Thread: Balancing beads

im using beads in my 235 / 85 muds
Awesome
Means i dont have to pat $35 per donut to fit and balance and they ride perfectly

Highly recommended if you do your own tyres

S

The father in law had beads, they worked very well, but after numerous air ups they absorbed moisture and it all clumped together.



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Not sure how ceramic balls can absorb water - essentially impervious?
In any case I have had no troubles as of yet...

S

I run balancing beads in 35" rubber. In a 4wd application don't use the beads for trucks. They are fine and get caught in the valve when airing down. Buy the 4wd specific ones. They are larger. Also change out the valves for longer version. They move the valve head deeper into the rim so the beads don't gather at the valve seal.

They are not a one stop solution. They balance out at a given speed so if you sit on 95km/h for a while and increase to 110km/h there will be a period of settling in as they find their balance again. Thus varying speed won't be comfortable especially at highway speed when wheel imbalance is most noticeable.

Personally I find them a PITA but not so much at the moment to ditch them but not far off.

MLD

Originally Posted by MLD

I run balancing beads in 35" rubber. In a 4wd application don't use the beads for trucks. They are fine and get caught in the valve when airing down. Buy the 4wd specific ones. They are larger. Also change out the valves for longer version. They move the valve head deeper into the rim so the beads don't gather at the valve seal.

They are not a one stop solution. They balance out at a given speed so if you sit on 95km/h for a while and increase to 110km/h there will be a period of settling in as they find their balance again. Thus varying speed won't be comfortable especially at highway speed when wheel imbalance is most noticeable.

Personally I find them a PITA but not so much at the moment to ditch them but not far off.

MLD

Which brand did you get again?

I have ABC ceramic beads in my 37x12.5R17 Hankook MT's , no need for special valves, smothest drive Ive ever had,

ABC Beads ? | Tyre Balancing Beads Australia

had american beads in my 35's but needed special valves.

ran liquid in my Defender on 235/85R16's and that was a bit wobbly under 35kmh but smoothed out as speed increased.


Also after some off road use when the rims capture mud and it stays there, its still smooth as when you get back on the sealed road . I'll never run lead weights again

Originally Posted by Judo

Which brand did you get again?

No idea. I had balancing problems with the rubber and spoke to the tyre place. I had no input in the brand selection. I found out later they had used truck beads when i showed the bead particles to another 4wder and he put me straight about the 4wd v's truck beads. After a bit of research I also learned about the longer valves. I have the valves in my top draw. Haven't turned my attention to replacing them. I prefer to moan and bitch about the problem. Bit like crappy windscreen blades, you only lament when it rains.

Adding to Benji's post, my compressor generates a fair bit of condensation. The moisture drips out when airing up. No idea if the moisture adversely affects performance as a balancing bead. Considering they are made from glass or ceramic, I doubt it. But a cohesive substance like oils that leach from the rubber might induce clumping. I work on the theory (most likely misplaced) that i air down generally after a long haul on the highway thus the internal air temp at pressure will capture and extract some if not most of the moisture on airing down.

Don't get me wrong, as a balancing solution they seem to work far better than weights especially as the tyre wears, loses chunks of rubber, or a clump of mud from a day out. I just chose wrong which compounds my frustration because i have a wheel imbalance that i suspect is the rim. It causes a shimmer shake at highway speeds sometimes but not every time.

MLD

Thanks for all the replies. Much appreciated.
So after 3 shops trying to balance my tyres it looks as though my tyres are far from round. Why the first 2 shops didnt pick it up im not sure.
The tyres are being replaced tomorrow if they turn up free of charge.
Fingers crossed the new ones are good as my car shakes so much between 80 and 100 im waiting for my canopy to fall off. Funny though there is no movement or shimmy in the steering wheel. The whole car shakes like someone has tied a sand bag to my tail shaft.

Cheers
Michael.