Can beads really balance tyres? A full test and explanation how they work.

[@kenmercer2721]

Never heard of them before but I recognised the principle from dismantling a top loading washing machine years ago. The inside drum had two hollow rings, one at the top and the other at the bottom which were partially filled with water (and sealed) and serve to balance the washing during the spin cycle. It sloshes around to pool opposite, say, a large towel and compensate for its weight. Regarding a tyre and from looking at another video - the beads tend to roll to the centre of the tyre as only the bottom is flat - the rest is curved. So static balance will be quite good but dynamic not so flash. Enjoyed your video!

[@2CVCult-zl8eo]

What a wonderful piece of knowledge from your washing machine. Thanks for sharing. And a good point on the curved tyre inside. It will indeed lessen the effect of dynamic balancing. A more elaborate setup would be needed to fully test this out.

[@captaincoxyboy]

I found this fascinating and very well presented too, thank you 🙏

[@faawks]

Good video, something to note, the beads I see used and seem to work the best are much smaller, more to the size of larger sugar crystals, the larger the bead the less reliable they are in working each time you come to a stop and start driving again. One other thing for anyone who's not had them work, they MUST be made from something like ceramic or glass to prevent them sticking together, plastic usually doesn't work and often will make the balance worse. Thanks for the video!

[@kubibear2890]

Will really damage your tpms sensors. Move into the 21st century.

[@MrDrivesafe]

Finally! An explanation, well done. Thank you!

[@551moley]

I've had dual sport motorbikes for years, The best way I found to balance the wheels for higher road speed is tyre slime in the inner tube, it makes a massive difference on the higher speed rated tyres, knobbly tyres are sometimes beyond help but it definitely helps.

[@2CVCult-zl8eo]

Thanks for that information. Slime sounds very interesting as a balancing method.

[@thisisyourcaptainspeaking2259]

I've heard similar reports. I'm imagining the weight of slime is key, it needs to be of an adequate quantity to offset the imbalance.

[@MrGivmedew]

I always wondered why dumping a bunch of Stan’s Tubeless puncture seal in my tires didn’t make them off balance. Low speed is part of it I’m sure but on a path with super fine crushed gravel there are sections of downhill that I would get up to high 30s and never any issues with the tires.

[@naruttaanime9471]

Do you fear the tire sline ir beads could damage the tpms valve?

[@naruttaanime9471]

​@@2CVCult-zl8eosone use the thick concentrated coolant with silicates.

[@user-ju7dx8mu6d]

Magnificent. There are so many ignorant explanations of balancing beads on the internet that are clearly wrong. Finally one that makes sense. Thank you. I have been using them in my motorcycles for years and know they work but have always struggled to understand why.

[@gelscience7081]

Thanks for sharing that the beads work on your motorcycle (always good to get more data). I made the same experience as you, some clearly wrong explanations out there including from bead manufacturers and retailers; that's where I saw a need for doing a clarification video.

[@PapaBiker]

Best explanation I have heard about how this works! Thank you!

[@Tennyson2]

Absolutely fantastic work, there is a lot of poorly informed speculation out there on balance beads. Next time i lose my weights or get imbalance coming back in i will give these a go.

[@Bobcagon]

Something most DIYers miss are the red and yellow dots on new tires. Pre balanced at the factory. The red dot marks the highest point around the tire. The yellow dot marks the lightest point of the tire, and aligning this with the wheel’s heaviest point, often the valve stem, aids in achieving a balanced tire. So adding balance beads will fine tune the assembly. Of course the dots wear off eventually so if you remove the tire after a time and the dots are gone then the fine tuning aspect is nullified upon remounting the tire later.

[@JillCullen-fm3md]

I had oddball (stock) wheels on my 1958 Apache 3/4 ton pickup. They were 17.5 inch wheels, so there were only two tire options to run the stock wheels, both were luggy military tires. No local shop was equipped to balance them so I used beads. Anyway, I used the smaller beads that can go through the tire stem. The trick to get them into the wheel without jamming or clogging, I used a funnel and an engraving tool to vibrate the valve stem and keep the beads rolling into the wheel. Takes a little time and patience, but a lot less energy and risk than breaking the tire bead and tossing them in that way. Worked like a charm.

[@allanwalker5305]

great video, very informative, and well presented. im not interested in 2cvs' but the algorithm did well today.

[@jurikristjouw]

Thanx for the video!! Best explanation ever! I have been struggling with the theory for ages because I did not know about the difference in balance when rotation around the centre of gravity! It is soo logical now!! I would do it the exact same way on my car, even thought about doing it to save money and furthermore reach perfection. Will do it now for sure. You convinced my with evidence! Love it.

