Balancing beads needed for bead locks?

[2INSANE]

Has anyone had experience with the 16.5 bead lock rims with 37” tires? Are balancing beads going to be required? If so, what is the best beads to help with balancing this combo?

Would running a non corrosion antifreeze in the tire a good or bad idea to help balance the tires and rims as a better resort to beads?

 

[Sharecropper]

Yeah I've had experience which I will share. I mounted brand new 11.00-20 NDT tires onto my custom 20" Firestone wheels. The combined weight of the tire and wheel assembly including tubes and flaps exceeds 150 pounds each. I then purchased a set of Centramatic dynamic balancers which mount between the wheel and hub. These things didn't come close to balancing the tire/wheel assembly. So I sold the Centramatics and purchased a set of BalanceMasters. Same result, they would not balance the excessive weight of the 12-ply nylon tire and heavy custom steel wheel. Then I talked to a truck driving friend of mine and he introduced me to Dyna Beads. DynaBeads Tire Balancing Beads (innovativebalancing.com) , This product consists of small, perfectly round and relatively heavy ceramic beads which are installed inside the tire (or in my case, the tube). When sitting still, the beads are all piled up at the bottom of the inner airspace of the tire, but once the vehicle begins to move, the beads reposition themselves around the inside diameter of the tire. Through a law of nature, the beads find the position of least resistance and automatically balance the entire wheel assembly including tire, wheel, hub, spindle, and bearing. The fellow at DtnaBeads recommended 1 ounce of DynaBeads per 10 pounds of tire/wheel weight. I purchased and installed 16 ounces of DynaBeads in each tube, and can attest to their efficiency in balancing. Most folks don't believe me when I say my M1028 with the 11.00-20 NDTs run smoother than my wife's Mercedes. And the Mercedes tires are rotated and balanced at our Mercedes dealership. So in summary, yes I recommend DynaBeads.

The DynaBeads are small enough that they will flow through a valve stem. So if you decide to use them, I suggest you go ahead and mount your tire and wheel and install them on your truck. Then add the DynaBeads as the last step. Simply position the valve stem of each wheel at the 6 o'clock position and pour them in. Each kit comes with a plastic squeeze bottle with a spout cap and a clear tube, along with new, special valve stems which are designed to prevent the beads from lodging in the valve mechanism. Simply pour the correct amount of DynaBeads into the squeeze bottle, install the cap and press the clear tube over the end of the spout. Press the other end of the clear tube onto the valve stem and then invert the plastic squeeze bottle. I found the beads flow better by adding vibration to the bottle. I used my etching tool set for maximum and simply held the tool next to the bottle. The vibration caused the beads to flow through the clear tube quickly. Once all the beads are in your tire, simply reinstall the new valve stem and cap and you are good to go.

Hope this helps.

 

[2INSANE]

Yeah I've had experience which I will share. I mounted brand new 11.00-20 NDT tires onto my custom 20" Firestone wheels. The combined weight of the tire and wheel assembly including tubes and flaps exceeds 150 pounds each. I then purchased a set of Centramatic dynamic balancers which mount between the wheel and hub. These things didn't come close to balancing the tire/wheel assembly. So I sold the Centramatics and purchased a set of BalanceMasters. Same result, they would not balance the excessive weight of the 12-ply nylon tire and heavy custom steel wheel. Then I talked to a truck driving friend of mine and he introduced me to Dyna Beads. DynaBeads Tire Balancing Beads (innovativebalancing.com) , This product consists of small, perfectly round and relatively heavy ceramic beads which are installed inside the tire (or in my case, the tube). When sitting still, the beads are all piled up at the bottom of the inner airspace of the tire, but once the vehicle begins to move, the beads reposition themselves around the inside diameter of the tire. Through a law of nature, the beads find the position of least resistance and automatically balance the entire wheel assembly including tire, wheel, hub, spindle, and bearing. The fellow at DtnaBeads recommended 1 ounce of DynaBeads per 10 pounds of tire/wheel weight. I purchased and installed 16 ounces of DynaBeads in each tube, and can attest to their efficiency in balancing. Most folks don't believe me when I say my M1028 with the 11.00-20 NDTs run smoother than my wife's Mercedes. And the Mercedes tires are rotated and balanced at our Mercedes dealership. So in summary, yes I recommend DynaBeads.

