HOW TO: Airsoft Balancing

[Mark]

Well, myself and a couple friends got together and put some Airsoft pellets in my 35/12.50R15 Goodyear MT/R's. I'm tired of wiping regular steel weights off my rim, only to throw the tires completely out of balance.

Here's how it went:

These are the pellets I picked up at Walmart for $16. They are 0.12 gram per pellet, and came in a container with 10,000 pellets.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/mpeterson79/SIVOwe6QJ1I/AAAAAAAAAWI/ajzYmB4LCT0/BB%20022.jpg?imgmax=512

Using a regular household cooking scale, I weighed out 8 ounce amounts:
http://lh4.ggpht.com/mpeterson79/SIVOw06HyfI/AAAAAAAAAWY/KkM6F3Pi0SA/BB%20001.jpg?imgmax=512

I packed each 8 ounce batch of pellets into a bag to keep them organized:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/mpeterson79/SIVOxY3kENI/AAAAAAAAAWo/MJAlDgMFYSM/BB%20006.jpg?imgmax=512

http://lh6.ggpht.com/mpeterson79/SIVOxmpa_dI/AAAAAAAAAWw/-qXZoO_ev6Q/BB%20010.jpg?imgmax=512

Next up was removing and breaking down the tires:
http://lh4.ggpht.com/mpeterson79/SIVOyJIWmcI/AAAAAAAAAW4/A-eJG7A--9Y/BB%20014.jpg?imgmax=512

To give an idea of why I hate steel weights, you can see by the rust at the bottom of this picture where the weight has moved:
http://lh4.ggpht.com/mpeterson79/SIVOzGD6WJI/AAAAAAAAAXQ/f2G9fdcTb40/BB%20027.jpg?imgmax=512

Another example of 'weight stacking':
http://lh6.ggpht.com/mpeterson79/SIVOzyZ9SmI/AAAAAAAAAXg/f0hZQ6bYeKI/BB%20007.jpg?imgmax=512

Next up was breaking one bead on each of the tires to be able to pour the beads in. I had heard that this was as simple as driving up on the edge of the tire, and the bead would pop off. First attempt with a Kia Sorento proved this untrue:
http://lh4.ggpht.com/mpeterson79/SIVO0Tal6eI/AAAAAAAAAXo/HWrM5g4TQSc/BB%20011.jpg?imgmax=512

Okay, no big deal, get something heavier. This FJ80 weighs somewhere around 7,000 lbs. Still no dice:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/mpeterson79/SIVO26smybI/AAAAAAAAAYk/pkIoUAgGxZk/BB%20028.jpg?imgmax=512

Next option was using a Hi-Lift jack to put pressure on the bead to break it:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/mpeterson79/SIVSlz3k5nI/AAAAAAAAAaM/jQy3H-WuJTE/BB.jpg?imgmax=512

This method proved most succesful - for future reference, I would just use this system from the outset:
http://lh4.ggpht.com/mpeterson79/SIVO1Ymp5rI/AAAAAAAAAYA/msJH0vZ8X64/BB%20012.jpg?imgmax=512

Once the bead was broke, we simply took each 8 ounce bag, and poured them into the tire:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/mpeterson79/SIVO17LmJ7I/AAAAAAAAAYI/fwGC2nBIAFw/BB%20016.jpg?imgmax=512

http://lh4.ggpht.com/mpeterson79/SIVO3xe7IyI/AAAAAAAAAY0/U8kI63rxImM/BB%20009.jpg?imgmax=512

Next up was the simple task of reseating the beads, and re-inflating the tires:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/mpeterson79/SIVO2gmdKSI/AAAAAAAAAYY/uVpYSb6iLdk/BB%20024.jpg?imgmax=512

Out of curiousity, I weighed all the steel weights I removed from my tires to see how much weight was actually on them:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/mpeterson79/SIVO4ZS6kuI/AAAAAAAAAZE/5a-jG3Fi8cg/BB%20017.jpg?imgmax=512

Turns out I had 28 ounces of steel weights on my four tires. I had added 32 ounces of AirSoft pellets total (8 ounces to each of four tires):
http://lh5.ggpht.com/mpeterson79/SIVO4ZS6kuI/AAAAAAAAAZE/5a-jG3Fi8cg/BB%20017.jpg?imgmax=512

All in all, for three of us to do five tires, took about an hour. This was really quite a simple process. Dismount the tire, deflate it, break the bead, pour in the beads, and re-inflate.

