Anti-freeze tire balancing ?

[chucky]

Has there been a final consensus of how much fluid to run in the 395s have heard 20 and 40 oz ???????

 

[Third From Texas]

Yes

The correct answer is zero.

 

[TomTime]

Well, Dave Anderson from Helicool's Helipad says 40 oz.

 

[Ronmar]

Yea I think it was 38-40oz it works, but I am not sure it lasts. Recall one noteable video where they pulled a tire and there was only a fraction of the volume left that had been initially installed. And that was on a system without CTIS breathing Into he tires every 15 minutes. So YMMV. It won’t hurt anything and it will tame the balance, but so will micro Balance beads, you just need to break down the wheel to get them past the bead-lock band…

 

[chucky]

Yea I think it was 38-40oz it works, but I am not sure it lasts. Recall one noteable video where they pulled a tire and there was only a fraction of the volume left that had been initially installed. And that was on a system without CTIS breathing Into he tires every 15 minutes. So YMMV. It won’t hurt anything and it will tame the balance, but so will micro Balance beads, you just need to break down the wheel to get them past the bead-lock band…

I might have seen the same videos ! One of them put a 50/50 mix and i would think the water part of that for sure drying up ! I would have put the beads in the tires for sure but i traded for new tires already on the wheels so their already on the truck so i was going to try the antifreeze and see how it goes and my controller is unplugged on the ctis ! Thanks

 

[silverstate55]

I tried that method several years ago using modified LMTV wheels. When dismounting tires to change them, I didn’t notice any volume loss BUT everything made of steel (even though painted/powder coated) was heavily rusted. Don’t know if I’ll ever do that again, it was a mess.

But of course YMMV.

 

[GeneralDisorder]

Shouldn't be necessary.

My 2008 MVT Goodyear tires rounded back out and stopped vibrating after daily driving my truck for about 6 months. Smooth as glass now. I would say that anyone with "balancing" issues is most likely fighting out-of-round tires and hasn't driven their truck enough to correct that condition or needs to replace their tires with something that isn't 10+ years old. Yes mine are garbage from 2008 and will get replaced soon. In the meantime I keep them at 85 psi to prevent sidewall flex, overheating, and failure.

 

[Third From Texas]

I tried that method several years ago using modified LMTV wheels. When dismounting tires to change them, I didn’t notice any volume loss BUT everything made of steel (even though painted/powder coated) was heavily rusted. Don’t know if I’ll ever do that again, it was a mess.

But of course YMMV.

The issue there is (and one of the the reasons I say "zero" is the best amount to run") is that antifreeze becomes inherently corrosive over time. It becomes quite acidic as it's anti-corrosive ingredients break down, actually. Ever wondered why that in a closed-loop cooling system the coolant will eventually "rust"? This is why we see rusted parts (radiators, caps, water pumps, thermostats, hoses, etc) in vehicles that don't evacuate the old coolant and replace with fresh as part of scheduled maintenance. But at the end of the day, the stuff simply becomes highly corrosive with age. I'd NEVER introduce antifreeze into a tire environment.

I suspect that if you go back and poll the people who are "for using anti-freeze in tires" and ask, the majority who tried it...no longer use it. And the majority who recommend it, have never actually run it in their tires.

ymmv

Third <---owned/managed a radiator shop for two years

 

[Mullaney]

The issue there is (and one of the the reasons I say "zero" is the best amount to run") is that antifreeze becomes inherently corrosive over time. It becomes quite acidic as it's anti-corrosive ingredients break down, actually. Ever wondered why that in a closed-loop cooling system the coolant will eventually "rust"? This is why we see rusted parts (radiators, caps, water pumps, thermostats, hoses, etc) in vehicles that don't evacuate the old coolant and replace with fresh as part of scheduled maintenance. But at the end of the day, the stuff simply becomes highly corrosive with age. I'd NEVER introduce antifreeze into a tire environment.

I suspect that if you go back and poll the people who are "for using anti-freeze in tires" and ask, the majority who tried it...no longer use it. And the majority who recommend it, have never actually run it in their tires.

ymmv

Third <---owned/managed a radiator shop for two years

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@Third From Texas , Nice information. Explains a lot of weird rust.

My question now is tractors... Farm Tractors. A lot of them run water (anti-freeze) in the rear tires for weight. Guessing that would make an expensive rim replacement down the road. No CTIS on them. Sealed system just like a radiator.

(Thinking . . .)

.

 

[BERZERKER888]

use balancing beads.. @32oz per tire . Several months ago I did all 5 tires with 100%-ers GY MVTs.. does it make a difference ?.. beats me.... peace of mind ? maybe.. I believe SF form Fastidious Restomods originally had antifreeze as a balancing agent.. come new tire time , the majority of it was gone .. whereabouts unknown. Also Crazy Man Chad from Broke Overland posted a video on his crusade to balance the tires ..... all for naught... bent rims and tire manufacturering anomalies lead to his quest being a exercise in futility...

 

[chucky]

I might be overthinking it i drove the truck around the neighborhood the other day after i got the tires back on the truck maybe 35/40 mph and didnt feel any thing ! I was just wanting to do any preventive stuff to them while it was still on my mind ! I just wonder if the hardest thing on these tires is just sitting out in the sun year after year if maybe using some kind of slip over tire blanket ! When its going to be sitting for long periods of time to keep the tires from dry rotting and cracking . BLUE BEACON truck washes around the country always hung them over my tire/aluminum wheels to not dull the polished aluminum wheels with any chemicals in their lines when i would get washed . Doesnt seem like it would be that hard to cut out 6 =50 inch circles and 6 half circles and maybe alot of stapeles

 

[Third From Texas]

use balancing beads.. @32oz per tire . Several months ago I did all 5 tires with 100%-ers GY MVTs.. does it make a difference ?.. beats me.... peace of mind ? maybe.. I believe SF form Fastidious Restomods originally had antifreeze as a balancing agent.. come new tire time , the majority of it was gone .. whereabouts unknown. Also Crazy Man Chad from Broke Overland posted a video on his crusade to balance the tires ..... all for naught... bent rims and tire manufacturering anomalies lead to his quest being a exercise in futility...

