Balance Beads, Good or Bad?

[chuckbear]

I would like to hear from anyone that has experience with balance beads for their tires. Did you find them helpful? Did you have any problems with them? I just has new tires put on the front of the coach and they installed balance beads without telling me. The shop said they need a "break-in period" for the beads to eventually settle in. I was not impressed with the ride home on the new tires. What has been your experience? Chuck

 

[Tom]

I would like to hear from anyone that has experience with balance beads for their tires. Did you find them helpful? Did you have any problems with them? I just has new tires put on the front of the coach and they installed balance beads without telling me. The shop said they need a "break-in period" for the beads to eventually settle in. I was not impressed with the ride home on the new tires. What has been your experience? Chuck

Use the Search button above to search on 'tire balance'.

One thread that gets returned is:

Tire Beads

I'm getting 4 new tires put on wednesday on the rear. Fronts are new. I am having balancing beads put in. Somebody told me after you drive it, they stick to the low spots in the tire. I don't really think thats correct. Saying they stick doesn't make much sense. I asked the place putting in the...

www.rvforum.net

 

[chuckbear]

neither of those are helpful and answer my questions. Chuck

 

[Tom]

neither of those are helpful and answer my questions. Chuck

Sorry for the non-info, hopefully someone will provide more help. I've never had balance beads installed, but have thought about it.

 

[Ray-IN]

No experience with them, but I frequently read about incorrect valve stems/cores being used; the beads get in the incorrect valve and cause an air leak.
From all I've read about balancing beads, when properly installed they work great.

 

[phil-t]

I have used/installed them on two different coaches. First with 19.5 tires and now with 22.5 tires. Both worked excellent, in my opinion. There are different manufacturers and there are specific recomendations for how much weight in beads to add.
I have used - counteract ordered from Amazon. They come with the valve stems and caps. Get the recommended amount according to tire size. Of course this does not help you right now, since you probably have no idea of what your dealer installed.
There is lots of reading about them on the NET. Here is what Counteract has.

 

[chuckbear]

Thanks, I can only hope the dealer did this properly. He is a well known and very popular shop that does RV's and commercial trucks. Chuck

 

[House Husband]

Chuck, balance beads may be OK for rear tires but they only offer static ( up & down ) balance. Where as front tires need both static and dynamic ( side whip) balance.

Richard

 

[Utclmjmpr]

I have owned two diesel pushers that have had ALL tires with beads installed and would not have it any other way..>>>Dan

 

[NY_Dutch]

I've had balance beads in all six tires on two Class A's and no balance problems.

 

[Krazeehorse33]

We have had good success installing them in our shop.

 

[old_toys]

never used them on a trailer tire but they worked wonders on motorcycle tires.
one thing if you use those and ever have that tire changed out it would be helpful to tell the person working on the tire that they have the beads in them because they will go everywhere.

 

[lavarock1210]

I install my balance beads after I have the tires dynamic balanced. The beads take care of any unbalance there may be from the brake drums. (on trailers I do not believe they balance the drums as I have never seen any weights welded on or machining to remove weight from the heavy side)

Your dealer may have installed the beads in a pouch. The pouch will break open after several miles of use and then the tires should balance.

 

[John From Detroit]

I was very leary of balance beads but Belle Tire tossed a bag in each of my new 22.5's and .. well. they worked rather well i thought.

 

[DutchmenSport]

I've never had a tire with the beads, but here's an article that helps explain how they work. If you read on down, it does say that different things are going on at different speeds. It made sense to me.

Click here.

 

[Ex-Calif]

I would like to hear from anyone that has experience with balance beads for their tires. Did you find them helpful? Did you have any problems with them? I just has new tires put on the front of the coach and they installed balance beads without telling me. The shop said they need a "break-in period" for the beads to eventually settle in. I was not impressed with the ride home on the new tires. What has been your experience? Chuck

After I had my fronts done I immediately returned to the Goodyear (truck and bus) shop and told them the balance was super bad. I was getting a lot of shaking at 50 mph on the freeway and was concerned to go faster. He explained they needed to settle in.

I got back on the freeway for the 40 mile drive home and pushed up to 70. By the time I got to the exit for my house they were fine and have been fine ever since.

 

[SpencerPJ]

I was not impressed with the ride home on the new tires. What has been your experience? Chuck

I do not have 'balance bead' experience, but suggest that you also check your tire pressures cold. Sometimes, people fill tires to 'max' as printed on the sidewall, and that is probably not what it should be for your ride.

edit: My next suggestion would be, drive it again, and if still not happy, go and talk to the front desk mgr / owner. I mean, you could even have a bad tire and if it was never spun balanced, they would not know.

Good luck

 

[PancakeBill]

I bought my Winnebago from Forum member Dougie Brown, he had been chasing a tire balance issue for a time, had just had it rechecked before I got the coach. Read about balance bead, decided to try it and had it done while on the road. Amazing difference, and when the unmounted the tires, showed me how many weights had been added previously to try to balance! I think on wheel had over a pound! Pulled all prev weights and added the beads and it was like driving a new coach.

 

[Utclmjmpr]

I have also heard the question " what if too much is put in",, no problem, the "overage" is distributed evenly in the tire and and balance is still retained..>>>Dan

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

All my coaches with large tires (greater than 16") had balance beads and worked perfectly as far as I'm concerned. It's what the commercial tire shops I used recommended.