Now I don't have to worry about losing steel weights or having to pay $40 each time I want to have my tires rebalanced. These AirSoft pellets should last the life of the tires, and never need to be rebalance.

[trailbuilt]

So did you drive it?

[Mark]

:o

Not yet. Too much cerveza. I'll have a drive-review tomorrow night.

[CGuava]

Nice writeup Capt'. Your neighbors love you, I know it. :thumbsup:

[dickeypjeep]

After seeing your bags of beads, I don't think that's too big of a volume for the tire. I'll be doing the same this weekend.

THANKS FOR THE WRITEUP!! :)

[clemsonkrawler]

Holy sh!t..... a tech/how-to thread. This is all I was talking about for the last 3 months. Now how hard would it be to move this thread to another folder where it wouldnt dissappear in a week??????????????????

[newracer]

Nice write up. I am using dynabeads and they work great, I have heard airsoft work just as well. I am sure you will be pleased.

[IntrepidXJ]

looks kinda familiar :D

http://www.myxj.net/blog/?p=72

[Rhino95]

Holy sh!t..... a tech/how-to thread. This is all I was talking about for the last 3 months. Now how hard would it be to move this thread to another folder where it wouldnt dissappear in a week??????????????????

Good idea. :thumbsup:

[XtremeXJ]

Nice - let me know how they work out.

[MountainJeep]

hmm..how many ounces for 40" tires?

[XtremeXJ]

MountainJeep - 12oz for a 40" tire.

[Mark]

looks kinda familiar :D

http://www.myxj.net/blog/?p=72

Wow - the similarities are creepy. I looked all over trying to see if anyone had done a write-up on this process, and couldn't find one. Looks like you beat me to the punch!

[Gotlift91]

I'm running airsoft BB's in my Krawlers and they seem to work very well and cheaper than hell!!:D

[FJBen]

Good times...I figured my heavy rig would pop them off the bead...but nope...

My kids were still laughing about the grasshopper oops :P

[Loki]

So would this work on a DD? Or is it only good for trail vehicles that aren't on the highway all that often?

[bdog]

I'm curious how it works out for you above 60, if you take it that high.

[Steve]

MountainJeep - 12oz for a 40" tire.

I don't understand how it's simply a set amount for a certain diameter of tire, without at least taking the type of tire into account. :confused:

I'm running 36" TSL/SX (bias ply) tires on beadlocks on the EB. Those tires are notoriously out of balance when new. I have 16 oz. of stick-on lead weights on one wheel. :eek: So, given that, 12 oz (or whatever is recommended for a 36" tire) ain't gonna balance at least one of my tires. :shrug:

I will say that since I had Discount balance them a couple of years ago I've had it up to 70 mph on the highway a few times with no problems or vibration, and I haven't lost any of the stick-on weight.

[Sprngfldxj]

Great Tech!!
How many oz's for 32x1150x15? 33x1050x15?
This is the way i want to go, looks like it makes more sence than trying to re balance all the time.

[IntrepidXJ]

So would this work on a DD? Or is it only good for trail vehicles that aren't on the highway all that often?

works great for me in my DD forthe last year+

[IntrepidXJ]

I don't understand how it's simply a set amount for a certain diameter of tire, without at least taking the type of tire into account. :confused:


I believe the chart is to be used a a guide.....or a starting point. Actual amount may vary :)

[Clod Hopper]

I don't understand how it's simply a set amount for a certain diameter of tire, without at least taking the type of tire into account. :confused:

I'm running 36" TSL/SX (bias ply) tires on beadlocks on the EB. Those tires are notoriously out of balance when new. I have 16 oz. of stick-on lead weights on one wheel. :eek: So, given that, 12 oz (or whatever is recommended for a 36" tire) ain't gonna balance at least one of my tires. :shrug:

I will say that since I had Discount balance them a couple of years ago I've had it up to 70 mph on the highway a few times with no problems or vibration, and I haven't lost any of the stick-on weight.

