bb's balance


blue88b2

blue88b2

15+ Year Member

Joined
Jan 15, 2008
Messages
156
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3,101
City
Dallas, Oregun
Vehicle Year
1987 ranger
Transmission
Manual
has anyone tryed balancing tires with bb's or sand? my 36's are pretty bad. one wheel has 15oz on it.

Funny thing is going in a strait line, it vibrates for a bit then is smooth for the same amount or time before it vibrates again, any ideas? never did it before, so it's got to be the tires. don't think it's a bent wheel either. just strange that it's off and on. anyhow, was thinking of trying the bb's out. thanks for the help!!!

-Blue
 
I did the BB gun BB balancing to my 33x12.5x15's back on April or so.


I would do it again in a heart beat!! It works really well I think. I put about 600 BB's in each tire (abotu a shot glass full or a little more). I'm not sure if that is the proper amount, but it seems to work for my tires.


I've read for 33's, one shot glass full of bb's per tire will work, 35's, 1.5 glasses, 37-19's 2 glass and anything from there up is guess and check. Or so I've heard.


Don't use copper coated BB's though. The copper coating supposedly comes off and will clog your valve stems.


The only downside I've experienced is SOMETIMES if you accelerate really fast (35-65mph almost full throttle) they will vibrate (like the tires are un/ improperly balanced) untill you slow back down to 35-40mph and then slowly speed back up (not super slow, but not quarter mile acceleration). Or just keep driveing and after 3-4 miles of freeway speed they will smooth out.
Other than that they balanced the tires as well as I could have asked for.


Like I said, I will do it again in a heart beat.
 
that's exactly the info i was hoping to hear! Thanks for sharing your experience. think i'm going to do that, nothing else has worked yet.

thanks
-Blue
 
If for some reason the BB's don't work, you could always just pop a bead and take them all out with a magnet.

Oh, and another slight drawback, if you want to look at is as that, is when you come to a stop you can slightly hear the BB's spinning for a second. I think it sound pretty cool, I don't think of it as that much of a draw back. You get looks from other cars every once in a while, haha. And then they some BB's will tap the wheel, and make a "tinking" noise after you have stopped (right after the BB's are done spinning).
 
sweet, i'm gonna buy some today and try it. are the zinc plated one's ok to use? or should i just get steel.
 
First you have to find a knife. Then you take a nice big swing at the side of the tires, then get a funnel, stick it in the hole and pour the BB's in. Why, how did you think you do it???



haha. No, you put them in while you have one of the beads broke. Either break the bead, or pour them in while you are mounting the tire in the first place.
 
one by one through the valve stem...:woot:

naaah, alls ya have to do is remove the valve core and pop one of the beads off, then you can just dump them right in. and air the tire back up and the bead'll pop back on and voilla! balanced tires. I"ve heard of using water to balance tires too, but that would stink when winter hits and the water freezes in your tire! probably pretty sloshy too.
 
dogboy said:
First you have to find a knife. Then you take a nice big swing at the side of the tires, then get a funnel, stick it in the hole and pour the BB's in. Why, how did you think you do it???



haha. No, you put them in while you have one of the beads broke. Either break the bead, or pour them in while you are mounting the tire in the first place.
Click to expand...

Ohh, ya beat me too it!
 
I've heard water does a HORRIBLE job at balancing, and that it will unbalance the tire more than balance. That and it would probably turn to slim after a while in there too. And the frezeeing part in the winter.
 
yeah, and probably not good idea overa long period of time with steel wheels either. but yeah, i bet it'd evaporate too. I bought bb's today. all i could find were the zinc ones, should be ok though, they shouldn't flake off.
 
And, IF for some reason it does flake off, worse you have to do is clean out the tire/ valve stem if it become a problem.

Hope the BB's work for you like they did me!
 
Meh, I would probably put them in the same way I change a tire. put a 2x4 on the tire while its laying flat on the ground and drive up it with another truck. Very easy way to break a bead.
 
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