The DynaBeads are small enough that they will flow through a valve stem. So if you decide to use them, I suggest you go ahead and mount your tire and wheel and install them on your truck. Then add the DynaBeads as the last step. Simply position the valve stem of each wheel at the 6 o'clock position and pour them in. Each kit comes with a plastic squeeze bottle with a spout cap and a clear tube, along with new, special valve stems which are designed to prevent the beads from lodging in the valve mechanism. Simply pour the correct amount of DynaBeads into the squeeze bottle, install the cap and press the clear tube over the end of the spout. Press the other end of the clear tube onto the valve stem and then invert the plastic squeeze bottle. I found the beads flow better by adding vibration to the bottle. I used my etching tool set for maximum and simply held the tool next to the bottle. The vibration caused the beads to flow through the clear tube quickly. Once all the beads are in your tire, simply reinstall the new valve stem and cap and you are good to go.

Hope this helps.

View attachment 848482

Very nice write up! You are a great salesman! Thank you!

Anyone else have experience?

 

[2INSANE]

Just ordered the dyna beads directly. The instructions say 10 ounces per 37/12.5/r16.5. These things are not cheap. $147 with shipping, filtered valve cores and applicator.

 

[Sharecropper]

Very nice write up! You are a great salesman! Thank you!

Anyone else have experience?

In my opinion, the balancing beads are the only way to go to balance heavy tire/wheel assemblies. No they are not cheap, but neither is anything else you are doing to your rig. They great advantage of the DynaBeads is, they will adjust to changing requirements. For instance, if you hit a mudhole and get a heavy layer of mud on one side of a wheel but not on the other side, the DynaBeads will adjust for the changed balance requirement. That is why they are called DynaBeads - they provide dynamic balancing on the fly. Also, the beads are spinning inside the tire at the outer-most diameter of the circle, which is the most efficient.

From my experience, 10 ounces of DynaBeads in a HMMWV tire and wheel will just barely be enough. After you get them installed, if you still have a little shimmy, install another ounce or two in each wheel. I had to work my way up in quantity on my 11.00-20 NDT's and it finally took 16 ounces per tire to get them smoothed out. But once they smoothed out, they were absolutely smooth. The balancing action takes place at around 15-20 MPH, and I have found the process of balancing seems to happen sooner at higher tire pressures.

Hope this helps. I have been off SS for a while healing up from my seventh surgery. I am almost ready to get back to work on my M1028 rebuild. The Supercharger arrived from Australia and I need to get that installed on my engine before the new drivetrain goes in.

 

[Larry Weibert]

Great info and writeup. truck looks really nice with those tires and wheels.

 

[LT67]

Buddy of mine uses balancing beads in his TSL Swampers. They work pretty good.

 

[Sharecropper]

And just to add, in order for the beads to work properly, the inside of the tire (or tube) must be clean and dry. No grease or wetness whatsoever. The beads must be able to spin freely around the inner circumference of the tire in order to find the position of least resistance. If a HMMWV tire still had the run-flat in it, the beads would not work because of the grease inside the tire to accommodate the run-flat insert.

 

[Curtisje]

I use balance masters on my M1008 CUCV with hmmwv wheels, tires & runflats. They work great, never had an issue.

I use Centramatics on the front if my M1028 dually with 37 inch hmmwv tires mounted on 16.5 dually wheels. No runflat obviously. No issues, work great.

 

[2INSANE]

And just to add, in order for the beads to work properly, the inside of the tire (or tube) must be clean and dry. No grease or wetness whatsoever. The beads must be able to spin freely around the inner circumference of the tire in order to find the position of least resistance. If a HMMWV tire still had the run-flat in it, the beads would not work because of the grease inside the tire to accommodate the run-flat insert.

You were right on! I busted open all 5 bead locks and here’s what I found… The dyna beads were sticking to even the smallest amount of moisture inside the tire. I believe the best result would be not to use soapy water or PB Blaster to install the PVC insert into the tire. I had cleaned the inside of the tire from the old grease from the run flats as best I could but still no worky.

Gonna save the bead locks for new 40” tires.