J_F250
SDD Burger Flipper
I would like to hear from everyone who has Centramatics and your thoughts good or bad. Accel, Decel, Braking, Cruising. Is it worth it just for the ride not the treadwear savings?
Centramatics for me?
- Thread starter J_F250
- Start date
big_rooster
HNIC
i have definitely been convinced and am going with them on my next set of tires. Not really worried about tire mileage cause face it you cant get mileage out of a mud terrain. I'm just gonna love the fact that it will balance when covered with mud.
J_F250
SDD Burger Flipper
I've had'm on my 2K for 6 years. Won't be without'm.
60-70K on a set of tires. other than Alignments.. no wheel balance's after tire purchase.
I like'm
ITP says there is "16-32 oz of balancing media" and I was wondering if the tire is out of balance less than that what does it do?
I was thinking when you get weights put on it's like .25-3 oz typically and my all-terrains always seem like they are out of balance even after balancing. I was wondering if they would help that.J_F250
SDD Burger Flipper
How do they ride when not covered in mud?
FTG-05
Full Access Member
I have'em, they work and they work well. I was surprised as the ride difference at my pretty new OEM tires rode after installing them. The OEM Conti's have 31 K on them now with probably another good 10k left.
Al
Al
FTG-05
Full Access Member
One thing to keep in mind..? Centramatics, (or any other "on the hub" balancer) WON'T balance a tire & wheel. All they really do is.. continually compensate an <already balanced> tire & wheel.. as it wears.
As far as what they would be capable of doing with a Mud Loaded tire ? Not Sure.. but there has to be a limit to what they could do.
Not true.
By definition, not only will a Centramatic (or any dynamic balancer) balance the tire, it will also balance the entire rotating mass including the wheel, brake rotors etc., assuming enough balancing media vs. the unbalanced weight. Pick up a set of Centra's, they're pretty heavy. Centra recommends balancing tires before installing them, but it's not necessary depending on how bad the tires are unbalanced.
I know that when I put 6 oz of BB's in my 35 x12.50 BFG ATs on my 98 Dodge, I could lose wheel weights all the time (indeed that was the reason I added BB's in the first place) and not even feel it in the tire.
Same with my '85 Toy with 35x12.50 BFG MTs with about 6 oz of antifreeze in each tire. I just came home last Sunday with a crap load of mud on my Toy tires, even at +70 mph, tires were perfectly balanced even though you could hear the mud being slinged off the tires down the road.
What DBs won't do is "balance" away an unround tire or wheel. This is discussed on the Centra site.
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Big K
SDD.com Hacker/Admin
I have them, they work Great!
big_rooster
HNIC
Well with the mud thing the centramatics are a continuous balancing treatment. So as the weight on the tire changes they will compensate for it.
FTG-05
Full Access Member
Yo Albin..
I wasnt, and didn't Post.. Definitive Information, quoting CenrtaMatics product claims. I was posting General, non-definitive information, keeping in mind that someone might think if they went MUD'n, in the "Georgia Clay" with their Monster Tires..... They'd get a Limo type ride on the way home, with CentraMatics on.
When I bought mine, Centra (on the phone) said: They Won't Balance an Un-Balanced Tire & Wheel... I would need to install the CentraMatics on a PRE-Balanced tires'n wheels. Maybe the capabilities have changed (?) or there have been some improvements (?)
"How do they work?
By using centrifugal force the free moving weights (durametal and synthetic fluid) sealed in the balancer automatically distributes to exactly where needed, placing the assembly in equilibrium or perfect balance. When a sprung assembly is out of balance, deflection is caused via the springs or tire sidewalls. These free moving weights sense this deflection and move opposite the heavy points to balance the entire assembly, wheels, tires, drums, hubs, even mud, snow or ice stuck to the wheels.
Should the tires/wheels be pre-balanced?
In most cases pre-balancing is not required. If a vibration still exits after installation, a computer balance of the problem position can indicate a mis-mounted or defective tire, a bent wheel or other "out of round" condition, that balance alone cannot correct. Wheel bearings should also be checked and defective parts replaced."
From here: CentraMatic - (emphasis added)
