How to remove balance beads from tubes

nkaminar

nkaminar

Well-known member
First a little background. I bought new tires and decided to try the balance beads. The tires have to be completely concentric at their inside diameter at the tread. These tires aren't. They get flat spots from sitting and are not round because of quality issues. So I get a severe bounce in the front end at about 55 or more mph.

I am removing the balance beads and will balance the tires using stick-on lead weights. First, you will need a good patch kit. I bought a PAX kit that has 55 mm square patches that come with pre-applied adhesive and some rubber glue. I cut a 1/4-inch long slit in the tube at the outside diameter opposite the stem. Putting air in the tube caused the slit to open into a hole and expel all the beads is short order. I then patched the hole and put the tube back in the tire and filled it up with air.
 
Neil, I don't even know anybody who has used balance beads, They don't seem to be a thing here.
When I balance a wheel, I don't use the stick on weights on a 19" wheel because of the shape of the wheel. They only get a small area of contact with the rim and most tyres are so far off that there is not enough room between the spoke to do it properly. I have had new US tyres recently been over 200 grams (7+ ounces) out of balance!!.
I have made a stand from a front axle and hub with half decent bearings that turn freely. It is a simple process to add weight at the top of the wheel when it stops turning (heavy spot goes to the bottom). For weights, I melt the lead out of an old battery and pour it into a piece of angle iron turned "V" up. That gives me a length of lead which I weigh and measure the length of. Using masking tape to temporarily hold modern weights to the tyre, I work out how much weight I require and where. It is a simple calculation to work out what length of the lead I need. I then wrap it around a spoke and give it a squuirt of paint to blend in with the wheel. It's cheap and easy.
Alternatively, I find a piece of lead flashing, measure the area and weight, then calculate how many grams per square cm it is. With a similar calculation I work out how long and wide a strip of lead I cut to wrap around the spoke.
Ive done that for decades and many sets of tyres with never a problem.
 
Synchro909 said:
Neil, I don't even know anybody who has used balance beads, They don't seem to be a thing here.
When I balance a wheel, I don't use the stick on weights on a 19" wheel because of the shape of the wheel. They only get a small area of contact with the rim and most tyres are so far off that there is not enough room between the spoke to do it properly. I have had new US tyres recently been over 200 grams (7+ ounces) out of balance!!.
I have made a stand from a front axle and hub with half decent bearings that turn freely. It is a simple process to add weight at the top of the wheel when it stops turning (heavy spot goes to the bottom). For weights, I melt the lead out of an old battery and pour it into a piece of angle iron turned "V" up. That gives me a length of lead which I weigh and measure the length of. Using masking tape to temporarily hold modern weights to the tyre, I work out how much weight I require and where. It is a simple calculation to work out what length of the lead I need. I then wrap it around a spoke and give it a squuirt of paint to blend in with the wheel. It's cheap and easy.
Alternatively, I find a piece of lead flashing, measure the area and weight, then calculate how many grams per square cm it is. With a similar calculation I work out how long and wide a strip of lead I cut to wrap around the spoke.
Ive done that for decades and many sets of tyres with never a problem.
Click to expand...
NK, this seems like a good way to get rid of beads. I have four tubes with beads that could use this.

I use the stick on weights, but I orient them so that the long axis of the weight is parallel to the axle. This way maximizes the amount of adhesive that contacts the wheel. You can also hit the weight with a ball peen hammer to form to the radius of the wheel.

I loosen up a front wheel bearing slightly just enough to allow free rotation, and tighten all five lug nuts to spec. I use the same method as Synchro - balance out the heavy point with weight. I’ve also had some tires need several ounces of weight.

My success with balancing beads has been minimal, so I don’t use them.
 
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Synchro, I like your method. I have some old lead and angle iron and a torch. I don't think the missis will want me to melt the lead in a pan on the stove.
 
I have a bubble balancer that cannot be used on Model "A" wheels unless the hub caps are removed because the caps block vision of the bubble. I am thinking of getting a separate bubble to place on the hub cap to make my balance work.
I use the stick-on weights and to date, only one weight has come off. The wheels need to thoroughly solvent cleaned for the weights to stick.
 
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