8 will be better, but I think small beads like the dyna beads link might work well. I may try that.

Before I can experiment further with golf balls, I need to get a better tire iron for these big tubeless tires... and another can of ether

My other concern is that one of my drums might be out of balance. When I had them turned, there was a hard spot in one (don't recall which one) and we had to turn it a second time. I may end up replacing the drums.

craig

TomC · August 13, 2006, 09:32:21 AM

Craig- would highly recommend you not use Ether to bead the tires since the chemicals and fumes stay in the tire accelerating the deteriation process-not to mention the danger. If you're going to do your own tires, get a tire beader- an air tank with an air knozzle that creates a pressure differential that makes the tire bead up. It's about $350.00 from Northern tool and worth the money. Good Luck, TomC

gumpy · August 13, 2006, 11:40:00 AM

Quote from: DrivingMissLazy on August 13, 2006, 08:48:51 AM
Sorry Gumpy, I should have been more specific. I was actually asking Mrbill4108 the question since he indicated he put them in new tires and they are still working great. If they were put in new tires, then how would you know that they were doing anything? I am really trying to understand how something like this works. It kinda sounds like smoke and mirrors to me.
Richard

Richard,

Dynamic balancing is not smoke and mirrors, but I can't quote the physics behind it. Basically, though, the free bodies will seek a state that is equal and opposite the source of the imbalance. Same principal used by Centrimatic rings and others. The advantage of dynamic balancing is that it will change as your tire wears, or as you brake drums wear (which off-vehicle spin balancing cannot correct).

craig

DrivingMissLazy · August 13, 2006, 06:10:23 PM

OK thanks Craig. I guess I believe it works, I just can not understand it. LOL
Richard

Quote from: gumpy on August 13, 2006, 11:40:00 AM
Quote from: DrivingMissLazy on August 13, 2006, 08:48:51 AM
Sorry Gumpy, I should have been more specific. I was actually asking Mrbill4108 the question since he indicated he put them in new tires and they are still working great. If they were put in new tires, then how would you know that they were doing anything? I am really trying to understand how something like this works. It kinda sounds like smoke and mirrors to me.
Richard

Richard,

Dynamic balancing is not smoke and mirrors, but I can't quote the physics behind it. Basically, though, the free bodies will seek a state that is equal and opposite the source of the imbalance. Same principal used by Centrimatic rings and others. The advantage of dynamic balancing is that it will change as your tire wears, or as you brake drums wear (which off-vehicle spin balancing cannot correct).

craig

pvcces · August 13, 2006, 08:31:08 PM

Since I was partly the cause of some of the discussion on this thread, I'll offer one more reason that I wanted to use the golf balls.

I've balanced many tires over the years and there was always a frustrating aspect to it. When tires are spin balanced, you can balance them until they are running nice and smoothly. If you change the speed that you spin them by very much, they are no longer balanced. They have to be balanced for the speed that they are spinning.

This is true of car tires, which is where I first encountered this problem, and it is true for heavy duty tires, as well. Aparently, the tire changes shape slightly, depending on how fast it rotates.

In any event, I figured that something that would adjust to the speed that I was running would do a better job for me. As it is, when I speed up quickly to 65 or 70, I get some shaking. Within 10 seconds or so, it begins to diminish until it is virtually gone. If I keep running the same speed, it stays gone.

We own a spin balancer for truck tires. It's about 4 hp or so. It does a good job, but it can't complete with weights that move to where they are needed. Whether it's golf balls or some other product, I doubt that I will ever go back to fixed weights.

For what it's worth.

Tom Caffrey
Suncatcher
Ketchikan, Alaska

JerryH · August 14, 2006, 05:51:25 AM

Had these installed on fronts. Eventually on the rears I hope.
http://www.balancemasters.com/themostarticle.html

They do make a difference.

Jerry H.

belfert · August 14, 2006, 09:38:14 AM

Quote from: JerryH on August 14, 2006, 05:51:25 AM
Had these installed on fronts. Eventually on the rears I hope.
http://www.balancemasters.com/themostarticle.html

They do make a difference.

I'm shocked the state of California and the EPA would still allow mercury to be used for something like this. What the heck happens if the tube holding the mercury were to break? Nobody would ever want to work on that tire again. Plus, you would have a mini hazmat disaster on your hands.

It looks like a great product, but the use of mercury is questionable.

Brian Elfert

Happycampersrus · August 14, 2006, 01:40:40 PM

Tom Caffery,

Man, that's brilliant. I would have never guessed that speed of the balancer plays a role, so I tried it today at work. The balance machine we have can be "tricked" to balance at different speeds and sure enough the tire balance isn't the same at different speeds. Now you have me questioning the balance of every tire I have. LOL.

Dale

n4rsn · August 14, 2006, 02:54:21 PM

Has anyone tried a copple of hands full of marbels??
I don't see why they wouldn't work.
Just a thought.
Steve

H3Jim · August 14, 2006, 04:16:34 PM

R: Marbles - What if they break, running into each other, then you have shards of glass running around the inside of your tires at 500 RPM.

niles500 · August 14, 2006, 04:59:54 PM

Craig - try taking the golf balls out of the package next time - LOL (sorry - I couldn't help myself)

On a serious note - have you tried having the tires trued? - I've found that can cause/exagerate an out of balance situation - HTH

TomC · August 16, 2006, 09:02:53 AM

From my truck driving-this is what I have used and what works. The Centrimatics with ball bearings in ATF in a metal ring that mounts between the drum and wheel works best. Balancemasters with mercury in a metal ring that mounts between the drum and wheel doesn't have enough weight to do anything-don't waste your money. Equal-packets of powder that goes inside the tire works somewhat until the powder gets clumpy from moisture-course if you use Nitrogen, that will work. Golf balls-according to my tire man-a definite no-no since they can do interior tire and wheel damage (that's enough for me!). Any of these additional dynamic balancing devices should only be used with a statically balanced tire and wheel. They aren't designed to offset an already out of balanced tire. Good luck, TomC

Balancing golf balls...

JerryH

belfert