[@KrisztianSomodi]

beads ordered, I was sceptic, but now I will definitely buy some. Fantastic explanation by the way, you should defo have more subscribers.

[@thisisyourcaptainspeaking2259]

FWIW, I installed beads and finally removed my external weights and this resulted in success.

[@mra2957]

Thank you! You convinced me! I couldn’t get my 69 VW bus wheels & tires balanced because no one could mount them to a spin balance machine, just like your Citroen.

[@ruipedrovilarinho5560]

Excellent video. All the facts with no bullshit and not wasting time with over explanations or opinions. Thank you , loved to know there is such a thing like these balls. I had a Citroen Dyane as my first car- I loved it!

[@PJBonoVox]

Great video. One situation where balancing beads aren't ideal is if you need to use a tyre plug. They'll shred the plug to pieces and break up as a result. You just end up with a powdery ceramic mess and a plug that won't seal.

[@carstencroessmann]

Great Video and effort. Hats up superior amount of work, thank you from Germany.

[@marco7716]

Besten Dank. Manchmal fragt ich mich, wozu die ganze Arbeit? Aber es lohnt sich doch wenn man gute Kommentare bekommt.

[@carstencroessmann]

@@marco7716 Sehe ich auch so, es ist doch schön wenn man anderen helfen kann. Auch wenn in diesem Video nur das wissen bereichert wird, und wissbegierig sollten wir alle sein und bleiben.

[@chriswalker4272]

Brilliant explanations thank you. As a former 2CV owner for ten years, and have land rovers now; really enjoyed your Citroen Logic 👍. I think my 2CV wheels got balanced on a bubble balancer. But my land rover wheels might balance with steel ball bearings quite well 🤔, and I've heard they use golf balls in lorry wheels 😃

[@conspicuousman5162]

The best video on the subject I have seen!

[@charredskeleton]

Thanks for putting this together! Great info!!

[@Cartoon_Physics]

Thank-you! What a great video.

[@SihAza]

Cool car which surely gets notice on the road. My 1965 Chrysler Owner's Manual shows breaking the tire bead using the bumper jack, as you did. Wonder if an owner in the day would actually swap in a new tire by hand. I did it once on a 13" trailer wheel and very tedious, using pry bars. I've notice small rubber balls inside tires, which apparently form naturally from shed rubber. Doubt they have much effect. Interesting Physics description.

[@ztungaz]

wish i had known about balance beads way back when i had an R4 that also had wheels that no shop could mount on their modern balancing machines. main issue was in the front....on the back the tires could hop up and down 20cm and you wouldn't even notice it.

[@jessefincham8899]

Amazing vid. Vary scientific yet simple. I just bought some for my 99 f350 dually. I had the wheels balanced at ford dealer. But I want theses big chrome 19.5’s and Toyo m655’s to ride like there on a Cadillac. Thanks

[@tedarcher9120]

That's the best explanation, thank you!

[@MrsSunshine75]

Thank you so much, finally an explanation with proof!

[@TK42138]

Nicely explained and presented.

[@aldendaddy]

Great Explanation!

[@johnelectric933]

Thank you. Well thought out.

[@dhoti_lal_shastri]

very clear explanation, Thank you

[@paullavender6227]

What a great explanation, thank you.

[@johnw6257]

What a great video, thanks indeed. I've recently fitted balancing beads (tiny ones that do (eventually) fit through the valve stem into my tubes - 40 minutes per wheel to get them in! It is interesting that you are running tubeless? Does your 2CV have safety rims? This is a long standing debate!) My Renaults have the same size rims as yours and my early 4CV spider wheels can only be balanced statically at my local tyre place. They can balance my 15" disc wheels on the R8 but this doesn't reliably stop vibration at 100 kph. I"ve not finished testing the results of the beads yet and just remembered I might still have balance weights on the inside of the wheels, so need to pull them off. I have checked for roundness and sideways wobble, and they are OK within 1-2 mm. Thanks again! Really interesting.

[@2CVCult-zl8eo]

Thanks for the comment. My rims didn't look like safety rims (but I didn't really have a good look inside, so maybe they are). I hope those beads work for you. There are much more variables involved than with traditional balancing, so I am not sure if it will always work. Let us know how you go.

[@jaysonchilds4676]

Thank you! i wondered how they worked.

[@markw3922]

vehicle mechanic here, balance beads are really only good for fixed speed situations & car tyres aren't round when in use there is a flat spot (the contact with the road) so the wheel in the air experiments are not real life scenario. having tried balance beads for a year or so i've concluded for car tyres stick on weights are superior. when you change speed especially accelerate the beads take time to shuffle into position & during this time the vibration is really bad. do they work? yes but are not as effective as traditional wheel balancing in my experience .

