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Balancing Beads

17K views 56 replies 24 participants last post by  rick 
#1 · (Edited)
In another thread, the subject of balancing beads was brought up again so i thought i'd put in my 2 cents.

A popular and familiar first choice among folks using balancing beads is with a product called "Dyna Beads". I don't want to knock down their product, it's proven effective and a great alternative to lead weights.

I would like to offer up an alternative that i've found, however, and am currently using in my bike. "Counteract Balancing Beads".

I wouldn't presume to make a suggestion as to where you should get it, but i do think you should research what's out there and make a decision on your own as to which product you want and where to get it.

My point to this is that i found the Counteract product to be MUCH more cost effective than the Innovative Balancing product. I bought a 1-pound bag for about the cost of a 5-ounce Dyna Beads kit. I now have enough beads left over for a number of tire changes.

I'll step down off the soapbox now... thanks.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Don't know for sure. My guess is that they're able to market smaller quantities for a higher price that way. Same product, different packaging.

My suggestion holds... buy a 1lb bag and put in the suggested quanty of beads for your tire. You'll have plenty left over for other tires.
 
#5 ·
The beads provide dynamic balancing that can change as the tire wears. Really gives you a silky smooth ride (minus the bumps in the road of course). Plus the added benefit of nothing hanging onto or off of your wheel.
 
#6 ·
I can't fathom a tire going out of balance as it wears, short of locking it in a long slide. If the cosmetics bother you, I can see the purpose there. For what it's worth, I don't have any problem with them. Just never understood what the appeal was. Thanks for clarifying that.
 
#7 ·
It's the same concept as they point out on cars with their "lifetime balaning" guarantees. Sometimes, albeit rare, a tire can wear unevenly (especially if you don't pay careful attention to air pressure, which is a MUST when using only two wheels). Also, bumps and/or vibration, or constant centrifugal force can sometimes cause you to send a balancing weight flying (happened to me just this weekend).

Although all of these issues aren't the norm, they become more important when you rely on two tires instead of four. I never even considered balancing beads until this weekend, when I rode a couple miles home with a thrown weight in hand and a slight wobble to the bike. :p

I consider myself lucky that I saw the weight fly off around the corner, and even luckier when I was able to find it! Even LUCKIER that I was within 2 miles from home after a long trek through the lovely countryside of Oklahoma!

Ok, ok... after all that long story, I too can see the value of balancing beads now, and will be switching to them, as opposed to the traditional weights, soon!
 
#8 ·
Not to mention the fact that it makes self install/balance easier, I'm sure. ;)
 
#9 ·
Improper air pressure can cause the tire to wear more in the center or outer part of the tread but there's no reasonable way for it to cause a change in balance. The physics are entirely wrong for that to happen. Other than losing a balance weight entirely it simply will not change over the life of the tire.
As to making it easier to balance at home, all it takes is a place to prop the axle so you can spin the wheel. Seems like a solution looking got a problem to solve.
 
#10 ·
I guess that's a case in point, fastpakr. If you're going to change a tire and balance at home, which is easier? Propping up an axle, spinning the tire to find the heavy location and then getting the correct weight in the right spot, or just pouring in a couple three ounces of beads and inflating the tire?

I opted for the beads.. i'm basically pretty lazy. I'll go for the best job at the least amount of work any time.
 
#11 ·
Totally agreed on taking the easiest route if the results are equal. Just not convinced that this is a better one yet. A friend of mine asked for help a couple of months ago because he was getting a lot of vibration. Turned out he had used beads and was still getting a significant shake at speed. No complaints since we used weights to spin balance it. To be fair, I have no way of knowing if the proper amount had been used. Just that he came in with a bead related complaint and walked away happy after switching over.
 
#12 ·
I was ready to buy the beads but Motorcycle Consumer News, May edition?, did a test and weren't impressed. The CEO of Dyna Beads blasted the bike rag for reporting their report on the findings. Since MCN is subscriber supported (no ads or promo stuff) they didn't care what the CEO thought and blasted back. I'm going to stick with what I know works.
 
#14 ·
That is awesome. I have read much on the subject because of your post and I now want to try the balancing beads. More importantly, since I have a few toys, I want the pound for the price of a 5 ounce supply. Where do you buy them?

One thing I didn't see in the discussion, is ATV application. There is no point using conventional weights on a ATV. First of all they will be thrown off and secondly the mud on the tires will cause them to be off balance anyway.

Thanks
 
#15 ·
You can either go to the Counteract Balancing website and find a local distributor in your state by looking into their "Dealers" area, or just buy a bag off the internet.
 
#16 ·
We were using the dyna beads in our jeeps but were not impressed with the price. They are about as reusable as a kleenex. Right now we have one Jeep with bbs, one with rv antifreeze (the tires don't last long enough for damage), and one with the beads. The antifreeze seem to be working out the best. The dyna beads and bbs don't disperse as well. Our tires do go out of balance with wear. Driving on gravel roads will bruise your tire and cause deformities. My bike has to see the same 6 miles of gravel on the way out so I am going to try the counterbalance beads on my next change.
 
#18 ·
Putting new rims and tires on my wifes Jeep this week. This time we are going to try the airsoft bbs. If they work out, I am going to try them on my bike. I'll post back if I like em or not. Dyna beads worked ok unless you have a plug, patch, or want to reuse em. They are too fine (almost dust) and too hard to collect and reuse without getting all over the tire bead.
 
#19 ·
I wish someone could explain the physics of this. I keep thinking that an out of balance tire would run in an eccentric, with the heavy side describing a larger circle than the light side, and that beads would go to the heavy side, which would be at a larger radius from the center of rotation.

