Media to balance 38.7" XML tires? (1 Viewer)

[CodyRx7]

I've heard a few options over the months of being on this forum, and I figure the hardcore forum would have the most experience in balancing huge tires.


What is the recommended media?

I've heard of golf balls, plastic airsoft BBs, copper BBs, etc...

 

[GreasedPiggy]

I am not affiliated with this company but must say I was impressed by the difference just 8 ounces of beads did in my Q78 SSwampers:

http://www.innovativebalancing.com/gallery1.htm

I've heard AirSoft pellets will get it done.

I was wondering if just some liquid (non-corrosive/non-flammable) would work???

 

[CodyRx7]

I took it on a few hills to test clearances a few minutes ago and managed to pick up a bunch of small rocks in the treads.

I pulled onto the highway.....and NO vibes at all....lol. I picked up the perfect amount of rocks in the right places to balance it out.

I know they won't stay...but I thought it was funny.

How many airsoft pellets are recommended per tire?

 

[GreasedPiggy]

I can't say for the Pellets as what I read was not based upon fact.

The Chart from the site given above tells how much per tire size, but that is for their product.

(I'm not even sure what Airsoft pellets are made from...)

(probably not ceramic)

 

[FRIZZLEFRY]

I have used golf balls in Swampers.I got the number of balls off of Pirate.Worked great

Prolly the best set of tires I have ever had was a set of worn out 11.00R16 XLs.They looked awful but ended up needing no balance.You got vibes without the rocks?

 

[CruisinGA]

As long as the media is non-corrosive and does not "bunch up" with moisture (think sand), you will be fine.

The smaller the media the finer the balance.

I have been running airsoft pellets for a couple years, but they have been disintegrating inside the tire leaving a nasty powder.

Stainless BB's or ball bearings are the way to go, I just have not gotten around to ordering some up and swapping them out.
Lead Musket Balls or something similar would probably work as well.

http://www.innovativebalancing.com/ Has the chart for weight required per tire size, and sells a media designed specifically for this application.

"overlord" sent me this supplier- http://cgi.ebay.com/2555-2-1-2-lb-3...3328182QQihZ008QQcategoryZ26420QQcmdZViewItem

Good Luck!

 

[bkfj40]

lead shot...

although with that size tires, I'd try bricks


bk

 

[FredTheMonster]

Went through the same questions as you about 6 months ago... One of my Swampers (when new) came with 2 1/2 lbs of weight on it FOR ONE TIRE!
Once they wear you need to re-balance.

I heard about all the beads, shot, bb's, etc. and then I heard folks say "if you use bb's -- put in 1/2 cup of anti-freeze so they do not rust"

I ended up running with this thought and put 2 cups of RV type anti-freeze in each of my swampers -- nothing else... just the anti-freeze. I settled on 2 cups based on charts of tire specific weight needed from different "quality" media websites.

Works great

 

[DBS311]

Michelin does a good job of making these tires round from the get-go. I would throw in an 8 oz. bag of Equal (not the sugar substitute) per tire and call it a day.

You're gonna need some bigger axles to handle that tire.

 

[pbgbottle]

some info on hardness from thier FAQ dyna beads are ceramic


Hardness
A balancing product that is nice and round with a smooth surface can only perform properly if it stays that way over many thousands of miles, especially important for Fleets. Other materials are much softer than ceramic, and can grind down quickly, and become prone to "clumping". Here's a comparison:

Mohs Hardness Scale

Ceramic (Dyna Beads) 7.0 - Hard
Glass 5.5 - Med
Stainless Steel 4.0 - Soft


also see here for golf balls

http://www.innovativebalancing.com/GolfBalls.pdf

 

[CodyRx7]

Yeah, I saw those golf balls in the PDF pic above. I imagine there are different types of material for golf balls, and using them for something besides golf might have those results.

The plastic airsoft pellets seem like they would just shatter from hitting the rim inside the tire.

Hmm...I wonder how super bouncy balls would do?

 

[Nay]

Just do the ceramic beads from innovative. What money are you trying to save? You can get everything you need for under $100.

Just remember none of this works for lateral balance (runout). Gotta have weights for that...

 

[IBCRUSN]

Way under $100. I put 10oz in five 36" TSXs with a extra set of valve cores shipped for just over $60.

Do it right, spend the coin once and be done with it especially if you're planning on running those meats on the road often. My road tires have had the ceramic beads for better than 10k miles and so far I've been impressed with the results. Golf balls, airsoft pellets and other balancing options are fine for a trailered rig that sees limited road time but not a rig you want to drive for extended trips.

 

[camcruiser13]

i also run 10 oz per tire

i use the heavy airsoft pellets, i think they are working. i didnt try the tires without them,

dont really have to much vibration going on so it would seem to me like it worked,

ohyeah i did all four tires in under 30 bucks, save your money

 

[Fromage]

Try them with no balance or with conventional wheel weights. Mine are usually able to be balanced with regular weights. These tires are round, unlike Swampers and other off-road tires. I have run mine up to 85 MPH with no noticeable vibration.

 

[dustin]

Do put the beads in before you mount the tires or you'll spend 6 hours getting them into 5 tires through the valve stems. Its a sucky job to do and I never found a fast way.

I have about 55 oz of innovative tire balancing beads if you are interrested in them. They are used from my 37's MTRs, but were only in there prob 5k miles and these things don't turn to powder or anything. In other words- they are good as new- just arent bright and shiny brand spanking new looking.

The beads work awesome. I was happy wtih them. Plus not having weights on the rims is nice. Also, unlike conventional weights, they will always keep the tires balanced. Tires go out of balance over time and should have the weights changed accordingly. But the beads always go to the right spot.

cheers!
Dustin

 

[MSGGrunt]

I run this same size in the XL tread. There is a reason that these tires would cost you several hundred dollars each, IF you could get them, they are simply made to much better than most other tires out there. I use conventional lead weights and it takes very little to balance the tires. I too can run up to 80 MPH and not vibration, shake, etc.... If I were to use internal balance I'd go with the Dyna beads and not the Equal. I have used equal in the past and was not happy with the performance.