Drive Line Vibration?

[Pntyrmvr]

I use the loose ceramic mini bead in my 15" wheels. Work fine. Can't remeber the brand name. Google ceramic balancing beads. Who knows!


"Talk is cheap. Whiskey costs money."

[MountainBikeRoamer]

Reviving an older thread.

These Centramatic dynamic wheel balancers just arrived today:




Looking forward to getting 'em installed in the next couple days and seeing what they do for any tire shake/vibration on the freeway. For the record, I'm running 285/70R17 BFG AT KO2's.

Will report back soon.

(*Here's the link to the Centramatic part listing for this particular application. Figured that for $199 for a set of 4 it was worth a try.)

Wheel Balancer 300-318C from Centramatic

[Twoxentrix]

Originally Posted by MountainBikeRoamer

Reviving an older thread.

These Centramatic dynamic wheel balancers just arrived today:




Looking forward to getting 'em installed in the next couple days and seeing what they do for any tire shake/vibration on the freeway. For the record, I'm running 285/70R17 BFG AT KO2's.

Will report back soon.

(*Here's the link to the Centramatic part listing for this particular application. Figured that for $199 for a set of 4 it was worth a try.)

Wheel Balancer 300-318C from Centramatic

Very interested to hear your observations. I would order a set as well if you report back they perform beyond expectations.
My only concern is how they function when you are at moderate speeds (30-45mph). In the videos the Tires do not seem to hit a smooth spot until they are at high rpm's. Maybe its just me, but it almost looks like at lower RPM's the wheel is violently out of balance????

[MountainBikeRoamer]

Originally Posted by Twoxentrix

Very interested to hear your observations. I would order a set as well if you report back they perform beyond expectations.
My only concern is how they function when you are at moderate speeds (30-45mph). In the videos the Tires do not seem to hit a smooth spot until they are at high rpm's. Maybe its just me, but it almost looks like at lower RPM's the wheel is violently out of balance????

If you're referring to the demo video that Centramatic has (where they attach a heavy weight to a trailer wheel to intentionally badly throw it out of balance) -- yeah, it looks like it takes a few moments for the weights in the balancer to "find their place" and do the job of smoothing out the imbalance.

So it stands to reason if a tire on your rig is similarly **really badly out of balance**, it won't start to really benefit from the Centramatic's centrifugal balancing action until speeds build up over about 20 or 25 mph. But below those speeds I don't think you usually feel a vibration anyway?

I'm most hopeful that these will smooth out the vibrations felt at freeway speeds (70-80mph) on long trips. Fingers crossed!


EDIT:
This is from the Centramatic FAQ page:

"At what speed do Centramatics start working?
Most models start working at 20-22 mph depending on wheel diameter. This occurs long before vibration due to imbalance, which is at speeds in excess of 35 mph."

[REF]

grab the rear driveshaft and see if theres play when you try to turn it. You'll also notice a clunking when putting it in drive or reverse. you might be able to see visual wear.

[MountainBikeRoamer]

REF, in my case the driveshaft was just rebuilt/rebalanced with all-new u-joints about a year or so ago (when the transmission was rebuilt.) Anything's possible of course, but I'm 95% sure the freeway vibration on my rig is related to the wheels/tires. Will definitely re-check the driveshaft for any play however.

[Twoxentrix]

Originally Posted by MountainBikeRoamer

If you're referring to the demo video that Centramatic has (where they attach a heavy weight to a trailer wheel to intentionally badly throw it out of balance) -- yeah, it looks like it takes a few moments for the weights in the balancer to "find their place" and do the job of smoothing out the imbalance.
[/COLOR]

No, thats the obvious "imbalance" In the Video, I was to referring to the section just after the weight came off. At slower RPM's it still showed a considerable amount of "shake".
In any case, I like the concept & anxious to hear how they work on one of these Vans. I like the fact they (claim to) compensate for many variables. Have cringed at times when hitting the pavement at moderate & high speeds after collecting mud from a quick romp.

[MountainBikeRoamer]

Update:
I've installed those Centramatic balancers.

You can just see 'em peeking out of the holes in the wheels:


Driven perhaps 30-40 miles on 'em now, about 35 of those on the Freeway.

Verdict (with one day of trying them out):
I really do think they've smoothed out the ride quite noticeably.
Of course I have no way to measure a before/after improvement other than the tried/true "seat of the pants" test equipment....

Will start a new thread to give it a separate place to be discussed for anyone interested. (And post more detailed photos of the installation.)


EDIT: Thread posted here:
Centramatic Balancers / Tire Vibration
http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/for...tml#post223738

[killacks]

Same old story... highway speed vibrations leave me obsessing for a cure. After having my tires (BFG KO2s, ~30K miles) balanced and rebalanced numerous times with minimal results, I'm hoping that a dynamic balancing product can smooth out the ride a bit.

Looked into the Centramatic balancers for my rig, but rep said they won't fit my application ('09 E-150). He said that there is a clearance issue with the brake bracket and caliper being too close to the wheel hub, if I'm interpreting his words correctly.

I'm thinking hard about balancing beads (eg. Dynabeads). I've seen that some have used these with successful and unsuccessful results. Any other thoughts to share about them?

Also, regarding installation of these beads, there are two methods: 1) remove the tire, 2) pour through valve stem opening. The valve stem method won't work with certain types of TPMS devices that are attached to the valve stem. My rig has the stock TPMS, which I believe are attached to a band that wraps around the rim. Can anyone confirm this?