Mounting and balancing the tires

[Sand]

I'm having trouble finding a place that can mount stock tires on the stock rims. They all say that their machine isn't big enough to balance them. Any suggestions where to take them to get this done?

 

[Mogman]

You will have to mount your own tires as a tire machine cannot be used, if they try it will likely damage the rim.
I have never heard of a shop that will mount tires for the HMMWV.
I get mine balanced at Discount Tire as they have balancers with lifts to handle the heavy tires.

 

[Sand]

I tried discount tire. They said they couldn’t close the hood on the balancing machine.

 

[Sand]

You will have to mount your own tires as a tire machine cannot be used, if they try it will likely damage the rim.
I have never heard of a shop that will mount tires for the HMMWV.
I get mine balanced at Discount Tire as they have balancers with lifts to handle the heavy tires.

I was also told to not bother balancing the tires since i only go 50 mph. 3-speed.

 

[Jinx]

I'd assume any semi-truck or heavy duty diesel mechanic shop would have the equipment.

 

[Mogman]

I was also told to not bother balancing the tires since i only go 50 mph. 3-speed.

That is probably true, I find the "critical" speed to be around 70mph

 

[juanprado]

Try to find a specialty shop that does 4x4 ,lifts, and customizing. They will be more likely to help.

Tire shops that do 3/4 or 1 ton pick ups will not be intimidated.

Best to balance even though military does not to have a better ride.

 

[Mogman]

I tried discount tire. They said they couldn’t close the hood on the balancing machine.

They probably just do not want to mess with it, I would assume all Discount Tire shops have the same equipment

 

[Coug]

Local Les Schwab had the right balancer for larger tires. Doesn't mean others will though.

Centramatic balancers will deal with up to 12 oz of imbalance, without having to make sure that inside of the tire is completely clean and dry like a lot of internal balance products require.


So Hunter Road Force Elite balancers will handle 40" tires up to 175 lbs.
Their company has an interactive map where it will show you all the locations that have this balancer installed.

Find Hunter Equipment | Hunter Engineering Company®

Find a shop near you equipped to safely and reliably service your vehicle.

www.hunter.com

Quick search shows over 80 shops in the Tampa area with them. Mostly dealerships, but some tire shops as well as oil change locations.

 

[Sand]

Local Les Schwab had the right balancer for larger tires. Doesn't mean others will though.

Centramatic balancers will deal with up to 12 oz of imbalance, without having to make sure that inside of the tire is completely clean and dry like a lot of internal balance products require.


So Hunter Road Force Elite balancers will handle 40" tires up to 175 lbs.
Their company has an interactive map where it will show you all the locations that have this balancer installed.

Find Hunter Equipment | Hunter Engineering Company®

Find a shop near you equipped to safely and reliably service your vehicle.

www.hunter.com

Quick search shows over 80 shops in the Tampa area with them. Mostly dealerships, but some tire shops as well as oil change locations.

I checked out the map. There are a few right near my house that still refused to do it.

 

[ikoinu]

Second the Centramatic suggestion.
Easy to install, never balance wheels again.

Invoice attached with model number.

 

[Mogman]

Second the Centramatic suggestion.
Easy to install, never balance wheels again.

Invoice attached with model number.

They are not the end all, cure all.
If you have tires that are out of balance and even at times when you do not you will shake as they find the balance and that is dynamic so it constantly changes with speed, even at steady speeds there are times they just decide to "recalibrate" but not too aften.
I have been running them since day one and think they are OK just do not get the idea they fix everything and you will never shake.

 

[mgFray]

I mounted the tires myself due to the two piece rims, and like the original post I was unable to find anyone who would balance them. So I ended up getting the centramatics. They're not perfect, but they are good enough that I really can't tell they're not balanced.

Just be sure when you mount the tires to pay attention to 'the dots'. Consult the manufacturer for where you need to put the 'dot' on the tire for the balance to be 'about right'.

 

[Karl kostman]

I had an M920 and put HEMTT rims and 1600s on those rims heavy work but did 9 of them , it took some time but was a very complete success then for balancing I put 40 oz of I believe it was called equal into each tire put it in through the valve stem with the shrader valve removed filled them up again with air and the truck was vibration free and I could drive 50 mph with no vibration what so ever!

 

[Mainsail]

I mounted my tires in my driveway, it was a hella workout too.

Discount Tire balanced them as best they could, and the Centramatic balancers do the rest. things start out a little wonky when I first get rolling, more so when it's cold out, but smooth out quickly. That might not be a balance issue but maybe flat spots?

 

[juanprado]

If you have run flats it takes a few miles for everything to be happy.....

 

[Mogman]

I had an M920 and put HEMTT rims and 1600s on those rims heavy work but did 9 of them , it took some time but was a very complete success then for balancing I put 40 oz of I believe it was called equal into each tire put it in through the valve stem with the shrader valve removed filled them up again with air and the truck was vibration free and I could drive 50 mph with no vibration what so ever!

The larger the tire the faster it must turn before any miss-balance shows up, back in the day is was around 55MPH when we were running G-78-15" tires, for the 37" Humvee tire it is around 65-70 before it shows up, I would suspect on the HEMITT it would be much higher than 70mph so no imbalance is going to show up at 50MPH, out of round is a different story and the Centramatics do a fair job with tires that have minor out of round issues, So I would assume internal balancing would be the same.
This is why for many decades 18 wheelers did not balance their tires at all.

 

[gringeltaube]

The larger the tire the faster it must turn before any miss-balance shows up....

Well yes, but it not only depends on size and speed. How many ounces it takes to get a tire/wheel combo to neutral equilibrium plays a big role, too.
Every case is different: I've had HET wheels which only needed a few ounces while others took up to 5 pounds of lead (!)

Same goes for HMMWV tires, some need >20 oz, others almost nothing. And even if you don't feel any significant shaking below 50mph, un-balanced tires sooner or later will show cupping, and this grows exponentially! You may have noticed that most of the 24-bolt wheels came with stick-on adhesive wheel weights, even if the military seldom went any faster than 55.

Simply said: well-balanced tires not only enhance your driving comfort; they also last longer!

 

[TOBASH]

RWH has posted elsewhere a couple of months ago that in all his years he has never balanced HMMWV tires.

 

[Sand]

RWH has posted elsewhere a couple of months ago that in all his years he has never balanced HMMWV tires.

Will it make it ride smoother and less noisy? Not possible. lol