How do you balance your wheels? Does anyone here use internal balancing products?

 

yeah i use something callled Equal balancing powder in mine..(not the sweetner ) works great ! i was surprised how well it works and easy it was , just throw a bag it in their and drive , it does the rest. i have a 37" tire and 18 " wheel. just got to be careful of mosture if you are airing down alote, i havnt had any problems ..hope that helps

 

I have mine balanced with external weights mounted only on the inside (body side) rim.

 

I have heard of people using led shot (like from a shotgun shell) as internal balance. You dont have to worry about moisture or it blowing out when you air down. I have even seen people use golf balls (I wouldnt try that one though).

 

Um, on a wheel balancing machine at the tire shop?

 

Not so much with 20" beadlock rims and 42" tires...some shops won't even touch beadlocks.....very useful info any other ways you guys know of?.....cause I have a feeling thats going to be a problem

 

There are a couple of companies that make discs that go behind your wheel when you bolt it on. They are about the diameter of the inside of the wheel. The oute rim of it is half filled with a heavy fluid. It works wel, but i dont know where to get them from or if there is a 5-5 bolt patter version. They used a similar setup in the military hummers. May be worth a look.

 

started looking around....these seemed pretty promising

Dynabeads

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


they have a nice tire chart too

for my Interco IROKS 41 x 14.5 r 20 I would need 12 oz. a tire for balance.....at $18.49 a 12 oz. bag it costs $90+ for good balance from them........but since they offer the tire chart...couldn't I just weigh out 12 oz. of some ball bearings or shotgun beads and get the same effect?

 

I would do the lead shot thing. Check with rockstomper.com. They use a similar product for ballast, but it could be used for balance. It only comes in 50lbs bags though. I live 10 minutes from them so i may go check it out.

 

My $0.02. Lead shot, or BBs or, Air Soft pellets work. The other balancing products that go in the tire like Equal work a bit better. The problem with shot of any kind is that while it will balance the tire, when you are on the street (where you want the tire to be balanced) and you hit a bump, you run the risk of the weight suddenly shifting and having all the bad things happen that happen to unbalanced tires, especially at high speed. There are centrifugal balancers that bolt to the wheel and use a combination of fluids and/or weights. They work well. They are usually found on trucks, busses, and RVs. Check out an RV product supplier and you may find some that will fit on a 5 on 5 bolt pattern. Going to a tire shop is probably the best solution, as they can do it fast and there will be no warranty issues on the tire, if that is a concern of yours. The balance should last a long time, so the cost is not that bad. If it is too expensive or you just don't want to, you can try the shot. It works. Just remember lead will take a while to balance as it is heavy. Steel will rust unless you only run nitrogen in your tires. Air Soft pellets are probably the best cheap solution right now, but they don't weigh that much so you will need lots of them. Another possible thing to look at is getting a tire balancer yourself. Not the professional computerized ones but the old school type. I forget the name right now. They are kind of like a level. You set the tire on it and add weights until the bubble is in the middle of the window. They aren't that expensive, and I think I have seen them at Harbor Freight and such. But, they take a lot of practice to be able to get it right.

If you are running a trail only rig, don't bother balancing unless you are planning on lots of high speed runs. If you spend most of your time on road, go to a tire shop. If you loose your weights off road a lot, learn to do the bubble balancing thing or throw some weights in the tire.