[@cot5thorchid551]

Finally you gave me the answer I've been looking for. It is the center of gravity and not the periphery, or the center of the wheel and not the outermost edge that causes the dis-balance. I've been running beads on all my cars since about 15 years ago no problem until the tires get quite old and need replacing. I run plastic bb pellets.

[@karljolley8346]

Brilliant explanation...

[@TheCarnager]

Thank you for this very informative video! It was well done.

[@simoncolyer8737]

Great video but due to inertia don't you loose balance on tight cornering at speed?

[@elchicousana2]

Great video! Super hack! Have you experienced internal tire wesring due beads friction? How often do you change beads since they usually tent to crash and break eventually?

[@2CVCult-zl8eo]

I don't have any long-term experience with the beads. I will now check every 5000 km if they have already turned to dust and if there has been abrasion on the tyre insides. If I find that they are not worth it in the end I'll do another video about it.

[@paulboon1100]

Had the same problem with mud terrain tyres on my Toyota LC could not balance them properly for love nor money, put in balancing weights and presto no more vibrations!

[@thisisyourcaptainspeaking2259]

I had my wheels balanced with weights on a machine and the result was less than desirable. This has often been the case in my previous experiences. I introduced tire beads pneumatically through the stems, looking for a solution. At 1st, I kept the metallic balancing weights in place while noting some weights were quite large and their placement made no sense from a dynamic perspective. The results with beads and weights were somewhat improved, yet remained intolerable so I removed the external metallic weights. The results were dramatically improved, as good as I can recall any previous balancing and now quite acceptable. So I suggest when using balance beads, removing the external metallic weights may be necessary to fully benefit frome the self-balancing effect.

[@2CVCult-zl8eo]

Excellent comment. I would also recommend to do a road test first after removing the weights, maybe all is good already. Sometimes the weights cause the vibration (wrongly placed or tyre has changed over time and weights became "outdated").

[@thisisyourcaptainspeaking2259]

@@2CVCult-zl8eo My guess is the weights were causing vibration. They locations they were placed and the large size of a few of them was highly questionable. There were two large weights (4 inchs each!) placed next to each other on the inside and no weights on the outside of any wheel. None of it made any sense to me...

[@fixpaana]

What a great video!

[@Nick41622]

The 1981 Peugeot 504 diesel had rims like these. You can buy bubble wheel balancers, not sure how you fit them to the wheel.

[@PeaceTruthWanted]

Great work! I'm bought. Thank you.

[@sqqqrly]

I had problems with the Counteract beads' valve core that has the filter in it. They do not work on metal valve stems TP543 (stamped on stem). TP544 are longer and work fine. In the former the core cannot go in far enough making impossible to depress the valve core. On one tire, the filter got stuck in the stem preventing me from even using a standard core. Counteract, the company, was totally clueless about this.

[@sqqqrly]

øther than that, beads are working in my Class C RV.

[@loefflercm]

Maybe I missed it. Did you take into account the downpressure on the tire from the vehicle's weight? (There is a flatter spot where rubber meets the road)

[@2CVCult-zl8eo]

Yes, the car's weight presses the tyre into the ground, creating a flat spot.

[@realSamAndrew]

How could you miss it? It was clearly explained at the end 🤔

[@ulfholmberg5881]

I have had beads in both cars and on motorbike . Its biggest advantage is when snow packs up inside rims on my Subaru Outback .

[@ulfholmberg5881]

But the balls in the video are to big ! Glas balls for blasting is a lot better !!!

[@gilesbrittain2829]

Nice S3. You in Victoria?

[@2CVCult-zl8eo]

Yes, Melbourne. But I shot the video in Bundaberg.

[@Bobcagon]

How much weight did you put in?

[@gelscience7081]

I put in 60 grams. But keep in mind that most tyres are bigger and heavier than mine and therefore you can expect weightier imbalances. The mass of the beads should be well above the mass of the imbalance you expect.

[@naruttaanime9471]

The formula is 1 troy ounce ​per 13 imperial pounds of tire weight(not combo tire plus rim weight) @@gelscience7081

[@maxscholefield6503]

I have asked most tire places in Bundaberg about these and get nothing but a blank. Where can I buy them and how do I get them into my tire?

[@2CVCult-zl8eo]

I bought mine online (just google balancing beads and several vendors come up). My video shows how to get them into the tyres starting at 2:25

[@jeffreywong5112]

Will it work scooter tires?

