Michael:

You still running BB's in your tires ? If so, how many oz's ended up working ? Did they balance up OK after you fixed your wobble problems ?

Just ran across a PBB thread from last year that you started in the Gen 4X4 section...

keith
:usa:

I am running BB's still in one set of tires. I went up to 18 oz of BB's per tire, which was a little much. I probably should have stopped at 14 or 16oz., but didn't.

These are 255/85/16 Dunlop Radial Mud Rovers.

I think I'll stick with steel weights from now on actually.

BB's being...bearing balls? Any particular size that seem to work better?

Im fed up loosing and replacing lead weights, and i don't think myTireloc's like Equal or similar products.

BB's are small balls of copper. You can get them coated with zinc (I did) also.

They get shot through a pistol or rifle for target practice. They measure about 1-2mm in diameter.

Christopher,
Have you tried the stick on weights that go on the inside of the rim? I never lost any of those. I too always lose the weights that are crimped onto the lip of the wheel.

I guess I haven't lost that kind either, now that you menthion it. Problem is, they needed to all kinds of weights to get my Swampers to balance, including monstrous stick on weights for heavy trucks and several crimp on weights. They used almost a kg of lead per rim, and some woodoo too.

I think I need something to put in the tires that has enough course granularity not to get stuck between the sidewall and the Tireloc "sock".

Originally posted by wilsby

I think I need something to put in the tires that has enough course granularity not to get stuck between the sidewall and the Tireloc "sock".

I'm running golf balls in my LTBs...they suck. Both the LTBs and the golf balls as a 'dynamic balancer.'

What do you think of steel balls the size ýou get from exploding CV's?

I dunno if I'd want those rattling around my wheel and tire...

IMO, which is a little more revered than BS (arguably), BBs are not a bad way to go as long as you don't add too many. Golf balls cannot distribute themselves throughout the tire like BBs can. The problem with either is adding too many, then having to break the bead to get them out (or leave them in and deal with the vibes).

Are you running steel wheels? The alloys seem to balance out better. My SIII steelies are riveted and balance poorly. Some people report that a tire shop should be able to spin the wheel and tire and check for balance, then match them up to minimize the out-of-balance (e.g. match the wheel heavy spot with the tire light spot and vice-versa).

Unfortunately, some shops will not touch larger tires, either balancing or mounting. So pick your poison. I guess I shouldn't be surprised my Swampers ride like crap...

I run Wolfs and Super Swampers Q78-16 (same as the portaled Rangie from Finland). I had mine set up by a shop for heavy trucks. But they are used to bigger wheels than 16" and a lower profile. The lead would be much more efficient on a 20" wheel or bigger, which is what they are used to. The Wolfs only measure 6.5" accross, which also render the weights less efficient.

The shop actually got them to zero, or close, on the balancer. The didn't break beads and reseat them, but they had three guys doing their woodoo and putting weights in different places than the machine said. The problem is that I have a lot of lead to shave off on a trail, and it will not be a smoth ride home if (when) I loose some of those weights. My CB trick was to paint the weights. When I lose some weights, all I need to do i look att the paint marks and add weight to fit the pattern, without paying for a full balance.

So, I guess I'm just looking for the holy grail of wheel balancing.

The solution may actually be on it's way here on a truck. I found five lightly used Michelin XZL's in 255/100-16 in the UK, and if they are as good as stated they will last me a long time and are supposed to balance with very few, if any, weights.

Thanks Mike - but do you think the BB's actually maintain balance ?

I've got two problems.

One, my 'little' tires (on the LR), GY MT/R's, have a habit of chunking the lugs when hammered over rocks and ledges. A nice balanced tire on the way to Moab will NOT be a nice balanced tire on the way home. The way my front suspension is, any wheel hop from being out of balance will ocassionaly set off wobble at about 63 MPH, which is where I cruise on 2-lanes. (yeah - I should fix it, but that's not the point)

Two, I need to balance up a set 14.5X20's on the Mog. I hear conflicting stories on Equal plus it's air-down & $$ issues. I thought maybe shot inside as a dynamic balance element might be a good way to go - a few extra pounds of BB's inside a 200+ lb tire/wheel combo is hardly a big deal.

I HATE standard lead weights - they always get torn off on the trails - tape weights are great but they won't "adapt" as balance changes.

Maybe we should all fill our tires with water like the crawlers ;)

keith
:usa:

Seroiusly, water (with some anti-freeze) should work as a dynamic balancer, shouldn't it? Or am I totally off here?

the crawlers use the water in the tires to lower the cog . . .

i've read somewhere before to ensure that the wheel shop balances your wheels by plugging into the bolt-pattern and not the hole in the center. supposedly for the LR wheels, a wheel that's balanced on the hole will not be balanced when you bolt it back onto the hub, if that makes any sense.

The BB's do help a lot. I guess I was just looking for 'perfection', and I was dissapointed when I didn't get the perfect balance.

I have ridden in some vehicles with water in the tires (about 80% full), and the ride on the pavement was nice. No noticable wheel balance issues.

Here's a link to a trip I did with some tires filled with water. (http://tawayama.com/safaris/recent%20trips/teamprocomp/teamprocomp.html)

I don't think that Equal is designed to balance super large tires. I think you'd have to put so much in there to make it weigh anything.

The same thing could be said for BB's. They definitely weren't designed to balance tires, but they do seem to work.

Throw a cup of anti-freeze in there with your BB's to make sure they don't freeze together.

Remember, the amount you put in is a total crapshoot. Go up in small increments and don't go too far or like DieLucas! said, it'll be a pain to get it back out.

Yes, all LR steel wheels I've had, the center is not centered.

The problem I see with weight balancing is that the tire migrates around the rim off road if you air down without beadlocks.

The local 4x4 shops around here sell "balancing powder" which people say works well. I'm running unbalanced with the TrXus, no problems.

I know why crawler use water, but wouldn't a few litres of water do the same job as the sand or metal balls? Or does it have to be a solid powder to settle in the right places?

Equal, or another brand name but similar product, is sold by the largest truck tire chain around here. You just add more to really big tires. The Stockholm city buses is one of their customers. It supposedly works fine for them, but it is important to use dry air. The only reason I haven't jumped on it is that I think it would chafe on the Tirelocs.

My Swampers are actually fairly OK now, but as stated earlier they won't if I have to ride home less a pound of lead or so.