I've never used them but they would certainly be preferred over antifreeze in my book. Of course, they are a bit harder to install.

The thing that's always scared me off balance beads is that they turn to goo (melt) when coming in contact with any grease or oils. In theory there's shouldn't really be any in a close air system, but on a few occasions I've bled my air tanks and thought "is that a residue" when I rub my finger and thumb together.

My pre-runner and sand car both run Kubota Premium Tire Sealant. I love it because it's water soluble and you just hose it out when you tear down a tire. I run that stuff in everything (to include the pneumatic tires on my shop dolly). It's not really a balance product (and I'd certainly not run it in a CTIS environment) but I only mention this to show I'm not opposed to the idea of running crap in tires. Just not my CTIS system....

 

[chucky]

I've never used them but they would certainly be preferred over antifreeze in my book. Of course, they are a bit harder to install.

The thing that's always scared me off balance beads is that they turn to goo (melt) when coming in contact with any grease or oils. In theory there's shouldn't really be any in a close air system, but on a few occasions I've bled my air tanks and thought "is that a residue" when I rub my finger and thumb together.

My pre-runner and sand car both run Kubota Premium Tire Sealant. I love it because it's water soluble and you just hose it out when you tear down a tire. It's not really a balance product (and I'd certainly not run it in a CTIS environment) but I toss this out there to show I'm not opposed to the idea of running crap in tires. Just not my CTIS system....

35 years ago i had some new 11/24.5 put on the steer axle and they had these plastic bag of clear green liquid like koolaid they they poured the little bags into each tire (as i laughed to myself) and 2 yrs later when thy were wore out we broke them down and found a pile of different sise solid balls from hald dollar to dime sise that were rock hard and they rode like a dream for 2 yrs with no tire weights on the wheels at all but no one knows what im talking about now!

 

[BERZERKER888]

I might be overthinking it i drove the truck around the neighborhood the other day after i got the tires back on the truck maybe 35/40 mph and didnt feel any thing ! I was just wanting to do any preventive stuff to them while it was still on my mind ! I just wonder if the hardest thing on these tires is just sitting out in the sun year after year if maybe using some kind of slip over tire blanket ! When its going to be sitting for long periods of time to keep the tires from dry rotting and cracking . BLUE BEACON truck washes around the country always hung them over my tire/aluminum wheels to not dull the polished aluminum wheels with any chemicals in their lines when i would get washed . Doesnt seem like it would be that hard to cut out 6 =50 inch circles and 6 half circles and maybe alot of stapeles

actually putting the beads inside the tire when installing new tires is a snap... much easier that the god awful mess/spillage I was expecting...my logic was: since i had the rims split, new hardware all around.. thanks WIll M and Eric , and although the tire swap isnot difficult , just time consuming.. throw the beads in...

and if you opt for beads...buy the bulk quantity on Amazon.... cheaper by far than individual bags...

as aside note, I put the beads in my BMW motorcycles... after 2 cross country tours.@5k miles... the beads did not break down and there was no damage to the sidewalks...

 

[Lostchain]

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@Third From Texas , Nice information. Explains a lot of weird rust.

My question now is tractors... Farm Tractors. A lot of them run water (anti-freeze) in the rear tires for weight. Guessing that would make an expensive rim replacement down the road. No CTIS on them. Sealed system just like a radiator.

(Thinking . . .)

.

When I bought my tractor at the Kubota dealer they weighted the wheels with beet juice. They said that was the standard method. It wasn't cheap so maybe that's why some people have tried antifreeze in tractors? Doesn't sound like a good idea for the previously mentioned reasons.

 

[BERZERKER888]

considering the highspeed crawl of a tractor....balancing seems moot.... additional weight for traction ?.. for sure

 

[Mullaney]

When I bought my tractor at the Kubota dealer they weighted the wheels with beet juice. They said that was the standard method. It wasn't cheap so maybe that's why some people have tried antifreeze in tractors? Doesn't sound like a good idea for the previously mentioned reasons.

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Wow @Lostchain !!

That is pretty amazing. I went out to poke around and see what who had to say about Beet Juice - and dang if it isn't exactly what we might need to be using. That stuff is definitely what should be used in Tractor tires... Good down to -35f so it has anti freezing properties AND it claims to not rot your rims.

Rim Guard - Beet Juice Tire Ballast

Rim Guard is a liquid tire ballast that maximizes pulling power, improves lifting performance, and reduces the risk of tipping.

www.rimguardsolutions.com

And Tractor Supply seems to have it available...

 

[Mullaney]

considering the highspeed crawl of a tractor....balancing seems moot.... additional weight for traction ?.. for sure

.
Definitely for weight.
I was just mentioning tractors and the possibility of rusty rims...

Beet Juice seems pretty amazing.
Makes you wonder who came up with that idea!

 

[chucky]

.
Definitely for weight.
I was just mentioning tractors and the possibility of rusty rims...

Beet Juice seems pretty amazing.
Makes you wonder who came up with that idea!

A beet farmer lol!

 

[Mullaney]

A beet farmer lol!

.
Can you imagine the guy (engineer?) talking to the Beet Farmer...

Uh, yeah. I'd like to buy a 55 gallon drum of Beet Juice from you.

And the farmer thinks the engineer is off his rocker.
Wonder how much dirt it takes to grow that many Beets?