[@marco7716]

It should work on scooter tyres as well. But make sure that any vibrations in scooter tyres are really caused by imbalance and not unevenly worn rubber. Imbalance vibrations only occur at fairly high speeds.

[@monoshock57]

I've been using 4 oz. ceramic beads per tire in all my vehicles for over 5 years now and think there great.

[@pashmaster]

Will that work with a fluid to?

[@2CVCult-zl8eo]

It should work with a fluid. Look at the comment before yours. Kenmercer2721 found a balancing mechanism in his washing machine drum that uses the same principle but with fluid in hollow rings.

[@charlieverity5405]

Lovely stuff

[@marzenastrzyzewska3679]

Hi. Can you make same experiment with water in tire? Full and half.

[@chriswalker4272]

That would be a flotation tyre like farming equipment uses

[@andreipopescu1]

you can balace those wheels on the car by letting the wheel in the air and letting it rotate with the heavy spot at the bottom, then add weights at the top, rotate the wheel and see where it starts to accelerate or decelerate the rotation. to find the heavy spot again and so on

[@AdamOpheim]

I use airsoft rounds (hard plastics. They balance high speed drag car slicks very well. You need an ounce per pound of tire and rim.

[@Bobcagon]

Curious to know how you determined to include the rim. The online instructions don’t include the wheel.The chart is based on the tire size only.

[@Gigitt]

Tyre Balancing Beads - I have been using them on my Motorcycles for last 8 years. Biggest benefit is Beads balance the life of tyre, wheel weights do not. Tyre can irregularly wear and dirt, mud, tar rocks sick to inside of rims changing the balance.

[@chriswalker4272]

That's a really good point 👍

[@optimisticpessimist5831]

Wouldn't a cup of water/inert fluid do the same thing?

[@essentialjudge2279]

It's always been a goto for model Ts. I just drill the valve stem out large enough to accept the beads.

[@kingkire1556]

How do you screw the valve core back in if you drill out the valve?

[@Warpedsmac]

Use a static balancer. If done properly they work fine. BUT I guess no shop has them these days.

[@2CVCult-zl8eo]

I couldn't find a static balancer for rims that have no centre hole.

[@Warpedsmac]

@@2CVCult-zl8eo that's a very valid reason!!! I admit that did not occur to me.

[@mguarin912]

Bless you man…. Thx!

[@aaaaaa-lt2tl]

Put a small funnel in your valve stem, pour the beads into the funnel, and use a piece of wire to push the beads in. Expz :)

[@aaaaaa-lt2tl]

Ezpz*

[@wd8062]

What would happen if you balanced the tire traditionally and then added beads?

[@2CVCult-zl8eo]

Theoretically nothing. Without an imbalance to start with the beads would distribute themselves evenly around the tyre, which would remain balanced. If the tyre got imbalanced one day (e.g. through uneven wear) the beads would then balance it.

[@eisenerballer]

No negative effects. I've got beads in my mud tires that were sticky weight balanced. Keeps them smooth when mud and gunk are stuck in the wheels throwing out the static balance.

[@dereckhasken9055]

The vibrations shown at the beginning are due to the road - if it were caused by the tyre “imbalance” the wheels would have come off - also the steering wheel does not shudder!

[@rray3630]

NEVER use grease . Just use dish washing soap.......

[@skoorbyrret4578]

Very interesting, and well presented, but...in 50 years of 2CV {and Dyane} ownership {350,000+ miles, with several cars} I have never had to have a tyre balanced. Two other things come to mind, firstly, on a few occassions I have used inner tubes in "leaky rims", with no ill effects {or balancing needed} ...and secondly.could long term use of these beads cause any damage to the inside of the tyre {2CV tyres, are, by the nature of their size and the limited power of the car, long lasting}

[@2CVCult-zl8eo]

You touched a very good question about the long term effect. I'm sure the beads have at least some abrasive effect on the tyre inside. And another question to add is: how long until the beads turn into dust? I don't know and would like to learn about some long-distance experience with these things. I'll definitely make another video if I find after X thousand kilometres that they are not worth it.

[@fuglbird]

The real explanation is different. The balancing effect of the static imbalance only occurs when the rotational speed of the wheel is higher than the first natural frequency of the wheel. The first natural frequency is determined by the suspended mass and the stiffness of the suspension. The maximum deflection occurs opposite the heavy spot. The dynamic balancing effect depends on two other modes of vibration. The natural frequencies of these modes are determined by the mass moment of inertia of the wheel and the torsional stiffness along two axes. If higher modes of vibration are active, either because of high speed or rough road surfaces, the balancing effect can decrease or vanish. Even amplification of the vibration is possible.

