wheel balancing

Do you have the counteract beads or centramatics?

You want the auto balancers to have something to balance.

Check out tru balance centering sleeves.

 

I don't see how it would be a problem. If you using lead weights it's a fixed solution. If you use counter act beads and Centermatics that may cause issues.

 

the only way what they said would make sense is if you use counteract beads INSIDE the tire.....

I always have my tires balanced and I run centramatics.....

 

Centramatic recommends you balance your tires. I run counteract beads now and don't bother but I used to when I had centramatics. I can't stand it when somebody I'm paying to do a job wants to argue with me their opinion. Just balance the tires man!

 

In my steers I'm running the balancing beads and when I had my current set of tires put on I decided to try the lug nuts that have the centering collar built in. The tire shop said they've been having good results with them.

I think this fall when I put new drives on I'm going to try something in those since I always seem to have trouble keeping them wearing properly, even when getting an alignment done first.

I don't like putting external weights on since I think they ruin the look of the polished wheels so I stick with internal stuff.

 

I've got centering sleeves on my drives and steers. I had them on my trailer tandems with my old trailer. I pulled them off with intentions of installing them on my new trailer. But it rides smooth as silk so I figure i'll just leave it alone. I really like the counteract beads and sleeves combo. Works really well. Very smooth ride even with caps on my drives.

 

Counteract doesn't make any sense. You were correct, you should check the balance when you rotate tires. As tires wear out, you lose a few pounds of rubber and chances are that it didn't all come off perfectly even around the whole tire. Tires don't run perfectly true down the road, so the don't wear perfectly even all the way around. I've seen extreme cases where they were 1/32" different tread depth 180 degrees apart when they were pulled.

We don't balance anymore, it was something that needed to done 2-3 times over the life of the tire. We're getting the same results with a bag of equal that's maintenance free.

We are also very picky when mounting tires. On a rim, there may be a divot, which is the low side of wheel run-out. Most aluminum wheels wont have a divot, if there is no divot they drilled the valve stem hole at the low side. Most steel wheels I've found the divot. A new tire has a red dot, which is the high side of wheel run-out, so you mount that dot at the low side of wheel run out. Tires have more than wheels, but it offsets it some. Then when mounting steers on the truck, the red dot goes at the top. There is a little slop on the centering tabs of a hub pilot wheel. Mounting the high side of run out up allows gravity to put that slack at the bottom to offset a little more of that run-out.

Do not worry about the yellow or greet dots if the tire has them. Yellow is for balance, but it is more important to have the tire run truer than to use less weight balancing. The green dot that some tires have is just a indicator that that tire was X-rayed at the factory as a quality control check.

 

GrapeApe thanks for the info. I have had bad experience with Equal and or its impostor however. First: caused shimmy after hitting bumps. Some one explained that was caused by moisture, which would have to come from the shop air supply, that the tire company gave to me at no extra charge. It did not show up immediately. 2nd: Causing valve cores to have a slow leak after tire pressure is is checked and product sticks in core. I find most of your posts most informative and educational. Thanks for taking the time. Thank i will try the beads.

 

I always have my steers balanced when I rotate. I am using the Balance Masters rings up there. just turned over 228,000 miles on this set of steers.

I do not balance the wide based drive tires, but do use the balancing beads in them. Just turned over 439,000 miles on original set. Still around 9/32 tread and good wear, but will change them out in a couple of months along with a set of steers.

Don't use the centering sleeves, but did have Conmet Preset Plus hubs put on steer axle when I ordered the truck. I rotate steers every 50K and drives every 100K and follow tire pressure loading chart recommendations from the tire maker.