Dyna beads tire balancing

[Bonnewagon]

Anyone try this stuff? It started with tractor trailer tires and has evolved to cars and motorcycles. Tiny ceramic beads are placed inside the tire and as the tire spins they find unbalanced spots and congregate there, balancing the tire. When the vehicle stops they fall back to the bottom and do it all over when it moves again so it is always rebalancing. Not cheap, but if they rebalance the tire as it wears it could be cost effective over the life of the tire. I'd like to try it. Anyone know about this? Sounds like a good idea. http://innovativebalancing.com/

 

[565bbchevy]

We use then on our work truck tires but for me as interesting as it sounds in an automotive application I have always felt this way of balancing really only applies to tires that are typically too large for a balancing machine or for on road repairs where it is not practical to have to take it somewhere to get a tire balanced.

 

[Bonnewagon]

So how well did they work on the trucks? Do they get up to any high speed or what? I was searching for an inexpensive wheel balancing tool, like say an old service station Atlas bubble balancer. HF sells their cheapo balancer but I want a good solid unit. That's why I considered the beads since they are reusable and won't ever fall off like lead weights.

 

[565bbchevy]

I think they do work well for the truck tires and I have never felt anything as far as vibrations or the feeling that something is out of balance but speeds are limited to 65-70 MPH even though I don't think going faster would be any different.
Tire wear seems average to me but because of the mileage you get out of truck tires many other suspension components wear out in the process of that timespan, in a southern state with better roads you would probably see a much longer lifespan.
I would say as an alternative to using a HF bubble balancer this would probably give an equal or better balance.
I do also like the advantage of not having weights mounted on the rims and the possibility of them getting knocked off in the work trucks.
For me as far as my car tires I will still be using the local tire stores for mounting and balancing since I have a Belle Tire across the street from my house and a Discount Tire a block away from work and since they all know me I just drop stuff off and pick it up later when it is done.

 

[Bonnewagon]

Thank's for that info, now it's just a matter of cost-per-wheel vs buying a decent balancer and a selection of weights. Not only are there several brands, they all run about $10 a wheel. It wouldn't take many wheels to equal the cost of a decent used commercial bubble balancer. I too have a friend with a digital balance machine, but I doubt he ever gets it calibrated and so even when I get it to .00, my tires wiggle at speed. I never had that trouble with an old school bubble balancer.

 

[truracer20]

I would rather go with stick on weights. Dyna beads though do work well but are intended for tires that are very heavy by themselves. Because of that they require a lot of lead for balance, making clamp on weights impractical.