[@chriswalker4272]

Eh? Fits that all aboot?

[@ovalwingnut]

ShOcK & AWE eXplanation (formally Twitter). You R the "Gravitational Whisperer".Thank you for that Infotainment. This is all going on my resume Cheers from So.Ca.USA 3rd House On the Left (call before you stop by:)

[@naruttaanime9471]

Who needs air cond, abs, tpms, dsg, esp, etc when you have the joy of a 2cv?

[@Tigermoto]

Those beads are massive, aren't they normally tiny?

[@2CVCult-zl8eo]

The Australian ABC beads are larger than most. That means they don't fit through the valve stem, but they will roll better inside the tyre. So it could be that they work better.

[@Tyler.O]

Awesome

[@Salmon_Rush_Die]

Oz. = Ounce. 16 Ounces = 1 lb. (1 pound). I Kg = 2 lb., 5 1/4 oz., or 2.2 lb.; Alternatively, 1 lb. = .45 Kg. 1 oz.= 28.3 g.

[@jeffk1485]

Couldn't you just balance it with a bubble balancer? Seems easy enough to do rather than all that...

[@2CVCult-zl8eo]

These wheels don't fit on a bubble level balancer.

[@gumps1986]

As a tire wears it’ll change balance. The beads should keep balance through the life of the tire.

[@beenstork]

Anyone else think he sounds like stewy griffin?

[@markrainford1219]

I've given you a like just for saying you don't know what oh-zeds are.

[@DumbCarGuy]

I use balance beads in my wheel barrel and garden tractor. Seems to be working because I don't feel any imbalance at all.

[@anitomioanitomio8760]

You can balance that tire with a motorcycle tire balancer.

[@gehteuchnixan9027]

You don't need any balancing beads for this car. For this car you will need a scrap press. My rule, with which I got through the world very well, was always: no cars with an F. No Ford, no Fiat, no French car. 😂🤣 But joking aside, very informative video, very well explained.

[@chriswalker4272]

No Ferrari for you then lol

[@gehteuchnixan9027]

@@chriswalker4272 exact... I had once a Ferrari from a friend and i dislike this cars. This is not my world. Beside the fact they are really expensive in maintenance and repair. I like big limousines or trucks with a good V8 engine and no Italian high sophisticated V12 shit.

[@Maybe-You-Know-Me-Not]

I got bored half way through and remembered that I know they work.

[@chriswalker4272]

Glad this video helped to remind you 👍

[@misters2837]

I find it hilarious that you have no idea what "Oh-Zeds" are...(Though I had not heard "Zed" used in decades!) "oz" (ounces, 16 in US Pound - WE STILL USE THEM EVERY DAY) yet we Americans are subjected to that asinine metric system you use....(I work in the Aftermarket Motorcycle Parts business with Harley and Honda being our biggest markets...I hate the metric system!).... FYI 1oz = 28.3495 Grams. - FYI X 2 - Tires on vehicles today use Bastardized Sizing... 235/75/15 - Metric MM Width / Aspect Ratio / Rim size in INCHES! - Figure THAT out!

[@gregb8824]

The messed up part is that the whole world hasn't changed to metric. A far more logical system of measurement!

[@n5sdm]

Wow..... never trust someone wearing crocks to explain anything. 1. Do not run a tire on a jackstand at those speeds. The tire being out of balance can cause the whole wheel to bounce off the jackstand. 2. Powders, beads and centramatic type products (any dynamic balancer) REQUIRE movement (bounce) to distribute the beads, powder around inside the tire until the bounce stops. As the tire bounces up and down the beads along the front of the tire (the near vertical part ahead of the center) and along the back near vertical will have the inertial mass to stay at the velocity of the rotation at that distance from the center. As the wheel assembly "bounces" due to out of balance, the tire will accelerate past the beads on the up bounce, and the opposite on the down. The beads at the top and bottom do not move. This moves the beads or powder around the tire until the bouncing from the out of balance stops. This system is used on all kinds of rotating equipment, including washing machines. The one thing in common is they are suspended by springs or a mounting system that can allow movement. Please do not try to spun balance a tire with beads in it already. If you must, take the beads out (dismount the tire and remount it sans beads) then spin balance if possible. Only then add the beads or powders. This will ensure they work and are not trying to balance 5oz of inbalance with 3 oz of beads.

[@2CVCult-zl8eo]

As you can see around 0:32 the car is on a proper stand (blue) and as a backup the jackstand is also there.

[@n5sdm]

@2CVCult-zl8eo you don't understand.... without the compliance of the tire the beads may not distribute properly and at higher speeds can cause an imbalance that will hop the axle right off the jackstand.