AirSoft BBs for Dynamic Balancing Question

[Earthling789]

Okay, gang...

I just got my new tires in, and decided to go with AirSoft BB's for balancing, but honestly, it seems like a lot of BBs are going to have to go into the tires....

.20gm BBs = 142 BBs per oz
.24gm BBs = 118 BBs per oz
.40gm BBs = 75 BBs per oz (if you can find that weight)

I've only been able to find .20gm BBs anywhere around here, so that means 142 BBs in the front and 355 in the rear if I go with the recommended 1oz in the front and 2.5oz in the rear....

Does this seem odd to anyone?

For those of you that use AirSoft BBs for dynamic balancing, is this what you did?

Any other recommendations (other than the obvious use of DynaBeads) before I toss in and use what I have? Honestly, I would just shell out for DynaBeads if I could get them locally... ordering them in would set me back a week from mounting my tires.

A local supply house does have 2mm Ceramic beads, but the guy I spoke with said they are not as "hard" as the tiny DynaBeads, so they may turn to dust... may not... so I'm reluctant to try them even though they are cheaper than DynaBeads, heavier than the AirSoft BBs, and available locally.

[oblivion_twister]

dyna beads recommends 1oz front 2oz rear so I think you've got it.

[Carl722]

I don't get it I haven't done tires on a street bike. What are you doing with these BB's to balance? I have always paid the dealer to do my tires after doing my old YZ250 tires.

[Earthling789]

Originally Posted by oblivion_twister

dyna beads recommends 1oz front 2oz rear so I think you've got it.

Yep... I've got the right weight for each wheel... BUT my main question is regarding the sheer number of BBs in the tires... 142 in the front and 355 in the rear (going with 2.5oz recommended "excess")... but even at the recommended 2oz weight... that's 284 BBs in the rear

To me, that just seems to be a lot.

I did some checking and made some phone calls, and I can get a 3oz bag of actual Dyna Beads from a shop about 60-miles away... for $15, and a hobby shop in the same area has .40gm BBs for $27 (3000-ct bucket, which would balance 10 sets of tires).

Now my dilema... make the drive and get Dyna Beads or heavier AirSoft BBs? At least with the BB's, I'd pay twice as much, but have enough to do 20-tires instead of only two, without re-using them.

For those that have used the BBs.... does having 300 (or more) BBs in the rear cause an issue? Or should I just suck it up and make a run tonight to get the Dyna Beads? Pro's? Con's?

At least getting the heavier BBs, I'd only have 150 in the rear and 75 in the front... so that would not be as bad, IMO...

[CBH]

Originally Posted by Carl722

I don't get it I haven't done tires on a street bike. What are you doing with these BB's to balance? I have always paid the dealer to do my tires after doing my old YZ250 tires.

They are poured inside the tire. Check out this link for detailed information.
Tire Balancing Products

[old dad]

I'd do a road trip and get the real dynabeads

[csmbt]

Originally Posted by Earthling789

Yep... I've got the right weight for each wheel... BUT my main question is regarding the sheer number of BBs in the tires... 142 in the front and 355 in the rear (going with 2.5oz recommended "excess")... but even at the recommended 2oz weight... that's 284 BBs in the rear

To me, that just seems to be a lot.

I did some checking and made some phone calls, and I can get a 3oz bag of actual Dyna Beads from a shop about 60-miles away... for $15, and a hobby shop in the same area has .40gm BBs for $27 (3000-ct bucket, which would balance 10 sets of tires).

Now my dilema... make the drive and get Dyna Beads or heavier AirSoft BBs? At least with the BB's, I'd pay twice as much, but have enough to do 20-tires instead of only two, without re-using them.

For those that have used the BBs.... does having 300 (or more) BBs in the rear cause an issue? Or should I just suck it up and make a run tonight to get the Dyna Beads? Pro's? Con's?

At least getting the heavier BBs, I'd only have 150 in the rear and 75 in the front... so that would not be as bad, IMO...

not wanting to ask a stupid question but ...

why don't you just balance your tire the easy way and use sticky weights like has always been done?

I normally just feed my rear wheel loose in the frame, turn it and see where the heavy spot is and just put a couple of weights opposite till it stops moving

The front I use 3 cement blocks on either side ... same deal

It sounds like you are making this a lot more complicated than it needs to be

Just a thought ....

harbor Freight ... $8 for more weights than you will ever use in a lifetime ...

1/4 oz. Wheel Weights

[oblivion_twister]

I always use dynabeads and, they go in through the valvestem instead of breaking the tire down to get them in.

[old dad]

Originally Posted by csmbt

not wanting to ask a stupid question but ...

why don't you just balance your tire the easy way and use sticky weights like has always been done?

For cleaner looks,,also they do a good job,,or so I've heard.

[Earthling789]

Originally Posted by csmbt

It sounds like you are making this a lot more complicated than it needs to be

Not more complicated, actually simpler in the long run, and tires will never be out of balance, for the life of the tires.

Do the research yourself... there's plenty of discussions on here about the pros/cons of dynamic balancing (using all kinds of media, including the real thing - Dyna Beads), and the Internet has plenty of info as well... so I won't beat the dead horse, so to speak...

Dynamic balancing is not something new, or a fad... its proven science... but not everyone has embraced it yet... which is okay... to each his own (or as said before... ride your own ride, lol)

Originally Posted by oblivion_twister

I always use dynabeads and, they go in through the valvestem instead of breaking the tire down to get them in.

True point for the smallness of DynaBeads , but I'm installing fresh tires, so no need to go through the valve-stems... since the tires will be "open", I can just dump them in and be done!