It works well. Guys used to put BBs or golf balls in their tires to balance them, but in the freezing areas they would clump together and cause problems. Equal works great and doesn't freeze. I have it in my 38s on the CJ and can roll down the highway at 75+ without a problem.

 

wow.. I never new stuff like this would work.. I guess the momentum causes them to spread out and go to the areas that are out of balance?

 

Correct. The equal will distribute around the inside to balance the tire.

There are 3 options that I know of for balancing oversize tires...internal balancing substances (powders/beads - such as equal), Centramatics tire balancers (a plate shaped contraption that goes between the rim and the rotor...works similarly to the beads but keeps them out of the tire and in their own container), and weights.

There are pros and cons to each of the methods.

For the internal powders/beads - work well, but are a pain to get into the tire. Either the tire must be dismounted to place packets of the substance into the tire, or some come with a funnel-like tool to pour the substance in through the valve stem. Usually special valve stems are required to filter the substance out of the airstream and keep the valve from clogging if you let air out of the tire. You must also replace the powder/beads anytime you change out tires on the rims, so this will be a recurring cost over the long haul. One other consideration...when airing up a tire with equal in it, if the air is not passed through some sort of a drier, you will introduce moisture into the tire. Do this enough times, and any powder/bead solution will clump and therefore throw off the balance.

Centramatics - works well, but is costly. It also puts an object between your rim and the rotor, which requires you to be careful to tighten lugs appropriately or else the rim can wobble or come loose. It also moves your rim outwards a slight bit, similar to a spacer. But they are reusable and will be a one-time cost.

Weights - usually takes a lot, and thereby you have more chance of throwing a weight and getting out of balance. But it is the "cheap" alternative and therefore the one most people use.

Personally, I tend to go for the simplest and cheapest solution, as long as I don't sacrifice safety. I always go for the external weights.

 

To the origonal poster, are the weights hammer on weights or are they stickey and on the inside of the wheel? Also are there weights on both sides of the wheel or just in the middle?

 

there the stickies in the middle... a whole lot of em!