Balancing experience...Goodyear Duratrac's

[jtm703]

Just bought 33" Duratrac's for my TJ.

Anyone else have these tires, and how hard was it for your local shop to balance them?

I only ask 'cause they had a helluva time balancing the 32" Pro-Comp AT's I'm replacing. Hoping these will be easier.

 

[clydethepirate]

You know, I don't know about off road tires but I know a guy that retired from Firestone and he says if it takes more than One weight to balance a tire then the tire is probably no good.
Thats about all I know.

 

[Jester32]

Anything over 31 and under 35 expect about 8-10 oz a side.

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

You know, I don't know about off road tires but I know a guy that retired from Firestone and he says if it takes more than One weight to balance a tire then the tire is probably no good.
Thats about all I know.

Using that logic means the majority of the tires on the road today are no good.

Try to find a tire shop that does road-force balancing. I'm betting they balance easier than Pro-Comps.

 

[superj]

i had 31" duratrac muds and they balanced fine and ran smooth down the road

 

[jeep97jc]

I just had 33" duratrac's put on my TJ and they balanced fine and ride smooth

 

[superj]

i wish i still had mine. those were some mud slinging monsters.

 

[extra-medium]

If a redneck at Wal-mart did it fine on mine, I am sure anyone at any other tire shop could do it fine.

 

[jtm703]

Update: The shop is going to use powder bags rather than weights. It is their opinion that this will be more effective than weights due to the size of this tire on a 15" rim. (Unbalanced weight bieng further from the lip of the rim where the weights would be attached.)

I'm skeptical, but these guys have done okay for me in the past. If it doesn't work, of course I'll take it back and make them get it right.

 

[southtj]

Wow, I did not know they did that on passenger vehicles. I had heard of it before on the big rigs and they swear by it. Did a quick google just now and people say the tires stay balanced for years. I did not see any negatives concerning powders or beads to balance tires.

 

[southtj]

I'm fascinated by this, sorry.

From Innovative Balancing website:

Mudders, Rock Crawlers and Oversize Tire Owners need Dyna Beads®!

We have a special chart for the owners of large, aggressive-tread tires similar to those produced by Michelin, Continental, Interco, BFGoodrich, Mickey Thompson and Toyo, among others.

Your unique and specialized-function tires and Dyna Beads make an ideal team!

Special Off Road beads for superior performance in large, aggressive tires.
No need to mess around with "balance patches", which are only accurate at the time of installation and a pain to install.
Wheel weights, regardless of type, are inefficient for balancing these tires, due to the distance from the outside of the tire to the rim, not to mention how it looks to have 3 lbs of wheel weights hanging on your rim.
These aggressive, oversize tires change their balance requirements quickly throughout their life, making static balancing solutions like wheel weights and balance patches ineffective.
Mud and snow collection can quickly affect wheel balance. Dyna Beads® will quickly move to rebalance this temporary condition.
Dyna Beads are the ideal balancing compound for your tires. Easy to install, extremely efficient, won't rust, perfectly round, solid ceramic, and always working to balance your tires every time you drive. If your tire slips on the rim, the beads will adjust and compensate automatically.

 

[ralavoie_417]

4 wheel parts have been balancing oversized tires with a product called "equal" it's similar to the bags previously mentioned. It continues to balance your tires as you wear them out.

 

[superj]

i read about that type of stuff a few years ago. i think the only weird thing i read is that when you start they have a shake while hte beads or balls adjust to the tire. like each time you start rolling.

 

[ralavoie_417]

i read about that type of stuff a few years ago. i think the only weird thing i read is that when you start they have a shake while hte beads or balls adjust to the tire. like each time you start rolling.

I've never felt them shake.

 

[jtm703]

Good research, SouthTJ. Thanks for sharing.

I'm at the shop now. Should be rolling by lunchtime. I'll ask them about any 'shaking' during initial forward momentum.

 

[superj]

hope fully i read incorrectly

 

[rock316]

Ive worked with tires alot anything that is mud or all terrain is going to be a heavy tire. and with heavy tires it takes weight to ballance them when i did off road tires we used powder or beads it just works better would not recomend them on normal street tires but for off road and all terrain tires it works great

 

[clydethepirate]

Using that logic means the majority of the tires on the road today are no good.

Try to find a tire shop that does road-force balancing. I'm betting they balance easier than Pro-Comps.

Thats kinda what I was thinking too. I would hate to try to sell him a set of tires.

 

[jtm703]

All done. There is a break-in period of sorts with this powder. Takes a few miles to fully break open the bags and get the powder doing its thing. Very wobbly when I left the shop but calmed down by the time I got home. Only a slight wobble left coming from the left front around 42 mph. Other than that it seems to bo smooth. Haven't gone above 60 yet, though.

 

[LJMJ]

Other than your balance problem, how did you like your 32" ProComp A/T's? I'm thinking of getting some since they don't make the BFG A/T in 32" anymore.