Balancing Beads

[islandtees]

Anyone using them. What are you're thoughts. I wonder if they really work.

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[simpleJL]

Not really necessary for normal wheels - I have read that they can help supplement regular wheel weights on beadlocks, as those can be a bit finicky to balance.

But if you aren't running beadlocks - there is no real benefit to using beads.

I do however use them in my motorcycle tires and they work great in that small application.

 

[islandtees]

Beadlocks is exactly what I was thinking. Will they work instead of using wheel weights.

 

[boogie]

I was thinking about trying rid on tire sealant on my Beadlocks has anyone tried this stuff? I have it in my bike and it works great

 

[jloyva]

Not really necessary for normal wheels - I have read that they can help supplement regular wheel weights on beadlocks, as those can be a bit finicky to balance.

But if you aren't running beadlocks - there is no real benefit to using beads.

I do however use them in my motorcycle tires and they work great in that small application.

If you believe what you read, there are benefits to using beads. They dynamically balance the tires, so when there is only 50% tread left and the tire has a slightly different weight distribution they will always perfectly balance the wheel, which should make the tires last as long as possible. Also since they are used in place of traditional wheel weights you don't have unsightly weights stuck to or crimped onto your wheels.

According to the web site http://innovativebalancing.com/tirechartmap.htm they are popular in large commercial tires in place of traditional weights. They also have application charts for 4x4 over size tires http://innovativebalancing.com/tirechartmap.htm

I've been using them in my motorcycle tires for years as well, and yes they do work great. I will get anywhere from 15k to 18k miles out of my rear tire, this usually includes 2k or 3k worth of pulling a trailer two up fully loaded (of course this is probably more due to my old man driving style).

 

[boogie]

I’m going to order some from this guy to try
https://checkeredflagtirebalancebeads.com/questions-and-answers/

 

[boogie]

Nice!! I have some on the way thanks for the info!

 

[boogie]

So i put them in my tires this past weekend with no luck still unbalanced hops at 45-55mph

 

[Swanny297]

So i put them in my tires this past weekend with no luck still unbalanced hops at 45-55mph

Never had any luck with balance beads - there is no definitive way to tell if you are balanced other than driving

 

[FrankieFJL]

I just bought a new set of 35s yesterday. They put beads in them because they said the balance machine wouldn't take 35 inch tires. I never heard of the beads but was suspicious from the start. They informed me about aftermarket wheels not taking the weights on so large a tire. This is the biggest tire I have ever run so I figured, hey trust the pros, they must know what they are doing and don't argue with them, it will probably work.

I also didn't want them using an impact gun on my new wheels so I took them home and installed them myself. And this was after four and a half hours waiting for them to mount the tires on my new rims. I had a 9am appointment, but it seems they didn't care about that. I was so bullshit I just wanted to get my new wheels home and install them. So disappointed with the beads. They do not work, my wheels are terrible over 50mph. They wobble like crazy! The beads don't work. I've given it two days and they have yet to work.

Looking back, I think they were too busy and didn't want to spend the time properly balancing them. Bottom line is they lost a customer who just dropped over $1,600 on new tires and won't ever buy from them again. I'll be calling them tomorrow to demand my refund for "computer balancing" that was part or my bill. Didn't notice that when I left because I was so pissed. Will bring the tires to a shop that knows what they're doing.

Just looked at the link above and read the explanation of how they work. Sounds like magic beans to me...​

 

[boogie]

Never again for me! I took them out yesterday. I have bead lock wheels so I pooped of the back of the tire and used a shop vacuum and a piece of hose to suck them out it took forever to get them out. Now I need to go get them balanced at a tire shop

 

[NavyVet1959]

I had read on some of the motorcycle forums where people had used them on their motorcycle tires. There are some people who use the commercial ones and others who use the heavier Airsoft BBs. I had a bottle of the Airsoft BBs that I had used for the ASBB method of powder coating cast lead bullets, so decided to give it a try when I replaced the rear tire on my Harley. I don't notice an imbalance in the tire, but then again, I didn't test the tire beforehand without the beads, so I really don't know if it improved anything or not.

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