Centramatic Wheel Balancers

The tire is only part of the assembly since there is also a hub and wheel, but tire balance isn't static. Most of us have seen scalloping, for example. Whether balancing makes a difference or not is debatable. Some of us have picked up mud or gravel on tires and felt out of balance even with smooth riding tires.

Well let me chime in here, I have both, Equal in tires and Centramatic Wheel Balancers and my ride is much smoother than wheel weights, is it perfect, no, but as perfect as a 19.5 tire can be, I never have to rebalance tires and worry about wheel weights coming off. your tire will ride smother over time with Centramatic Wheel Balancers and Equal once tire breaks in.

artguys wrote:
bjbear...your response is typical of what I get from those that feel otherwise. The issue centers around the quality of the tires being made today and again the weights required on the better tires are minimal to the point of not being needed.

The closer to center that weights are applied the more weight is needed to correct a unbalanced tire/wheel. It doesn't make a difference as to the placement of weights on the inside or outside unless the dish is to the extreme.

Unsprung weight is critical...on a high performance vehicle the wheel and tire weight can be as little as 25 to 30lbs...higher speeds/revolutions contribute to a higher rebound rate if a unbalanced condition exists. But again were dealing with weight corrections on these tires and wheels as little as 1/4 to 1/2 ounce. When we are dealing with those vehicles that are not in the high performance class the issue changes dramatically, with tire and wheel combinations in the range of 70 to well over 100lbs in combination with a well sprung vehicle and a weight a correction of 2 to 3oz and minimal rebound is not felt nor does it show up in uneven tire wear.

So do I understand you right. All tire shops can toss out their wheel balancers?? Well at least all of them except the guys who look after my Bentley. :?

So I am 2 days into my trip and have put a good 1000 km in. I can definitely say that the truck runs smoother with the centramatcs. Where I see the most obvious improvement is in the steering wheel. I always had a minor vibration you could just feel and now that is gone and it is smooth as silk. We will see how it goes over time.

artguys wrote:
Happy you asked...to start, I own a 2009 F250 with camper package and just bought a set of tires from Discount tire. Not only was the balancing refused on this set but it's been many years since I've had any balanced.

1. Because of the quality of tires being manufactured today, unless you own a Porsche 911 or a like vehicle it for the most part isn't needed on most vehicles. Especially so the larger the vehicle becomes. Now a disclaimer...for anyone intent on buying the absolute cheapest tire they can find then balancing may be needed.

2. Revolutions of the tire wheel combination. If at normal highway speeds 35 to 65 on average the revolutions aren't high enough to create a issue.

3. Unsprung weight...wheel and tire are part of a vehicles unsprung weight. To use my truck as a example the tire and wheel weight are about 75 lbs. That alone is enough to negate any unbalanced condition that could come from the tire or wheel. And I use steel wheels, no alloy, because they work better with radial tires. More can be given on that if needed.

4. Suspension...today's suspensions are more in tune with overall design than ever, even frame twist is part of that equation. From reason 1 thru 6 all are connected. Especially so the way vehicles are sprung. On mine the front is sprung so well the OE shocks may never be replaced.

5. Weight placement. Most conventional way of balancing is with wheel weights, tape or clip. The size/amount have been coming down for years, this again because of the quality of the tires being produced. So where are they placed...too close to the center too matter. Same goes for the Centramatics.

As for Equal or other like products the need is so small it's too much of a risk allowing them inside your tires. I've tested them and found no appreciable damage to the liners. However given that the liners used in tires today are not as robust as they once we're and knowing that they probably aren't needed anyway why push it.

6. This is not a opinion, I've spent many years, too much money and resources, along with giving this advice and giving up additional revenues as a result. But the relationship with the customer made it worth the effort.

Again you have to consider each point made and the fact that when tied together the result is convincing. By the way as a consultant I used to charge for this, to you it's free.

So if I am understanding you correctly you are saying it is not necessary to balance tires by any means , except cheap tires .


In over 50 years of driving I have had exactly one tire that needed no weights to run without vibration .

I call BS on not needing to balance a tire and wheel on a car or truck.

A good friend of mine (now passed away from Mesothelioma)who worked on front ends, brakes, and balancing tires, always balanced on the vehicle and showed me the exact reasons for doing so. I would watch the radio antenna as he would spin the wheel/tires up to my normal driving speed. Once he had everything set correctly, the radio antenna would stop vibrating. I have also noticed the passenger seat in a vehicle vibrate when a tire is out of balance. Charles would then take the vehicle out for a test drive and take the vehicle up to your normal driving speed. He was even pulled over a time or two for speeding on a road that was not equivalent to Interstate speeds.

I have used Equal and now have the Centramatic balancers. My truck wheel combinations weigh 110 lbs. each. That is a lot of spinning mass that if left unbalanced would destroy front end parts and irritate you while driving.

Tires are not perfectly round and some are not straight on the wheel when mounted (excess run out - wobble). Some tires will never balance perfectly.

What I like about the Centramatic balancers is they adjust on the fly and take into consideration all the moving components.

I admit I am no expert, but 52 years of driving everything on the planet except the Space Shuttle mover, I will use some method of balancing wheels and tires.

Just for the heck of it, go knock those weights off your drive shaft.

Just let this ol boy do it. I'm sure it's fine.:S

balancing by "feel"

joeshmoe wrote:
Just let this ol boy do it. I'm sure it's fine.:S

balancing by "feel"

My mechanic used the same mechanism to spin the tire, but used a strobe light and kept his hand on the car.

I am all for whatever works for you, just do it, and whatever works for me, I do it. I have seen people balance wheels/tires in a tub of water.

This subject is concerning me in realtime right now. As some of you know i just had my 19.5 vision wheels and Dyna trac pd 890 16 ply 245/19.5 tires. Ordered and delivered from wheelrack. They come match mounted, weight balanced, 2 balancing bead bags. Firestone near me mounted new wheel/ tire combo for free, know the manager, and he asked me if i wanted him to check balance with road force and i told to hold off and lets see how they felt for a little bit. Well a week of driving with camper loaded tires felt great but never got over 55 mph with them. Packed of for trip Dw, granddaughter and I and after during 900 mile trip so far i am experiencing vibration and shimmy when truck gets over 58 a little. Set cruise to 62 not too bad just a little shimmy in front end and steering wheel. Alignment is good. Increase speed to 64 to 68 and it is pretty bad . One of these tires is off balance. I am in KOA in buck eye lake east of columbus Ohio. Anyone know a good place in Ohio to take truck in that deals with these commercial tires? Really like to take care of this before getting back on road to upstate new york.

I'd try calling wheel rack. Rickson is in Maryland. I think it is going to be ok for your trip.