A thought about tire balancing

That's why i NEVER would balance a drive tyre.
Aldough my steers are balanced,it is done with a sack off what i would describe as very small beads.
The advantage is that they adjust to changes in the tyre.

 

Thats exactly why I use the "sack of very small beads"(Counter-Act is the name brand) in ALL of my tires including drive tires.

 

Out of 18 tires only one of mine has lead on it. I only balance the steers. One side took 4 oz. , same spot on same rim that took 4 oz. last tire change. I'd say that rim is what needs the weight.

I run BFG & Mich

 

I've run those beads...makes it a PITA to take the tire off & put it back on because those ceramic beads stick to whatever you use to lube the bead. If you don't get all of those pesky little buggers out from between the tire and the rim, you might not get a good seal and it could leak over time. I've also run without balancing a single tire...and while it still rode OK, the tires didn't last nearly as long. This last time I bought new tires, I balanced all 10. Rides GREAT, and I'm hoping they last as long as they did when I used the beads....tires are expensive, and balancing them really doesn't add THAT much to the cost. I've thought about getting centrimatics, but I'll have to replace my steer's drums before I can do that since the drums I have interfere with the proper mounting of the centrimatics. I'd still spin balance the tires, though...get 'em close and let the centrimatics keep 'em there.

As for patching tires, I always mark where the valve stem is on the tire before I dismount it...and then I remount it the same as it was when it came off. That way, the weights will still be in the right spot. If a tire shop isn't going to do the same, they can rebalance the tire without charging me for it. One or the other...take your pick. If I'm paying you to do a job, you're going to do it right.

 

Have your tires trued instead of balancing, it does more good. Once mounted they are not round, turing them brings them back into shape...

 

Thats the key!

 

Balancing alone does not add mileage to your drive tires... it's also important to do an in frame axle alignment.

A number of years ago, I leased a FL XL Classic that the previous driver had installed, between the duals, a harmonic balancing coil... just an aluminum coil half-filled with oil I would imagine that kept the wheels balanced automatically as they turned. Pretty ingenious device actually and, after insisting that my vehicle have an in chassis axle alignment, my truck actually maintained excellent tire wear for the duration of the lease.

'Bigfoot'
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