Diggertoy

I know you all who have 35's and up , can't keep those big tires in balance, with those Normal lead weights, I know I've had upwards to 21 oz. on one steel rim of mine , lack of a better word ... It $uck$ !!!
Big Rig Truckers, have used "Equal" for years and it's allowed them to run their Big tires for 3 times their normal mileage. What equal is , is a powdery substance that is injected inside the tire and, filled with air. Since you don't really need a balance on your rim until 25 to 30 mph, a static weight ( lead ) is fine for cars, but what about Semi Trucks and wheelers with Big tires ? and what it does , is once your rolling about 25 mph, the powder goes to the spots the rim needs to balance out, ofcourse from inside the tire ! It works well !!!
One unfortunate drawback is that Air has water in it , water mixed with the powder, once theirs enough in the tire, will create a concrete like substance. The cure for the Water problem , is DON'T USE AIR !!!!!
Use an inert gas to fill your tires up with the equal inside !!! Use Nitrogen or Argon, which can be purchased at a Gas supplier or your local welding supply. You can adapt an air hose to fit these small bottles. The big benefit to using the enert gas instead of air is , there's no water to mix with the Equal to make concrete, Plus Inert gases don't react and are not affected by heat , like when your tires heat up from the road, so your tires won't deform or react poorly like they do with Air in them . The only drawback is the cost , I think it'll cost between the equal and the gas, about 35 dollars a tire to fill , but thats relatively cheap in comparison to buying 3 sets of tires !!!

So have you guys used this or do you know if it does what they claim ?

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

35/12.50 MT/Rs and they are smooth on the road....some have a little weight, one has quite a bit, but they ride smooth as glass. Sounds like you need to find a good tire shop. One reason I buy my tires local as I get free rotate/balance for the lift of the tire.

I'm read about other methods but I prefer the tried and true.

Good luck and let us know how it comes out.

Glenn

I have run Equal in my tires for 4 or 5 years now. My wheels do not vibrate like they used to with lead weights. It is quite smooth, in fact.

Equal isn't a powder. It's described on their website as "dry polymer particle product ...."

I fill my tires with my air compressor and have never had problems with clumping due to moisture that I know of.

Equal website.

Diggertoy

So it's more like sand than powder , huh ? I'm getting ready to buy some new 35's and am thinking of doing the equal this time instead of the lead. I actually spoke to a sales rep for the distribution company for equal, today and they said you use a Moisture block valve stem that has a built in screen to obviously keep water from getting in and that they used to sell a nitrogen set up for inflation, but found that it's kinda of a hassle to have to carry bottles of Nitrogen around to air up the tires , especially after a Air down for wheeling.

I found a place , locally that will put the equal in with the moisture block valve stems for $ 25 a tire, so this spring , when I change the tires out, I'll do the equal !!!

Thanks for ya'lls input !!!

calamaridog

Read here:

http://www.expeditionexchange.com/equal/FAQ.htm

Best FAQ on equal, even though it is a Land Rover site...

Diggertoy

Thanks SquidDog !!! That was very informative and is the only why to fly! I won't ever be using lead again !!!!!

mt_goat

Anyone know a way to get it into a premounted tire without one of those special pumps. Maybe I could use a tiny funnel and pour it through the valve core?

Rick F.

Using "Equal" to balance tires... SWEET!!!

MTL_4runner

That is some interesting stuff.
Does it make any sounds when running it inside the tire?

Diggertoy

I've heard from the people that'll do it for $ 25, that they can do by breaking the bead, just enough to slide a bag in, and they don't have to dismount the tire from the rim......but You'll definately need the special screened Valve cores that comes with the $ 25 per tire package !

SquidDogs post with the EQUAL FAQ website is very informative, if you read it it'll tell you all you need to know...

as far as Rick F .......No it's not the "Equal" you put in your coffee...read the posts before you come to conclusions and with your little pun !!!

Diggertoy

No noise that I'm aware of , not like the folks that have run BB's or Golf Balls in their tires for balance...

Rick F.

That's all it was, a pun. I HATE it when people have a terse response. You must not have been laid recently!

Glenn

If the distributor can tell you where to have Equal put in, that will save you a lot of hassle. When I bought my Equal from the local guy, he told me where to go. But I didn't follow his recommendation until I was not able to find a tire shop who would do the work. I would get funny looks and they all acted like they thought it was voodoo stuff. They didn't want anything to do with it. The place that I had do it is a big rig tire outfit mainly.

Yoda

We run it in our truck tires at work. The tire guy thinks Voodoo, but the drivers are happy!

Diggertoy

I hate it when people start ˟˟˟˟˟ for no reason, Rickf. I hate posting real questions on 4x4 boards only to have some wannabe from Pennsylvania, cop an attitude and spew his BS on the post. I know your type on these boards, you say something to be cute , and when people don't think your cool for saying it , they tell you about it and you immediately slam back.......your also the kind that probably has people around you tell you that if they wanted your opinion , they'd beat it out of you ! So go on an impress the mall cruisers in Pennsylvania, 'cause you've already shown your A$$ here and are now known for it

Stegall984R

it was just a little joke digger...... chill out man.

phoenixtroy

lol. i think you need to log off before your blood pressure rises anymore...

Stegall984R

that vein on your head might go " pop ! "

Jason B

I was a test subject for Equal when it first came out. I was even featured in a commercial for it and did a testimonial.

It works very well. I've been in direct contact with the powers to be, and they might have a new version that you mount on the inside of your rim. I'm not sure if it's out yet.

Here is equal going into one of my tires.

www.burtmanindustries.com/4runner/equal.mpeg

Yoda

Found the stuff we use is called "counteract" balancing beads.
Web site listed on package is:
www.counteractbalancing.com