Beads, rings, centering sleeves?

One thing I think is important, true balance, despite its name, does not balance the wheel. There is a relatively large clearance for hub piloted vs stud piloted wheels. Using one of their 3 products, that clearance is greatly reduced, and the wheel is centered much closer to center.

But if it's out of balance, it's still out of balance, so it should be used with a balancing system.

I have only driven trucks with Centramatics, and the ride was smoother.

 

I've had Centramatics on all three axles of my tractor and I can honestly say, they are worth the money.

Before I installed Centramatics on the Steer axle, I was lucky if my Steers would last 50k miles before they would start getting irregular wear patterns.

At first I attributed it to the Steers being unbalanced, so I would always have them balanced on a machine, but I still had the same problems.

I finally decided to purchase a set of Centramatics and for the first time, I had a set of Steers last me over 100k miles with no irregular wear patterns.

I've owned my tractor for 13 years and have gone through at least three sets of Brifgestone R283 Steers before I finally installed a set of Centramatics in 2011 and since then, I went through a set of Michelin XZA3+ that lasted over 100k and I'm currently on a set of Bridgestone R287's and they are wearing beautifully.

I also have Centramatics installed on my Drive axles. I am using Bridgestone M726EL's tires and I have no issues whatsoever with them.

Personally I feel Centramatics work well enough without any issues and you can't go wrong with purchasing them.

 

I run counteract beads in all of my tires and have for several years now. I also have tru-balance centering sleeves on all axles for the same time frame I've been running the beads in my tires. I don't have any balance or wear issues my truck rides very smoothly. Got excellent even wear on my last set of retreaded drive tires before I replaced them earlier this year.

Years ago I had centramatics. I still have them laying around somewhere. Useless. Don't waste your money. Let me ask you how does a 3/4" diameter tube with some balance media balance out the foot print of those drive tires sandwiched in between them like that? It doesn't because it can't.

 

iv had some issues with the beads, might be me or maybe not dry enough air but iv had better luck with no balancing at all than with the beads, lots of people swear by them though so your millage may vary

 

Yeah you have to be careful putting them in. Definitely don't want them wet or water in the tire. Go easy with the tire lube when mounting and don't get it all over everywhere on the rim. Use a quality tire lube that will dry to nothing and don't use dawn soap or some other shade tree lube.

 

It doesn't balance the tires individually, it balances the whole rotating axle assembly as a unit.

I have them on my Drives and my Drives are evenly worn, unlike other Drives I have seen on other tractors and the thread is feathered and chunking.

I don't believe having Centramatics on your axles will make your tires worse, and on some trucks the drivers may feel they are a waste of money, but like everything in life, one size doesn't always fit all.

 

There's no way that little narrow 3/4" diameter ring balances the whole rotating assembly of your drive wheels. You know when they balance tires they put lead weights on both the outside and inside of the wheel. Think about that for a minute then think about that run sandwiched in between your drives.

 

Just bought a 17 lb pail of Esco ceramic beads for a little over a hundred bucks.
These beads are quality. Very heavy and you can't easily crush them.

Put them in my car and my buddy's Prostar steers that could never get balanced perfect. Smoothed out the ride on both.

First is to get tires spin balanced, then add beads. I've had trouble with these different tire shops constantly getting different results every time they spin the same tire. it's not perfect, so the beads complement the lead weights.
No big deal to put them in. Just jack tire off ground, deflate and pry enough bead away to stick in a small hose like a 3/8" fuel line or similar.Just big enough so the beads don't jam it up. Use a small funnel on the end of the hose and pour in the recommended amount. Air up tire and you're done. Don't forget your jack!

Haven't used them in my own truck yet cuz my Michelin tall rubber is running smooth as is.