Balancing TT tires: Dyna Beads

[WIBadger]

I'm planning on replacing my tires this season. During the installation of new tires, I'm considering Dyna Beads for the inside of the tires so as to properly balance the tires. Has anybody used these beads or know of anyone who has? See http://www.innovativebalancing.com/index.php Thanks.

[Jagiven]

I have had mixed results with Dyna Beads. I have them in my Model T, and they work great. They made it so you can drive it over 25 mph. I put them in my truck and I had an absolutely horrible vibration, and after a few months I brought the truck in and had the tires removed and the beads cleaned out, and rebalanced the old fashion way. I had intentions on installing them in the trailers, but with my mixed results I have been hesitant to do so.

I know a fair number of people that have used them and absolutely love them.

[Seann45]

Why not just properly balance them?

[Jagiven]

Dyna beads are a dynamic balancing system. So as your tires wear, you pick up a rock in the treads, or any other things change with your tires, the beads instantaneously adjusts your tire balance. With traditional tire balancing techniques you should rebalance your tires periodically, with tire tread wear. With Dyna Beads, you never need to rebalance. In theory it works, in my experience it only works some of the time.

[reitrof]

I believe you also need to change the tire valve insert when using the beads.

[WIBadger]

Why not just properly balance them?

Upfront disclaimer: I don't mean for this thread to evolve into a "to balance or not" debate.

My understanding is that to properly balance our TT tires each tire/wheel combo needs to be balanced while still mounted on the trailer because the hubs/drums are out of balance (which requires finding a shop that has the proper balance machine; not easy to find). This procedure, however, will only work with the wheel in that position -- if you remove the wheel and rotate one lug hole, the balance is gone. Due to the difficulty in finding the necessary equipment and having to worry about wheel rotation upon removal, I'm taking a "pass" on this approach.

The next level of protection is to balance the tire/wheel combo via a tire balancer found at your local tire store. Sounds simple, right? Be careful. Steel wheels are stamped and not machine center bored as most car wheels. Instead, the wheel is centered by the lugs rather than by the hub (aka "lug centric"), where the lugs hold the wheel and support the weight. Therefore, using the typical spin machine requires that the store/shop balance the tire/wheel combo with a lug centric adapter (NOT the hub centric cone typically used for car wheels). The problem: many tire stores/shops don’t have them or have ever seen one and if you're not watching or aware of the issue (ie, ignorance is bliss!), the tech will balance them on a hub centric cone, but the tire/wheel combo will NOT be balanced. Bottomline: Make sure it is lug centric and not hub centric when it goes on the balancer.

As an alternative to the above procedures, I'm wondering if a product such as dyna beads would work. In this case, I could go to any tire store/shop, add beads directly into the tire during the install process, and only require the store/shop to mount the tire on the wheel. My personal preference is to balance via a tire balancer using a lug centric adapter, but wondering if the use of beads may be a better approach.

[Recondite]

Originally Posted by WIBadger

Upfront disclaimer: I don't mean for this thread to evolve into a "to balance or not" debate.

My understanding is that to properly balance our TT tires each tire/wheel combo needs to be balanced while still mounted on the trailer because the hubs/drums are out of balance (which requires finding a shop that has the proper balance machine; not easy to find). This procedure, however, will only work with the wheel in that position -- if you remove the wheel and rotate one lug hole, the balance is gone. Due to the difficulty in finding the necessary equipment and having to worry about wheel rotation upon removal, I'm taking a "pass" on this approach.

The next level of protection is to balance the tire/wheel combo via a tire balancer found at your local tire store. Sounds simple, right? Be careful. Steel wheels are stamped and not machine center bored as most car wheels. Instead, the wheel is centered by the lugs rather than by the hub (aka "lug centric"), where the lugs hold the wheel and support the weight. Therefore, using the typical spin machine requires that the store/shop balance the tire/wheel combo with a lug centric adapter (NOT the hub centric cone typically used for car wheels). The problem: many tire stores/shops don’t have them or have ever seen one and if you're not watching or aware of the issue (ie, ignorance is bliss!), the tech will balance them on a hub centric cone, but the tire/wheel combo will NOT be balanced. Bottomline: Make sure it is lug centric and not hub centric when it goes on the balancer.

As an alternative to the above procedures, I'm wondering if a product such as dyna beads would work. In this case, I could go to any tire store/shop, add beads directly into the tire during the install process, and only require the store/shop to mount the tire on the wheel. My personal preference is to balance via a tire balancer using a lug centric adapter, but wondering if the use of beads may be a better approach.

X2 - that has always been my understanding, lug centric vs. hub centric and why trailer tires are not normally balanced. Has anyone tried these though? http://mrtruck.com/mrtruck/wp-conten...entramatic.htm. Looks interesting.