Tire beads and TBS sensors

[petey]

AND, my rim's heavy spot is NOT at the valves.

Neither is mine, it's at tire pressure censor.

 

[escapefjrtist]

I static balance my tires, I like to see how the tire is balanced "before" reinstalling the wheel.

I am not a self changer: at $25 wheel off, all-iclusive from my local Honda dealer I don't feel the need to be. But petey brings up something I've often wondered about. For accuracy, balance, etc., particularly for the anal retentive mi·nu·ti·ae oriented, why aren't people balancing an empty wheel, then balancing an unmounted tire, then mounting so the tire heavy + the wheel light to offset each other, then balancing the whole thing assembled and adjusting accordingly?

We've been doing exactly that for 10+ years. Like HRZ, the heavy spot on my rims are marked (both away from the valve stem) and the light spot of the tire is installed there. If the tires aren't marked, then depending on weight to balance, we use our judgement (and amount of time & beer left) whether to spin the tire to minimize balance weight.

--G

 

[GDSFJR03]

Okay, forgive my ignorance on an over discussed subject to some.... This is what makes the forum great.

To those of us that are not the best wrenchers you save most of us a lot of money by trying "new" fangled things like tire beads.

When adding a Wing too the stable two years ago unknown to me there were beads in the tires.

Did I know... No. Did I know the difference, No.

When the TPS started going off at sporadic times for no apparent reason and caused an uneducated rider on the subject cause for alarm, and even started ignoring the sensor until one day we had a real flat...

How did I find out ? The first tire change, yes at the dealer out of town who fixed the flat and said please don't use the beads.

Have you noticed your TPS sensor is acting funny and you might have to replace your sensor on the next tire change but I think we got most of the beads blown out of your 90 degree valve stem....

I thought I was good at checking pressure before every ride but as it has turned out in the last five years I have experienced 4 flats.

Three were from picking up nails, all roofing I might add. Luckily all in the back at speeds that were easy to come to a controlled stop.

One was from ignoring a sensor that was malfunctioning from the beads. My bad.

Technology is good when it works but there is no substitue for doing what you learned in your first riding coarse.

 

[Danny G]

Just to keep you up to speed. TPS is throttle positioning sensor. TPMS is the tire pressure monitoring sensor. I am here to also learn.

Danny

 

[RossKean]

Just to keep you up to speed. TPS is throttle positioning sensor. TPMS is the tire pressure monitoring sensor. I am here to also learn.
Danny

...and TBS is throttle body synchronization.

 

[GDSFJR03]

I should have posted on Friday ... You guys could have had more fun.... Got it. thanks for the edjumacation.

 

[Fred W]

Guys,
If beads really don't work why do big trucks use them. I think this is some where in the middle.

What do you suppose the IQ is of the average trucker? I doubt that many are delving into the physics involved and questioning how on earth it could work. Apologies in advance to any truck drivers here for the generalization, but I think you get my point.

I static balance my tires, I like to see how the tire is balanced "before" reinstalling the wheel.

I am not a self changer: at $25 wheel off, all-iclusive from my local Honda dealer I don't feel the need to be. But petey brings up something I've often wondered about. For accuracy, balance, etc., particularly for the anal retentive mi·nu·ti·ae oriented, why aren't people balancing an empty wheel, then balancing an unmounted tire, then mounting so the tire heavy + the wheel light to offset each other, then balancing the whole thing assembled and adjusting accordingly?

Been doing exactly that since I started mounting my own tires. I don't mount my tires to save money, although that does happen as a matter of course. I DIY so I can do a better job than the pimpley faced kid at the LBS who would ignore the fact that it took him 8 wheel weights to get the wheel and tire in balance.
None of the bare FJR wheels that I have balanced have been heavy at the valve stem, unless there is a TPMS sensor screwed onto the valve.

 

[HotRodZilla]

I don't mount my tires to save money, although that does happen as a matter of course. I DIY so I can do a better job than the pimpley faced kid at the LBS who would ignore the fact that it took him 8 wheel weights to get the wheel and tire in balance.

^^^^THIS. My last straw was when I took my wheels to CycleGear for a tire install. A girl in had never seen before did the work. Put wheels back on bike, and the bars shook like Hell. So, front wheel back off and back to CycleGear. Same girl rebalanced the tire. Tire back on bike, and same frigging shake, although less pronounced. Took the effing tire off AGAIN and back to CycleGear. Asked for a guy I knew and had him balance the tire. That one was finally right. That's the last time CycleGear did tires for me, and I got a NoMar. Done my own tires ever since.

 

[jammess]

I've never gone to the trouble to find the heavy spot on just the wheel and then locate the actual light spot on just the tire then move the tire light spot adjacent to the wheel heavy spot before seating the bead. I look forward to trying this next tire change. I wonder how much difference this would make on the number of wheel weights needed to balance the wheel/tire combo?

Fred - I was having the same thought pertaining to some, not all, of those in the trucking industry.

 

[Danny G]

What Hotrod said,

A few years back I took my wheels with the old tires to the dealer I bought it from for new tires. When I picked up the new mounted tires the rear wheel had three strips of weight. They refused to spin the tire on the wheel and told me it would be fine. The tire was gone at 5 thousand miles. I don't enjoy doing my own work all that much, but I have very little trust of most mechanics. About 16 years ago I took my ZX-11 in for a valve adjustment. When I got it back it would tick when cold. I took it back and the mechanic told me it was the cam chain tensioner. I adjusted my own valves from that time on without any ticks.

 

[art miller]

I static balance my tires, I like to see how the tire is balanced "before" reinstalling the wheel.

I am not a self changer: at $25 wheel off, all-iclusive from my local Honda dealer I don't feel the need to be. But petey brings up something I've often wondered about. For accuracy, balance, etc., particularly for the anal retentive mi·nu·ti·ae oriented, why aren't people balancing an empty wheel, then balancing an unmounted tire, then mounting so the tire heavy + the wheel light to offset each other, then balancing the whole thing assembled and adjusting accordingly?

Interesting concept. How do you balance an unmounted tire????

 

[jammess]

I static balance my tires, I like to see how the tire is balanced "before" reinstalling the wheel.

I am not a self changer: at $25 wheel off, all-iclusive from my local Honda dealer I don't feel the need to be. But petey brings up something I've often wondered about. For accuracy, balance, etc., particularly for the anal retentive mi·nu·ti·ae oriented, why aren't people balancing an empty wheel, then balancing an unmounted tire, then mounting so the tire heavy + the wheel light to offset each other, then balancing the whole thing assembled and adjusting accordingly?

Interesting concept. How do you balance an unmounted tire????

You remove the old tire then put just the wheel on the balancer and find the heavy spot, use masking tape and attach a weight to the wheel opposite the heavy spot. In other words balance just the wheel. Then mount the tire but don't seat the bead. Place the wheel with tire on balancer and mark the heavy spot on the tire then simply slid the tire around the wheel so that the heavy spot on the tire is adjacent to the light spot on the wheel, seat the bead and balance the wheel/tire assembly. Theoretically by doing this procedure you will use less weights when you balance the wheel/tire combo. Oh, when you balance just the wheel take a felt tip and mark the wheel light spot inside the wheel for future reference so you don't have to repeat the wheel by itself balance part of the procedure. Also, make note of the weights needed to balance just the wheel.