Don't have all the specifics myself, but remember the lead weights act at the wheel, the BBs act at the outside of the tire, so smaller weight has a greater effect. As for a set amount of weight, I think the BBs work themselves around inside the tire and auto distribute. So the set amount of weight is more than you should need and the extra spreads out. I don't have my head fully around the mechanics of this, gut says the weight should gravitate to the heavier spots, further unbalancing the tire, but reality says otherwise.

[Mark]

I don't have my head fully around the mechanics of this, gut says the weight should gravitate to the heavier spots, further unbalancing the tire, but reality says otherwise.

That makes two of us - I'll find out tonight after work if it's any improvement over metal rim weights.

[IntrepidXJ]

http://www.centramatic.com/howworks.html

[FJBen]

I had equal powder on my old FJ40 with 37" MT/R's. It rode down the road really smooth (as can be for a 40 y/o vehicle) up to 75ish without any bad tire wobbling.

I know there are semi's using "dyna beads" and they run a WHOLE lot more miles than us.

[Swat]

White .20g airsoft bb's are the shizznizzel.

This is dynamic balancing, balance as they go if the tire has picked up a rock, lost a knob or just worn some over time. IMHO better than weights.

[Barf Bag]

I'm running 36" TSL/SX (bias ply) tires on beadlocks on the EB. Those tires are notoriously out of balance when new. I have 16 oz. of stick-on lead weights on one wheel. :eek: So, given that, 12 oz (or whatever is recommended for a 36" tire) ain't gonna balance at least one of my tires. :shrug:

16 ounces at about 7-1/2 inches from center of rotation (assumed a 15 inch rim) would be close to 7 ounces at 18 inches away, so 12 should work for you

[Barf Bag]

White .20g airsoft bb's are the shizznizzel.

I wonder if one could use tumbler media and toss some brass in at the same time, multi-tasking

[zukatude]

Thanks for the nice write up!

And since you already have the tire and rim apart, why not glue the tire back on with some polyurethane for a cheap bead lock:thumbsup:

[Loki]

Thats impressive, wonder why all tire shops don't switch to this type of tire balancing? Faster Worn out tires= more profit? :shrug:

Wonder if it would help any with flat spoting Bias ply tires after sitting for a week?

[XtremeXJ]

I don't understand how it's simply a set amount for a certain diameter of tire, without at least taking the type of tire into account. :confused:

I'm running 36" TSL/SX (bias ply) tires on beadlocks on the EB. Those tires are notoriously out of balance when new. I have 16 oz. of stick-on lead weights on one wheel. :eek: So, given that, 12 oz (or whatever is recommended for a 36" tire) ain't gonna balance at least one of my tires. :shrug:

I will say that since I had Discount balance them a couple of years ago I've had it up to 70 mph on the highway a few times with no problems or vibration, and I haven't lost any of the stick-on weight.

Steve - it is 12oz per tire. This is based off of Dynabeads charts. The charts cover Goodyear - Interco - etc..

[Jeffro600]

And one more thing to add...their recommendation is just a guideline...you wont hurt anything by running more. I ran 12 ounces in my 33's when i think it called for 8 or so? and it worked just fine.

[ScaldedDog]

Thats impressive, wonder why all tire shops don't switch to this type of tire balancing? Faster Worn out tires= more profit? :shrug:

Wonder if it would help any with flat spoting Bias ply tires after sitting for a week?

I'm sure it's somewhat tire dependent, but my Pitbull Rockers shake like crazy 'till the beads spread out at about 40mph. The average Joe in a daily driver isn't going to put up with that.

Oh, and my Pitbulls still flatspot, and still shake when they do.


And one more thing to add...their recommendation is just a guideline...you wont hurt anything by running more. I ran 12 ounces in my 33's when i think it called for 8 or so? and it worked just fine.

