Centramatics

[2-Nickels]

Have any of you installed Centramatic wheel balancers on your Country Coaches? If you have did you do it early on or to solve a problem? If you did what did it change?

[Smitty77]

Yes, when we bought our used 2004 Allure, we put new shoes on within the first week.

I worked with the Southern California Parkhouse Tire Company on my order of 8 tires. With the approval of the Manager, I had Centramatics delivered for each axle position.

When we mounted the tires, we did it in three phases, as the Manager wanted to know what the difference would be. After each phase, we drove the coach on the same roads, including a then freshly resurfaced/smooth section of I8 just East of where it comes into I5.

Phase 1 = Mounted the tires and took the drive
Phase 2 = Had all wheels balanced and took the drive
Phase 3 = Added Centramatics and took the drive

We put a half filled pan/bucket of water on the bathroom hallways, just over the top of the rear drive axle. During each drive, my wife and the manager stood in the hallway as we drove the smooth stretch, about 1/2 mile long, on I8. Observing the surface of the water.

On the first phase, it really bounced around with water splashing out at times. I also felt a slight vibration in the front steers.

On the second phase, I did not notice any vibration on the steers. But my wife and the manager both saw the water again bouncing/ripping around. Not near as much as the first drive, but still obvious.

On the third phase. The water was relatively calm, with minor signs of water rippling...

And as tires wear, or pot holes are hit, the Centramatics are always countering the new offsetting weights. To me, they really work.

Best to you, and all,
Smitty

[TeJay]

Smitty,

That's the best and most thorough reporting and proof that CM's do work and work very well. I'd like to personally thank you for all that testing and work. There's nothing like a real true testimony on item like this.

Well done!!!!!

[vsheetz]

Have used them on the Jeep. If a tire gets chucked when off-roading, no need to rebalance.

[Smitty77]

Originally Posted by TeJay

Smitty,

That's the best and most thorough reporting and proof that CM's do work and work very well. I'd like to personally thank you for all that testing and work. There's nothing like a real true testimony on item like this.

Well done!!!!!

Thanks! But I give much of the credit to the Parkhouse Manager. He was admittedly skeptical, and said if I'd take the time to do these phases, he'd cover the labor of mounting and un-mounting the wheels for these phases. I bought my Crossfires thru him, and we'd gone round and round on tire prices and they age they'd be under - so we had probably talked for 90 minutes over two different visits.

My wife was the one that came up with the water on the floor.

I should have added that at no time could I detect any differences in the rear wheels (Drive and Tag.) from the Drivers seat. But seeing as believing.

At first the Manager had suggested only balancing the steers, saying tags and especially drives just did not need to be balanced. At the end, he became a believe in balancing the rears, and he was looking for his District Manager to let him approach Centramatics on being a reseller.

Finally, I have an email I check once a week that I use to order things and for certain online accounts. I gave him this Email, and said he could have anyone that had any questions about what we did to contact me. Maybe just under 20 people did, but none in the last 2-3 years. Not sure the same Manager is even at the store anymore.

Best to all,
Smitty
(I should also point out that the timing was perfect, as Caltrans (Whom I'm really not much of a fan of. Especially after built a Taj Mahal multi million dollar extravaganza office complex in the Old Town district of San Diego. (The could have leased a building for 50 years for the price the paid on that complex. Not even counting they could have then sold that for many millions, which would have probably made it closer to 70, 75 years of leasing.) had timed the refinishing of this stretch I8 just months before us doing these tests!)

[smlranger]

While I did not do the testing done by Smitty, I put Centramtics on my steer wheels and it smoothed out the occasional shimmy/bounce.

The dealer from whom I bought the coach used balancing powder when they installed the new tires. I had a shimmy and bounce. I had the tires removed, the powder removed and installed Centramatics.

[Mike_Harriet]

Centramatic believer here as well. Best ride improvement we've done for our RV.

[bneukam]

Thinking about buying two just for the front as I do get an occasional shimmy. I don't really feel it but if no one is sitting in the passenger seat I can see it shaking. This does occur more at higher speeds 65 and up.
Read up on how it works and the important things to watch out for.
Do you still balance the wheel with weights?
Are most tire shops used to handling these? Have they ever refused to touch the wheel because of these after market add ons. As I have seen signs at Les Schwab where they refuse service with anything aftermarket installed.
They won't touch my truck wheels because of wheel spacers. Rep said anything that sits between the wheel and the hub.

[JohnBoyToo]

Too bad you're not closer to dfw, I have two I took off the fronts when I got my new tires

[bneukam]

Originally Posted by JohnBoyToo

Too bad you're not closer to dfw, I have two I took off the fronts when I got my new tires

Any reason for removal?

[tom chelbana]

We put Centramatics on both are London Aire and then our Essex. We found that the wheel holes were a little to large and used a little hot glue to have them in the right alignment with studs. Have used them for over 20 years and would buy them for the next coach.

[TeJay]

Really very simple IMHO. As many pointed out they do work. Smitty's report was very good. Just read post #2.

The point of the CM's is they balance at all times and at all speeds. As you tires wear the balance needs may/will change. If you pick up mud or ice the CM's balance.

Most importantly any vibration however small is a negative. If a vibration is with a tire it will cause that tire to move in ways that we can't see or feel but it is not good for the overall performance or life of the tire. The weird vibrations will have a cumulative effect on tires, bearings, and anything attached to or feeling the vibration.

Since we are usually driving and therefore can't feel all the vibrations all the time nor when they occur. It only make sense to have something which continually balance everything on the tires, rim and hub.

Some vibrations occur when they reach a harmonic vibration at a difference frequency. Often time we feel a vibrations that say happens at 40 MPH but goes away at 50. The 40 MPH may be a harmonic vibration of a vibration that occurs at 30MPH but the 30 mph vibration is to small for us to feel until it is amplified by it's harmonic at 40 MPH.

Use something that works at all speeds and on all vibrations. That makes perfect sense to me.

I've read and talked to some TT owners who stated this. The TT tires don't need balanced because we are not riding in the unit when it's going down the road.

[bneukam]

Oops..... my bad. Smitty did answer my question. I guess I need to slowdown especially when reading Smittys comments.

[JohnBoyToo]

Originally Posted by bneukam

Any reason for removal?

I am shy about going against the CM commercial here
but I live about 20 minutes from their home office and so thought I'd try them a few years back on my Ford Excursion SUV with it's 16" tires.

Having driven it for years, knew what it rode like and they said I could return them if they didn't help... I kept them for about 45 days and really didn't notice a difference... so did return them.

With the high cost of the 22.5 tires and my goodyears rivering and fighting me, thought I would give them another try on the rv...

Again, didn't feel any difference, so called up a truck alignment shop here in Fort Worth recommended by someone on here and they balanced and aligned the tires and suggested I leave the CM off...
He said if it's balanced correctly, you don't need those. And he was right.

Just my $.02 - hope it helps..