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Do Wheel Balancing Beads Work?

This question surfaces from time to time.

No, they do not work. This gimmick has been around for many years. Like sticking magnets around your fuel line will give you better mileage.

All it will do is lighten your wallet.
 
"They only work if you get up to highway speeds first." Kinda true, but that's also kinda when you want balancing. At 5mph the balance doesn't matter.

Ran them (DynaBeads specifically, 3oz total) for 15 years in car tires on the back of heavy cruisers without an issue, saw as many as 40k miles out of a rear tire.
 
If they really worked, tire manufacturers would be using them.
 
Balance beads will balance a tire. Not recommended for sport where there’s a lot of quick stop and go, in-the cruisers they will work fine; great in highway vehicles.. semi rigs.
My experience with sprinter van, /purchased tires at Mercedes, they somewhat balanced but had small vibration @ The steering wheel, … I put in 4 ounces ceramic balance beads through the valvestems.. equated at zero vibration at the wheel 99% of the time.
 
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ST, do you have any personal experience with balance beads with motorcycles? Just wondering...

I do ALL my own tire mounting/changing for the last 20+ years.
I exclusively use balance beads on my bikes, and can say emphatically that they do work.
I have had MANY people ride my bikes, including many BARF'ers, and I have NEVER had anyone mention anything about balance problems. As a matter of fact, everyone who has ridden my current sport bike RAVE about how well it works/handles. If the beads didn't work, that would not be the case.
You do have to get the correct weight in beads (enough) to get the desired effects though.
And the reason that the tire manufactures don't necessarily recommend balance beads is because they can be a bit messy when dismounting a tire, especially if you don't know that they are in there, or have no experience working with them. It's not that the tire manufacturers tell us NOT to use them, they only suggest that we get our tires balanced for best results. They don't recommend one way over another.
And NO, the balance beads do not interfere with the TPM Sensors. Ask me how I know....
 
I haven't balance my last 3 sets of tires. I left the weights that came on the wheels from the factory on my 2015 1200GS. No tire bounce or odd tire wear!
 
I’ve found that rims are more out of balance than the rubber, and once the rim is balanced the whole assembly pretty much stays that way.
 
Das MotorRad said:
I’ve found that rims are more out of balance than the rubber, and once the rim is balanced the whole assembly pretty much stays that way.
Click to expand...
That's kind of the neat thing about the beads- they balance the entire wheel assembly, rim/tire/etc. every time it comes up to speed. Unlike a static balance, where the weights applied to the tire balance the tire at that moment in time, but over time as the tire wears, the balance of the tire changes, but the weight placement does not.
 
cheez said:
That's kind of the neat thing about the beads- they balance the entire wheel assembly, rim/tire/etc. every time it comes up to speed. Unlike a static balance, where the weights applied to the tire balance the tire at that moment in time, but over time as the tire wears, the balance of the tire changes, but the weight placement does not.
Click to expand...
One drawback being that apparently the tire needs to be going 50+mph before the beads can balance.
 
Das MotorRad said:
One drawback being that apparently the tire needs to be going 50+mph before the beads can balance.
Click to expand...
I disagree with that- watch this video. The balancer test is showing that they're fully balancing at about 15mph or so. Takes about 2-4 revolutions of the tire for the beads to settle into place.

 
I haven't done this on a moto, My airstream, has.
Bead plates, in between brake hub and wheel, fastened with lug nuts. This will balance everything that spins on that axle.
A smooth ride, reviles everything stored inside stays put, cabinets stay shut, nothing breaks, or "found on floor"
 
You could always try this too....

Calculator

Ride-On Tire Protection
ride-on.com ride-on.com

a bit friendlier to the inside of the tire then beads IMO....
 
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