This wasn't true of my Pitbulls. I used the chart originally, and the thing would hop down the road. I figured the chart was low so I went from 10oz (37x13.5 bias ply tire) to 18oz in 2oz increments. All it did was make it hop higher.

Finally, I took all the beads out - that's a lot of fun - and had Discount spin them on their patch balancing machine, then I put that weight of pellets in each tire. None took more than 5oz, and they were balanced well.

Mark

[Mark]

Well, I test drove the Jeep tonight, and while it wasn't an abysmal failure, it wasn't the result I was hoping for either. I develop a decent shake around 55, and it doesn't seem to go away above 65 like it used to. I only had enough road to get it up to about 70, but I noticed some visible shake in the front driver tire - more so than what it had before. It's not a bouncing motion though (which I would consider as up and down) but more of a lateral (side to side) shake of the tire. I'll have to look into the condition of the tie rod ends - I know my steering geometry is good, but something tells me that this is due to improperly balanced tires.

Or maybe I should just put a double steering stabilizer on it? :flipoff2:

[ScaldedDog]

Before you give up on it, try the patch balancing idea. IMHO, the charts overestimate the weight required. In physics class that extra weight doesn't make a difference, but in the real world, it does.

Mark

[Mark]

Patch balancing?

[Steve]

Or maybe I should just put a double steering stabilizer on it? :flipoff2:

If they're chrome with red boots they'll fix it good. :spit:

[ScaldedDog]

Patch balancing?

Yeah. Take all the weights out of and off the tires, and have Discount or some tire shop put them on their "patch balancing" machine. This is a machine calibrated to assume that the weight to be added will be attached via a "patch" on the inside of the tread surface of the tire. It's actually designed for racing tires and people who don't want weights hammered or stuck onto their shiny new wheels. It turns out, though, that the machine also makes the correct assumption about dynamic weight inside the tire, like Airsoft pellets. Have them write what the machine says on each tire, then go home and pour in that weight in pellets.

In my case, the machine recommended about half the weight the charts did, with much better results. YMMV, but it's worth a shot.

Mark

[Anthrax]

You guys don't like square tires?

....and I like the old west/stage coach ride. You gents/ladies are missing out on your American heritage...

actually, 37" Maxxis Creepy Crawlers unbalanced and they run great @ 55 mph.

Can't make a perfect circle!

[Mark]

Doing some digging, I found the patent information for InnovativeBalancing.com's Dyna Beads®. Here's the LINK (http://www.google.com/patents?id=lCypAAAAEBAJ&dq=7360846). In the patent claim, some general specifications about the beads are given:

The method of claim 1 wherein the balancing material has a density of between 3.0 and 6.1 gm/cc.

and


11. The method of claim 1 wherein the balancing material has a size between 0.6 and 2.0 mm.

The Airsoft pellets that I used were 1.06gm/cc, and 6.0mm in diameter. That means that DynaBeads are not only larger, but significantly denser as well (by at least a factor of 3).

Okay, so AirSoft pellets don't quite match the material properties of the Dyna Beads® that people seem to be having more success with. Reviewing those properties though, it sounded a lot like ceramic blasting media. Quick search on Google, and lo & behold:

Dyna Beads® are ceramic blasting media! (http://www.kingsbeads.com/sandblasting.asp)

Now to just find a reseller that charges less than $1.74/oz...

[newracer]

The Dyna beads I got are a lot smaller than airsoft pellets not larger. They fit through the valve stem.

[TJeeper]

Well, I test drove the Jeep tonight, and while it wasn't an abysmal failure, it wasn't the result I was hoping for either.

I use airsoft pellets on my MTRs. When I first did it with my 35x12.5x15s, I started with 4oz per tire. I noticed severe back and forth shaking of the steering wheel at low speeds. The vibes were worse than no beads or weights. I pulled .5oz out per tire and tried it again. By trial and error I settled on 2oz per tire. Worked out well, almost no vibes at any speed.

I got new 37 MTRs and I started the process all over again. I started with 3oz, went up to 4oz, then back down to 2.5 where I ended up. I've a vibe at 65mph, can't dial it out.

