Balancing beads.

T_C said:
Ever do a load of laundry... watch the spin cycle.
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ya many times as I grew up with an appliance repairman as a dad ....... the most modern washer that use a "balance ring" are using the same principle as a tire beads. Modern washers will also reduce spin speed to compensate for out balance that cannot corrected by the "balance ring" because the theory is limited to the amount of liquid your using in the "balance ring". The old concrete counterweight washers used gravity (bruteforce) to compensate for out of balance loads in drums and would just smash the crap out of your wall if the counter weight was not enough LOL
 
I used Counteract beads once. They disintegrated and formed a fine white powder in the tire. This powder then got into the valve core when I checked the pressure resulting in a slow leak. The makers of Counteract swear this is not possible but it did happen to me. So, needless to say, I don't use them any more.

As for Ride-on.....I used it a few times and can't really say I appreciated any improvement over balancing conventional ways. However, I did witness it fail to prevent a flat tire a couple of times (small hole, center of tread) so I decided to save my $$$$ and not use it any more.

But, as is said "....anecdote is not the pluralization of data....."
 
T_C said:
You turned tempered glass into powder??? Some serious pounding your tires and wheels are taking!
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All I can say is that is what happened. PR4, brand new, 2 up, 1500 miles. Counteract swore up and down it was not possible and that I must have use a different brand but it was in fact, Counteract. I wish I had taken a picture of the powder but I didn't even think of it. When I took the tire off, the whole inside was coated in a fine white powder and there was about half a cup not stuck to the sides. Fine as icing sugar. Interesting side note......I had the tire replaced at the Gunnison, CO Yamaha dealer (I actually changed it out myself. Just used their equipment). They do not have a dynamic or static balancer. All they use is Counteract beads. I sold the bike before I had to change the tire out again but each time I checked the pressure, I made sure to give it a little shot of air to blow out the core. The pressure was OK each time I checked.

The only thing I can think of is that it was a bad batch because if it was a common problem, they wouldn't still be in business.
 
I too had great luck until I had a problem - I was using Dyna-beads. I called the manufacturer and described what was occurring. They did admit to me that there are some circumstances that the beads can cause issues and they did tell me to remove them and see what happens. The biggest problems can occur if you have possible loose steering stem bearings as well as extremely poor compression damping. I had neither of these problems but had this weird vibration that would go in and out of phase - sometimes it got pretty extreme. The beads also tend to counteract the operation of the suspension movement as the beads will counter the force of the wheel as it travels over a bump causing the wheel to apply force to the frame of the bike. This is the primary reason that balance beads are not used in racing as it make it difficult to tune the suspension properly. Anyway - most of us don't ride well or fast enough to notice this. After my bad experience I won't use them anymore. Most will probably never experience an issue running them and that's fine.
 
Just as an observer, after some of the reported problems, I'll take a pass on the beads.
 
I've used the beads with mixed results. The one time with an issue was a front tire. 1 oz. of beads turned into 2 oz. and it still wasn't right. Added the old lead 1oz. clip-on to the same place as previous tire and all was fine. An observation of tire wear from the inside was a shock. The tire mold ridges on the inside of the carcass had been worn off and were smooth as a baby's butt! How much heat is generated from this balance bead activity is anyone's guess. But heat from both inside and outside has got to take a toll.
 
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RedMotion said:
I've used the beads with mixed results. The one time with an issue was a front tire. 1 oz. of beads turned into 2 oz. and it still wasn't right. Added the old lead 1oz. clip-on to the same place as previous tire and all was fine. An observation of tire wear from the inside was a shock. The tire mold ridges on the inside of the carcass had been worn off and were smooth as a babies butt! How much heat is generated from this balance bead activity is any ones guess. But heat from both inside and outside has got to take a toll.
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That's the first time heat has been brought up. That's an interesting issue.
 
Question, if 2oz. of beads know where to lie in my tire why wouldn't 2oz. of water do the same thing?
 
W0QNX said:
Question, if 2oz. of beads know where to lie in my tire why wouldn't 2oz. of water do the same thing?
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It would except the water would cause corrosion on the wheel rim and tire valve core. Also water expands when heated and would effect tire pressure greatly.
 
My take/experience with balancing beads. They work at 45 mph+. Below 45: nope.
 
W0QNX said:
Well now I know why I can't grasp the method. All my life the dryer doors have been metal, no glass windows in my dryers!

Thanks TC! (all in good fun) Off to the synthetic oil threads now....
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We just got a new clothes washer yesterday with a glass lid! I can now sit and watch the spin cycle! o_O

:rofl1:
 
After reading a couple of these, it reminded me of my trip to Oregon in June of 2017.

After getting up there, I had to replace my rear tire. After removing the tire & rim from my bike, I had my son Justin do do the tire uninstall and reinstall. To balance it, we used what him and his buddies were using in their jeep tires. Airsoft pellets. We had to count out 420 pellets to make up the 3 oz we wanted in it. I'm still seeing those pellets in my back yard from when I did the last tire change. :rofl1:
 
420? They must be tiny. How many for their Jeep tires? They could probably run on the pellets alone no air. :rofl1:
 
BakerBoy said:
Except using beads (vs not) is a matter of opinion or belief that they work. Using oil...not so much.
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I just meant that there were going to be people on both sides of the issue. Oil threads just have the option to have many more opinions. But no matter what, there is going to be disagreement.
 
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