Tire balance questions ?

[don-deb]

Im getting ready to replace all 6 tires on my coach.......

How do you guys balance your tires ? I have screw on the valve stem... TPMS and Im concerned with using any balance beads inside the tires.

Thanks......

[macnkat]

Why not have the shop that installs the tires balance them?

[don-deb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by macnkat Why not have the shop that installs the tires balance them?

I have spoke to 2 different truck tire shops......and they tell me they use balance beads.....Im concerned the powder will clog the tire pressure sensors. Im looking locally for a shop that uses conventional hammer on wheel weights to balance.....or some other way .

[JohnFreyja]

I had the two front tires balanced with the beads and it didn't affect the Pressure Pro sensors.
John

[Wizard]

If a truck tire shop told me they couldn't balance tires, I would find another place to buy. Granted most trailer tires are never balanced but on a motorhome you don't want to get an out-of-round tire. I know from experience. I got one from Goodyear and just had beads put in. After it shook so bad, we had to stop during a trip at another Goodyear dealer and he removed the beads and found that he couldn't put enough weight on the tire to balance it.

I had all the beads removed and had the tires spin balanced and weights added.

[Piledrive]

I had 6 new Toyos installed in May and the Dealer installed 6 packages (1 ea) of Equal. Each package comes with a replacement Valve Core. The new core has a screen on the end to prevent any loss of beads. Great place to buy tires, they installed the Equal free of charge. (In my former life I was a Heavy Construction Estimator/Buyer), no problem with any getting out.

[jsabatinos]

I used dynabeads not equal powder. Excellent results in all tires and no isues with TPMS. Tire guy put the beads in then spun up the tire on the machine 3 times. each time it showed the exact same location as the balance point. According to Dynabeads if this occurs you have a balanced tire if not you have either an out of round tire or one requiring too much weight.

[Mr_D]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wizard If a truck tire shop told me they couldn't balance tires, I would find another place to buy. Granted most trailer tires are never balanced but on a motorhome you don't want to get an out-of-round tire. I know from experience. I got one from Goodyear and just had beads put in. After it shook so bad, we had to stop during a trip at another Goodyear dealer and he removed the beads and found that he couldn't put enough weight on the tire to balance it. I had all the beads removed and had the tires spin balanced and weights added.

Out of round and out of balance tires are two different things and are handled differently although an out of round tire might be able to be balanced or it could be shaved which might allow it to be balanced. You can have an out of round tire that can be balanced and you'll still get a bumpy ride.
Ford had a bunch of trouble with our of round fronts, but it was because of manufacturing troubles and the wheels themselves couldn't be mounted true unless you went to the dealer and they used special shims .
On our Alcoa rims they used stick on weights to balance them.

[historyljc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by don-deb I have spoke to 2 different truck tire shops......and they tell me they use balance beads.....Im concerned the powder will clog the tire pressure sensors. Im looking locally for a shop that uses conventional hammer on wheel weights to balance.....or some other way .

I've had Equal in my tires since they were bought new in August & September of '08. There is a special valve core that comes with Equal that must be installed at the same time as the Equal. It prevents the powder from from clogging the valve stem or interfering with pressure sensors. I've had Pressure Pro Sensors on my coach since 11/'06. Any competent truck tire shop should be able to conventionally balance the tires they sell. If they cannot, you're in the wrong shop.

[Grimesy]

Had Equal in the tires of my Freightliner and bounced my way from California to Gaffney, SC. At the Freightliner shop they removed the Equal and used stick on weights. Smooth as silk comming home. Tech said it was very common to have similar situations and they have had to replace the Equal routinely. After this only in my iced tea.

Don

[historyljc]

Don, sounds like whoever mounted your tires and put the Equal in had a lot of moisture in the air they filled your tires with. This will cause it to lump up, rust the inside of your rims and overall is just not good for the tire or rim. My tires, with Equal, have ridden "baby butt" smooth since mounted three years ago. There's a right way and a wrong to do just about anything. If they don't mount the weights on your rims correctly, you'll have a bad ride from that.

[Diplomat Don]

I just replaced my rear tires and tried the Centramatic balancers. No vibrations noticed. I'll have to wait and see how the tires wear. The shop that installed my tires, routinely used the beads.

[bbeane]

If you buy a quality tire, from a good dealer with proper equipment they should be able to balence the tire with wheel weights. I'm not a fan of equal or beads or golf balls weather it affects the TPMS or not. As far as out of round tires are concerned, with what I am paying for 22.5 tires I don't want to here about out of round, and trueing! I'll take nice new current date round tires and wheel weights, been working for me for 30 years. Just my humble opinion.

[Triker56]

Equal will not lump with moisture.
My Freightliner 22.5" tires has had Equal in them for over 6 years now with no problem.

• EQUAL Tire Performance does NOT ABSORB water in any way.
• Due to the fact that EQUAL Tire Performance is a plastic polymer granule, water or moisture will not change its composition.
• Moisture that accumulates inside the tire will evaporate due to normal driving conditions and therefore is in contact with EQUAL Tire Performance for a very short time.
• EQUAL Tire Performance, when in contact with large amounts of water, (to the point where it is actually floating freely), will do just that, float. This will interfere with the ability of EQUAL Tire Performance to optimize the given tire in the way that the tire dealer or fleet had intended when installing the product. Simply, this means that although EQUAL Tire Performance will never damage the tire in any way, if it is in contact with large amounts of water, it cannot perform its job. Again, it is important to reiterate, that in most cases, moisture will evaporate due to the heat build up in normal driving, and once the moisture has evaporated, EQUAL Tire Performance will perform as it originally did.