I think the amount of airsoft pellets needed is more complicated than just using a chart. It takes some trial and error to get each rig dialed in, along with the owner's personal preference. I haven't even thought about figuring out differences between individual tires.

[Mark]

Mike, I had my size wrong on the Airsoft pellets. They are 6.0mm in diameter, not 0.6mm. The patent claims Dyna Beads are between 0.2mm and 2.0mm, essentially a third of the size of Airsoft pellets, which would make sense.

TJeeper - how did you get the pellets out? Break the bead again & just vacuum them?

[newracer]

I have heard that rotating the tire on the rim sometimes helps. :shrug:

I guess I got lucky, my tires we not out of balance by much with no weight at all. The dyna beads got rid of some slight wobble at 55-60 mph.

[TJeeper]

TJeeper - how did you get the pellets out? Break the bead again & just vacuum them?

Exactly.

[XtremeXJ]

There are actually serval different styles to the Dynabeads - they have them for Motorcycle - Semi - Truck - Car - OFFROAD. Some went through the valve stem and some do not. The OFFROAD style require you to break the bead and install them that way.

Mine still have not yet arrived so I am still out on the results yet. I will keep you all posted once they get here.

[Dotcom]

i am using titanium bb's that you would shoot out of a bb gun, i am running 35x12.5 procomp xterains on very heavy beadlock wheels. the wheels and tires are so heavy i can not lift them myself. i started out at 8oz of weight and had some slight wobble at 40mph so i took it up to 15oz (remembering that my old simulocks took almost 25oz of weight to balance) at 15oz there is a barely noticeable vibe at 43mph so i am pretty happy with the results so far, i am going to add another 5oz to total 20oz the next time i get up the energy to remove those heavy bastiges from the jeep. when i was running the balance powder in them before it took almost 2 bags per wheel to get it right at 10oz per bag.

[XtremeXJ]

Did the fronts today.

Test Subject:
H1 Double Beadlocks
16.5
39.5 x 18.5 Boggers
H1's have been cut off and recentered - still have some of the org. wheel that still needs ground off.

Findings:
At lower speeds it seems a little worse then before. This could be flat spots on the tires as they have been sitting for almost 2 weeks with 9psi in them. Hopefully once they warm up a little and I now have 15psi in them it will get better.
At cruising speeds it seemed much much better then before. I can now look at the front axel (out the driver door) and it doesn't seem to have near the wobble that it did before.

Conculsion (sp?):
NEED MORE TIME.

[eggdashure]

Well, I test drove the Jeep tonight, and while it wasn't an abysmal failure, it wasn't the result I was hoping for either. I develop a decent shake around 55, and it doesn't seem to go away above 65 like it used to. I only had enough road to get it up to about 70, but I noticed some visible shake in the front driver tire - more so than what it had before. It's not a bouncing motion though (which I would consider as up and down) but more of a lateral (side to side) shake of the tire. I'll have to look into the condition of the tie rod ends - I know my steering geometry is good, but something tells me that this is due to improperly balanced tires.

Ol Blue, something you may consider. I worked in a tire shop for several years. Lateral balance can be tamed by static balancing your tires. There's two types, first type everyone uses, Dynamic. It controls up and down side to side. Static takes care of side to side. The beads can't control the lateral movement.

Honestly, I don't know if you can static balance you tires with the beads on. I had a set of tires come in from a buddy using dynabeads, when I put it on the balancer the tires we're always "out of balance" according to the machine. But he had a very smooth ride with static balancing and dynabeads. Just my input.:D

Matt

[Mark]

Good to know Matt - I got everything finally put back together last night (4 new tie rod ends, new DS wheel bearings & DS ball joints), but didn't have time to get it out & take it up to speed to see if anything had improved.

Sure would be nice if they could be static balanced with the beads in.

[eggdashure]

I would take it to a tire shop and have them spin the tire Dynamic. Ask them to see if the "Static" weight amount changes. Like I said, when I threw my friends tires on our balancers the weight amounts always changed and moved around. But I never looked to see if the static weight ever changed. I'm rather curious now myself to see what your outcome is. :thumbsup:

Matt

[cwkelle]

wont these pellets melt when the tires get hot, from what i've read about airsoft pellets their plastic.....dd are steal.....so..........

