Tire Balancing with Antifreeze?

[1joester2]

OK, so I have the simple and probably stupid question:

If having a fluid (or beads or powders) to balance a vehicle tire is so great, then why don't all the major tire stores push for this technology instead of the paint scraping/rim damaging standard lead weights?
I do not recall even once being asked if I would like anything other than the standard wheel weights for any vehicle I ever purchased tires for with one exception - the peel and stick weights that fly off when they get wet.

 

[Ned]

For one, the tire stores have already invested in the spin balancing machines and product like Equal and Dynabeads make those obsolete.  Also, I suspect most non-truck tire stores may not be familiar with the products, although Equal has product for light truck as well as the larger tire sizes.

 

[Molaker]

Ooookay.  What about using RV anti-freeze?

 

[Jim Godward]

I wouldn't use antifreeze but there is a liquid product for balancing.  I just became aware of it yesterday while at my truck/RV repair shop.  It is called "truck ????" -  I have a short memory especially when I have no need for something.    Ths shop uses it rather than Equal, moisture problems, or Dynabeads - not sure why there.

Check with a truck repair place or a truck tire dealer for information.  I will ask next week when I am there for a repair IF I remember!

 

[Ned]

What about it?  I would never use it when products like Equal and Dynabeads that are specifically designed for the application are available.  Do you know what effects, if any, antifreeze will have on the tire?  I don't.

 

[Ken & Sheila]

A truck tire dealer used by Monaco (Coburg, OR) to replace my two front tires back in 2001 used a thick green liquid as a balancer. Never had a problem with it.

 

[carson]

Here is a link for some further insight....>>>http://www.deltatiresealant.com/tire_balancers.php

I have no experience with it...just curious.

 

[Just Lou]

The assumption to fluid balancing is that a tire is round................  I do know that fluid balancing works on machines, and it would work on a wheel if it wasn?t attached to the ground............  Fluid, beads and disks might work for you, just not for me thank you.

You are exactly right in your first assumption.  The flaw in your condemning the fluid balancing method, in your case, is that you expected it to balance a damaged tire.

You wouldn't condemn a new paint job for not making a dented fender look like new, would you?

 

[kjansen]

I just got my tractor tires filled with fluid and yes that is for weight. Now, however, they are using beet juice.  It's a by-product from making sugar from sugar beets.  It does not freeze, hurt steel and has no effect on tires.  Does it balance tries? Who knows?

 

[Jeff]

I had to replace a tire in Iowa this summer and the Goodyear dealer did not have Equal (Which is in the rest of my tires) He did have Dynabeads and fluid but I had him use the beads because no one could tell me the effect of the fluid on Pressure Pro transmitters. Mean to check it out before I need another tire.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Flat spots on tires just from sitting? Are these special English tires?    That hasn't been a problem since the days of nylon tire carcasses, and even that was only a short term problem that went away after driving 10-15 miles to exercise the tire back into shape..

 

[Jarlaxle]

OK, so I have the simple and probably stupid question:

If having a fluid (or beads or powders) to balance a vehicle tire is so great, then why don't all the major tire stores push for this technology instead of the paint scraping/rim damaging standard lead weights?
I do not recall even once being asked if I would like anything other than the standard wheel weights for any vehicle I ever purchased tires for with one exception - the peel and stick weights that fly off when they get wet.

Need better tire shops.  The stick-on weights on Liz's Grand National haven't come loose, ever.

 

[Neal]

That is a good explanation.  I know that Equal or Dynabeads do work.

We have a pickup that could never get the tires balanced to suit. One day I see a quart jar of bee bee's for 10.00 & decide I will try. Broke the tires down & put a few oz in ea tire. On first trial run, it was perfect. Turned around to come home & it was worse. Took a 200 mile trip & same story. Good for little while, very bad for little while. I don't understand?

 

[Just Lou]

We have a pickup that could never get the tires balanced to suit. One day I see a quart jar of bee bee's for 10.00 & decide I will try. Broke the tires down & put a few oz in ea tire. On first trial run, it was perfect. Turned around to come home & it was worse. Took a 200 mile trip & same story. Good for little while, very bad for little while. I don't understand?

