Centramatics-Any experience

rgatijnet1 wrote:

wolfe10 wrote:
They are permanent-- external to the wheel/tire. You buy them only once in the whole life of the coach (change a tire and they work equally well with the next tire).

They do not introduce beads or other material into the tire that may cause issues such as clogged valve stems and issues at next tire change, clumping if "wet" air is used to inflate, etc.

IMO the only other excellent balancing technique is to have the fronts balanced ON THE VEHICLE. As with Centramatics, then all the rotating masses are in balance. With a brake drum/disk and hub weighing over 100 pounds, it is not unrealistic that these are out a couple of ounces.

That is one of the reasons why I specified the "larger RV Specific Dynabeads". These are not to be confused with the standard Dynabeads or balancing powder.
They do not clump. They do not clog your valve core and do not need special valve cores. They work fine with any TPMS and they do not clump, like the powder if there is any moisture inside the tires. Having changed a few of the tires, they do not cause any problems when de-mounting the old tires or mounting new tires. The Dynabeads do balance all of the rotating mass as you drive, even if you pick up some mud or dirt in the wheel.
Granted the Dynabeads are not permanent, but when you change tires, it costs me about $15 for new beads.

Everything you say is true, but tire manufacturers do not recommend them. Wear on inner surface that was never designed for wear is one of several issues identified by a tire expert at a large manufacturer. YMMV

wolfe10 wrote:
They are permanent-- external to the wheel/tire. You buy them only once in the whole life of the coach (change a tire and they work equally well with the next tire).

They do not introduce beads or other material into the tire that may cause issues such as clogged valve stems and issues at next tire change, clumping if "wet" air is used to inflate, etc.

IMO the only other excellent balancing technique is to have the fronts balanced ON THE VEHICLE. As with Centramatics, then all the rotating masses are in balance. With a brake drum/disk and hub weighing over 100 pounds, it is not unrealistic that these are out a couple of ounces.

That is one of the reasons why I specified the "larger RV Specific Dynabeads". These are not to be confused with the standard Dynabeads or balancing powder.
They do not clump. They do not clog your valve core and do not need special valve cores. They work fine with any TPMS and they do not clump, like the powder if there is any moisture inside the tires. Having changed a few of the tires, they do not cause any problems when de-mounting the old tires or mounting new tires. The Dynabeads do balance all of the rotating mass as you drive, even if you pick up some mud or dirt in the wheel.
Granted the Dynabeads are not permanent, but when you change tires, it costs me about $15 for new beads.

So am I correct that the biggest noticeable impact will be on the front wheels? Thank you all for such great responses.

They work great

They are permanent-- external to the wheel/tire. You buy them only once in the whole life of the coach (change a tire and they work equally well with the next tire).

They do not introduce beads or other material into the tire that may cause issues such as clogged valve stems and issues at next tire change, clumping if "wet" air is used to inflate, etc.

IMO the only other excellent balancing technique is to have the fronts balanced ON THE VEHICLE. As with Centramatics, then all the rotating masses are in balance. With a brake drum/disk and hub weighing over 100 pounds, it is not unrealistic that these are out a couple of ounces.

What do Centramatics do that the larger RV specific Dynabeads do not do, for hundreds less? Just asking for my own education.

I have not used Cenramatics on my RV but am using the bean bags from Les Schwab Tire on my front two 22.5" tires. Totally eliminated the slight out of balance shake at 60 MPH. These are new Bridgestones and we couldn't get them totally balanced until I put in the bean bags. Much cheaper than Centramatics. Worth your investigating.

I've been using them for 8+ years. They work exceptionally well, but few buy them because of price. Not only do they balance your tires, they balance the whole hub assembly and brakes.

I had them on my last coach and then just bought three sets for my new coach, including the tag. I've found the best price at Florida Shores Truck. They drop ship and they usually arrive in 2-3 days.