Did that sound confusing to you, too?
 
#22 ·
I wish someone could explain the physics of this. I keep thinking that an out of balance tire would run in an eccentric, with the heavy side describing a larger circle than the light side, and that beads would go to the heavy side, which would be at a larger radius from the center of rotation. d that sound confusing to you, too?
The concept of balancing beads is a difficult one and maybe harder to explain. I'll give it a spin. If your tire is out of balance, then one side will be heavier than another. We all get that. So wheel weights are placed opposite the heavy side and it is balanced.

What you need to understand to 'get' balancing beads is that the wheel wants to rotate around its center of mass. If one side is heavier, then the center of mass shifts toward the heavier part so that there is more wheel to the other side to balance that out. The heavy part of the wheel actually swings a smaller arc than the lighter part because the shift of the center of gravity was towards the heaviest part of the wheel. So, the light part of the wheel actually swings a larger arc. Now, the beads are movable inside the tire and they only see the centripetal force created by the size of the arc swung by each side of the tire. Therefore, the beads all go the larger arc which is the lightest side of the tire. They'll keep moving any time the the arc moves from equal at all points. It balances itself 'dynamically' meaning the weights will always move to the 'lightest' part of the tire.

I know it's a bit counterintuitive to realize the heavy part swings the smallest arc, but just view it from the point of view of spinning around the center of mass and you'll get it. Draw some circles on paper and move the center of mass around by adding weight (academically) to one side of the tire and then view the arcs travelled by both sides of the wheel. Anyway, that's the best I can do right now.

hth,

rick
 
#21 ·
I looked on the Counterbalance site and got their U.S. Distributors Page. Found the distributors in my state, and contacted them.

My memory sucks, so i don't remember what i paid. Something under $20 i believe.

Um, they're called balancing beads?
 
#26 ·
Well, I bought the Conteract beads because they stay in place when you stop and do not fall back to the bottom of the tire like the Dyna beads do, thus no re-balancing of the beads by starting down the road again, the Conteract beads are already in place and the tire is balanced.

That is the difference between these two products/ Conteract stays in the proper place and the Dyna beads fall to the bottom of the tire at stops and slow turns and have to spin back into place once you get your speed back up, the Conteract are in the correct place from start to finish.

I can tell the difference since using these on my tires beginning at 4500 miles, and hopefully as my tires wear, the tires will stay in balance with these beads, not like with a lead weight which may have to be adjusted with tire wear; thus giving the tires a better wear and longer life, hopefully.

I bought and used this kit for my 2011 Vaquero:

http://www.tirebalancingbeads.com/p...t-for-Motorcycles-with-a-Large-Rear-Tire.html
 
#27 ·
Well, I bought the Conteract beads because they stay in place when you stop and do not fall back to the bottom of the tire like the Dyna beads do, thus no re-balancing of the beads by starting down the road again, the Conteract beads are already in place and the tire is balanced. ...
I don't know about that, Roadie. Nothing i've seen says anything about them "staying in place". I don't know about anything in their makeup that would keep them stuck in place either. In fact, in the description of their product on the Counteract website, they say:

"Made of a patented specially coated glass bead that will not breakdown or degrade, our balancing beads are placed directly into the tire where they are free to move and adjust to balance imperfections as they develop."

Although i haven't unmounted my tires to check, i expect the beads are freely rolling around and spread themselves out each time the tire starts rolling.
 
#29 ·
Same topic, different product, Ride-On TPS

I went with Ride-On TPS (Tire Protection System). All these tire balancing products were designed for the same purpose and were originally intended for big rigs where gaining a small percentage of tire life would add up to huge $$$ savings because of the quantity of tires involved. Eventually these products were expanded to other markets, including every vehicle with inflatable tires. I chose the Ride-On TPS because of the added feature that it protects against punctures up to 1/4" diameter. Motorcycles don't carry spare tires so a puncture and resultant pressure loss stops you dead. You must get a tow. It cost me $30 to get the Ride-On TPS in my tires (ME 880 front, rear Darkside). A tow would cost three times that amount, for a short distance and more for a long distance. And I can say that the tires ride very smoothly. I've only put about 2000 miles on them but there is no wear evident. If you are considering the beads, give the Ride-On TPS a look. This is probably the third time I've mentioned it on this forum and I haven't heard anybody else say they've used it. If you do, mention my name, maybe I'll get a discount on the next application. LOL
 
#36 ·
I went with Ride-On TPS (Tire Protection System). All these tire balancing products were designed for the same purpose and were originally intended for big rigs where gaining a small percentage of tire life would add up to huge $$$ savings because of the quantity of tires involved. Eventually these products were expanded to other markets, including every vehicle with inflatable tires. I chose the Ride-On TPS because of the added feature that it protects against punctures up to 1/4" diameter. Motorcycles don't carry spare tires so a puncture and resultant pressure loss stops you dead. You must get a tow. It cost me $30 to get the Ride-On TPS in my tires (ME 880 front, rear Darkside). A tow would cost three times that amount, for a short distance and more for a long distance. And I can say that the tires ride very smoothly. I've only put about 2000 miles on them but there is no wear evident. If you are considering the beads, give the Ride-On TPS a look. This is probably the third time I've mentioned it on this forum and I haven't heard anybody else say they've used it. If you do, mention my name, maybe I'll get a discount on the next application. LOL
Sir you are right on with the Ride On ! I have read many reviews on this and it makes way more sense to use this product versus beads.. Does the same thing in balancing the tire AND seals punctures, and keeps your tires cooler extending tire life. Im sold.. Bulldozer, livin and learnin
 
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