Ah Ha! I see the problem.  BB's only work if you're running away from home.  Don't turn around and come back or they will stop working.

Seriously, it might have something to do with the composition or conformation of the BBs.  Maybe they clump if not perfectly round... maybe you didn't use enough of them to ensure good distribution...  :-\ ???

 

[drbaltazar]

Side note:the old reason why anti-freeze was not a good idea was two fold ,first the old version had all kind of unwanted like silicate (we changed countless piston liner because it sand blasted the liner)the second reason was related also,you need distilled water for the same reason ,contaminent chew trou piston liner.my point,with these two solution and respecting law for inner tire weight limit to prevent issue,(11 ounce for big rig (1/4 of a liter)I believe this might be a plausible alternative since lead became or is becoming illegal!

 

[Seajay]

this is logical to me .....
I have antifreeze in my radiator that runs thru the heater hoses, (rubber or some compound like rubber) the ''radiator hoses''  (same as above concerning compound), a heater core that is a little bit thicker than news paper, and a radiator that is not as thick as news paper.  If the antifreeze would damage either one of these items then your heater, radiator, heater hose and radiator hoses would be shot to heck by now.  True,  I have to replace my heater hose and my radiator hoses about every ten years because of ''rot'' but I bet I would wait many years to replace a rim on the coach because of ''rust'' or whatever caused by the anti freeze. 
Here is myquestion ........
DO YOU USE FULL STRENGTH ANTIFREEZE OR THE DILUTED 50/50 STUFF YOU BUY AT WALL MART?????????????
It seems to me that the liquid might make the tire run cooler and ''heat'' is the biggest enemy of tires. 
I will try it and let you doubting Thomas'es know the outcome but I will charge you ten cents for the information and you will have to pay me the next time you see me.....

There is NOTHING in the sand box that is worth one more of our youngest and finest... BRING UM HOME NOW ...............nuff said .................cj
someone answer my QUESTION about the strength of the antifreeze pls .......cj

 

[kjansen]

I have hilly yard and the business that I bought my lawn mower from told me to use windshield washer fluid for better traction in my riding lawn mower as it doesn't hurt the steel rim or tires.  The buisness I bought my lawn tractor from uses beet juice( by product from sugarbeets) to add weight to tractor tires as it doesn't freeze either or hurt tires.  Will it balance tires?  Can't answer that.

 

[Foto-n-T]

Fluid or bead balancing tires has been around for a while thanks in no small part to the trucking industry.  When there are so many inexpensive choices that have been proven and tested out there why in the world would you consider using anti-freeze??  If I was the tire tech doing a change or repair on a tire that you'd put anti-freeze into I would be very unhappy with you when I broke that first tire bead.

Personally I'm looking forward to the next time I change out my bike tires so I can try out bead balancing.  With any luck I can get a few more miles out of those VERY expensive tires that now only get about 8k miles on them before they're junk.

Sometime in the next few months I will also need to at least replace the steer tires on my truck and I've got every intention of using beads in them as well.

 

[GIB]

I have also used Equal and it works instantly . You would never know it is in the tire. They will change core at time of installation. The cost is the same for weights or equal. They are charging for the job not the material. I'm sure antifreeze would work but if it isn't an approved or proven method than you could be leaving yourself in a liable position if that ended in someones death. If you can't afford Equal you sure can't afford a Lawyer.
Besides antifreeze is sticky nasty stuff and kills animals and humans. Why not keep it in radiators?

 

[denmarc]

There is a rather new liquid product available to MI farmers meant only for farm implements to be used for tractors, gravity wagons, hay wagons, and such.  To be injected into tires to seal them in case of minor punctures, balance them at low speeds, and will not freeze in cold temperatures.

Could a product such as this be confused with what has been posted?

I wish I could remember the name of the damn stuff.  I see the tanker that hauls it in the Grand Rapids, MI area almost every other week.  It just slips my mind at the moment.  Will post when sighted.