[Mark]

Tires don't get hot enough to melt acrylic, so no.

[ROKCHEV]

This is awesome. I am going to do this to my 40's.

[89minitruck]

I have bb's in 39" TSL SX and it works well. Plus, I love the sound when you come to the corner.

[Leon Phelps]

Former/Current Dynabead user.... 2x sets of 35" tires MTRs and BFG All Terrains. Currently have a set of beads for the 36" Swampers w/ beadlocks, that will go on the J-truck. They do work good, IMHO.

To get a smooth ride though, I still ended up statically balancing the tires w/ stick on weights, with the beads in the tires. 4/5 MTRs took only about 4-6 ounces of weight, and the bent rim took almost a pound.

Also w/ running beads, you'll find out real quick if one of your steel wheels is bent to hell (Don't ask how I know)

[Mark]

You mean, worse than just a hammered edge? I've got two rims where they've suffered some rock damage & the lip is bent for about a 1" section.

[Leon Phelps]

You mean, worse than just a hammered edge? I've got two rims where they've suffered some rock damage & the lip is bent for about a 1" section.

I had one steel wheel w/ the MTR/s that had issues due to a fubared lip. Two sections were folded a bit, each section maybe about 16 inches long.

It shook like a SOB at about 35mph and about 60-65 mph.... I chased it with the static balancing to "kinda" fix it.... It worked good as a spare, but still had a slight shimmy at about 65mph.

The BFG's case, I ran the tires way too low, broke the bead and the inner rim took a nasty hit from a rock. The damage wasn't real noticeable (visually), but I had to inspect the wheel w/ out a tire and with a straight edge to find it.

Ended up replacing the rims in both cases, but still it was a pain and expensive as hell to chase both problems down. Wheel bearings, ball joints, anything you can think of, I threw at it, thinking the beads had nothing to do with it. The beads alone just cant balance a tire/rim combo that is way out of whack, IMHO.

[Cruzin Illusion]

All I can say Holy Cow a tech post on Colorado4x4. There has got to be some hidden political message or some secret link to pictures of drunk people:D

Nice job OlBlueCJ7 !!!

[Mark]

Thanks Tom. :)

No beadlocks for me. No need.

[FJBen]

Thanks Tom. :)

No beadlocks for me. No need.

after watching how much you folded that tire over on storm...I don't think you really need them either :eek:


it probably wouldn't hurt to get a new rim or two tho

[Mark]

I'm thinking sledge hammer, crowbar & spray paint vs. new rims. :)

[Mark]

Well, I pulled all the tires last night, busted the beads, and vacuumed out all the Airsoft pellets. Putting the pellets in was considerably easier than taking them out.

Off to Walmart tonight for $7.50/tire lifetime balancing.

[Mark]

Walmart, as previous concluded, is full of velcro shoe wearing, window licking, morons.

Even though I called them last night to verify that they could balance a 35" tire (and would honor a lifetime warranty for the same) prior to me breaking mine down & removing all the beads, they cannot in fact do anything of the sort.

Not sure what the plan is next - none of the tire shops around here are open the hours I can take the Jeep in, and I highly doubt that they'll offer the same kind of deal that Walmart tried to.

I should have known better. :rolleyes:

[Steven_Mc]

I'm curious why you pulled all the beads out and tried to go back to the stick on weight balancing? It sounds like the amount of beads you are using in each tire must just be off.

Now that you pulled all of the beads out it sounds to me like you should give Mark's suggestion a try...


Yeah. Take all the weights out of and off the tires, and have Discount or some tire shop put them on their "patch balancing" machine. This is a machine calibrated to assume that the weight to be added will be attached via a "patch" on the inside of the tread surface of the tire. It's actually designed for racing tires and people who don't want weights hammered or stuck onto their shiny new wheels. It turns out, though, that the machine also makes the correct assumption about dynamic weight inside the tire, like Airsoft pellets. Have them write what the machine says on each tire, then go home and pour in that weight in pellets.

