Balancing tires/wheels

[Conaway2]

Two questions -
- do you balance the wheels/tires on your Model A; if so, what speeds do you drive

- how do you balance them - stick on weights ?


Thanks - JIM

[Kurt in NJ]

I shifted the tire on the rim to get best balance, doing that got 4 of 5 within 1/4 ounce--- smooth at 65,don't go much faster

[Bob Bidonde]

I have a heavy right foot especially when it comes to driving my Coupe which has a warm Model "B" motor. Typically when driving on an interstate, I cruise at 55 to 60 MPH. Doing so, I noticed the onset of wheel tamping due to unbalance sets in at about 60 MPH.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

IMO, the best option for most people is to use the tire balancing beads that are inserted inside of the tube. These balance the tire as you are driving.

You can read about them if you are unfamiliar with them;

http://www.innovativebalancing.com/

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[Patrick L.]

I just spin balance them and put weight on the inside. My speed is usually 40-45 mph. Mostly country roads and I'm in no hurry.

[Gary WA]

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Originally Posted by Conaway2

Two questions -
- do you balance the wheels/tires on your Model A; if so, what speeds do you drive

- how do you balance them - stick on weights ?


Thanks - JIM

Dyna Beads are great.

[katy]

Unbalanced, don't usually drive over 35 mph due to vibration issues,that are not from the wheels.

[duke36]

As per Patrick 's post, a bubble balancer is available from Harbor Freight. One can use old style hammer-on weights, or if not available, the stick on weights which sometimes can fall off.

[katy]

One can use old style hammer-on weights

Never seen hammer on weights on rolled rim wheels.

[burner31]

I use the beads, and rarely if ever go over 45-55 mph,...anymore, I'm retired so what's the rush.

[alexiskai]

I also use the beads, good results up to 55 so far. Haven't gone faster.

[McMimmcs]

I use the beads and I travel an absolute maximum 50 mph. I don’t need excessive speed to enjoy my Model A. I personally find 60-65 mph to be excessive. JMO.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

The irony in this 'bead deal' is I have been using them since 2008 without a single issue. The funny thing is there is a Model-A 'Doctor' on social media that is telling people not to use them because they will rip the inside of the tubes up over time. He claims he has seen it happen. I called my supplier and specifically asked them about this, and they claim they have been manufacturing and using them for years in motorcycles tires with tubes at very high rate of speeds and have never experienced the beads shredding the tubes. Just like everything else in this world, you just don't know who to believe.

[Conaway2]

Originally Posted by BRENT in 10-uh-C

IMO, the best option for most people is to use the tire balancing beads that are inserted inside of the tube. These balance the tire as you are driving.

You can read about them if you are unfamiliar with them;

http://www.innovativebalancing.com/

.
.

I’ve been reading about these - do they really work ?

Thanks - Jim

[Jim M]

I have been using them for YEARS in my 40' Motor home and they are GREAT. Actually putting two new tires on MH this Monday morning and they will have the beads. Rig handles great and tire wear is ABSOLUTELY even!! I did not know we could use them on the Mode A. I am going to be putting new rims on the car in the near future and you can bet when I do I am going to use the beads. I also drive quite slow but I bet they will make even 40 MPH more enjoyable. Jim M

[Jim M]

Forgot to ask a question. Brent, how many ozs do you use in the 21" tires?? Thanks

[Kevin in NJ]

So to expand more on my brothers comments.

A few years back I mounted new Goodyear tires to my rims.
I set up a spindle with lightly oiled bearings.
I put the mounted tire on it and saw how fast it the heavy spot moved down. I would breaks the bead and rotate the tire and try again. The rim and tire position that gave the slowest drop down is where I put it at.
I will add I have metal valve stems.

It seams these tires had a pretty wide variation on weight. Been a while, but one tire came out almost balanced. Another was pretty close.
2 others were faster in finding bottom.

Keep in mind the A has a lot of unsprung weight so there is a lot of damping. The front is lighter so I put the better balanced wheel in the front and let the worse ones go on the rear.

Dont know how well it runs as I am waiting for my brother to build an engine. But that is another story.

[Licensed to kill]

I went to tire shop to get dynabeads and the guy there suggested this stuff called "Tire Life". It's a liquid, looks like green koolaid. 1/4 the price of the beads and has the supposed added benefit of conditioning the rubber to make it last longer. One bag was $10CAD and contains 20 oz (the beads were $20cad for 10 oz). I just poured it into 4 styrofoam coffee cups until the level looked the same and squirted it into the tubes through the valve stem with a syringe. On my car it made a substantial difference in reducing vibration/shake

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by Jim M

Forgot to ask a question. Brent, how many ozs do you use in the 21" tires?? Thanks

We just buy the packs and dump one pack into a bottle. I am guessing it is either 5oz or 6oz, but I don't really know. I'm not really sure how to tell if the beads do work, ...or to how much of an improvement they make. Kinda like asking does synthetic oil make a Model-A engine last longer than regular oil. I dunno because we change oil every couple of thousand miles.

[Synchro909]

I do pretty much as Kevin in NJ. After finding the sweetest spot for the tyre on the rim, I finish it off with stick on weights. I have noticed some brands of tyre are worse than others and the more expensive ones don't fare well.