In my case, the machine recommended about half the weight the charts did, with much better results. YMMV, but it's worth a shot.

Mark

Let us know how it works out. :thumbsup:

[Mark]

I have no way of really knowing how much weight should be in each tire, for one. Second, I don't think the Airsoft pellets I was using are dense enough to work effectively. The 8oz I had in each tire took up too large a surface area. My thinking is that in order to be effective, the beads need to be better concentrated. Thirdly, I was under the assumption that Walmart could balance my tires for $7.50 a tire, for life. Part of my aversion to steel rim weights is that I'm always peeling them off when wheeling, or moving them; but for $7.50 a tire, I could go back anytime & have them rebalanced, which takes out the 'having to pay once a month to have my tires rebalanced' issue.

So this 'patch balancing machine' - why not just put the patch in the tire like it's designed? Then at least you know the weights are always in the right spot, and not going to be upset by road conditions...

I may just try the HF bubble balancer & some stick on rim weights at this point.

[Steve]

Have Discount balance them using adhesive weights; I've had those on mine for a couple of years with no problems with weights coming off. Discount's balancing is lifetime as well.

[Mark]

Steve - are those the ones that they just stick on to the mid-line of the rim? Not out at the edge?

[Steve]

Steve - are those the ones that they just stick on to the mid-line of the rim? Not out at the edge?

Yep, so they're pretty protected from coming into contact with anything.

[BURNTFISH]

The stick on ones work great. I have had the air soft in mine 4 years without any problems. Mine is a daily driver with 31 10.5 and 9.5 oz in each one. I started with 8oz but had to add more because I am running retreads.

[thomjpster]

Steve - are those the ones that they just stick on to the mid-line of the rim? Not out at the edge?

Mark,

They also come in CHROME!!!! :bling:

[Volcom]

Stick on weights would work if you had beadlocks. Without beadlocks, your tire will spin on the wheel when aired down and ruin the balance.

I used 12 oz. of BB's in my 39.5" Iroks. They seem to work decent.

[Jeffro600]

I may just try the HF bubble balancer & some stick on rim weights at this point.

If you want one, let me know...ill sell you one for cheap

[Mark]

I'm thinking the shipping from Hesperia, CA to Greeley is going to cost more than the $20 I can get it for at my local store, but thanks anyways. :)

I think adhesive weights is my next attempt.

[newracer]

Why not try these that you posted?
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200338053_200338053

[Jeffro600]

I'm thinking the shipping from Hesperia, CA to Greeley is going to cost more than the $20 I can get it for at my local store, but thanks anyways. :)

I think adhesive weights is my next attempt.

Your talking about this one right??
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=39741

Gonna cost you more than 20 bucks!

[Mark]

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=91939

;)

Mike - I'm just not sold on the beads (whether airsoft or actual ceramic ones). After driving my jeep last night with zero weights in/on the tires, there was absolutely no difference in the tire balance that I could feel.

[Colin]

I just found another good reason for internal balancing. Avoiding flying lead!

Went wheeling last night just out of town and my buddy got nailed in the chest with one of my humongo weights.

All I heard was a loud "thud" and SON OF A BI*CH!

[newracer]

I am starting to think the beads only work if the tires are not out of balance by much. Before the dyna-beads I had a slight vibe about 55mph, not too bad but noticeable for sure, other than that they ran great. I installed the dyna-beads and the vibe went away. :shrug:

[FJBen]

I had great luck with the equal powder in mine. Of course I had nice aluminum rims which were probably MUCH more true than your steel wheels.

It would be interesting to see if a tire shop would let you just spin each one to see if the bent ones/beat up ones were causing the trouble. maybe it's just one rim thats messing stuff up.

[newracer]

I also have aluminum rims.

[Mark]

I think 'rim' denotes something round. I would call mine more of 'blocks'. :o

[ScaldedDog]

So this 'patch balancing machine' - why not just put the patch in the tire like it's designed? Then at least you know the weights are always in the right spot, and not going to be upset by road conditions...

I can't remember if you had beadlocks, or not, but without them the tires will spin on the wheels and change the balancing characteristics.

Mark