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Wheel Balancers Work?
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Art sorry not to get back with before you ordered yours but I’ve been traveling a lot. As Al said you will be happy with them.
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Thanks’ Guys
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Same part number for the tag 700-720. The drive axle is 600-640. It would be good to have them on all axles.
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After reading this series of posts I looked again at my coach and I think I may have Centramatics on the coach that I was not told about when we purchased.
There is this tubular ring that I can see behind the rim on the front and tag wheels. This is not visible on the drives but may have to crawl under to see.
Is this what they look like or am I seeing something else?
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That looks like it. Tag should look the same and the drive would be more evident as it’s bigger.
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I used Equal for ten years and only had air leak problems before I switched to the Schrader valves with the filter plus the fill through cap valve stem caps.
After the switch to the Schrader valves with the filter plus the fill through cap valve stem caps, no problems.
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Mark….picture shows Centramatic balance ring visable through the circle.
Drive wheel dual is hard to see as the rim is reversed.
AL
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My Centramatic is installed between the two drive wheels.
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!st little trip with the new Koni’s on the front and the Centramatics on the front, went to Willows Ca to Thunderhill raceway 750 miles round trip, to watch my son and his group or car guys run their cars on the track, I was totally amazed how smooth and quite the ride is now, next it will be the back.
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Art
Every once in a while some of our advice from the old guys is right.
I’am happy your pleased.
Oh BTW….we love spending other peoples money.
AL
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I hope nobody assumes the only way to go is to buy Centramatics. I know some who own them are very happy, but I have had one fail (the balancing media clumped up and would not work). If I did not have them now on the coach, which came with them, I would still be running Equal which served me well for more than 20 years.
There aren’t too many absolutes relating to bus ownership and this is an example of there being options.
Anyone want to discuss filling tires with nitrogen or the use of extended life coolant or OTR versus only driver’s air?
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When I bought my coach 5 years ago I was already reading the forum for a few years. I followed your $en$ible advice and put Equal in all new Michelins. However, I did not follow up with with Schrader valves. I don’t know what I have.
My driver side drive tire must have a slow leak. Getting ready for my trip to the seminar it only had 74 lbs of pressure. This is the 2nd time this has happened with the same tire. It also happened a couple years ago on another tire where my local bus mechanic blamed it on the Equal getting stuck in the valve stem.
How can I tell if I have Schrader valves? I’m stopping at Prevost Nashville for an alignment and wonder if I need to have all my valves replaced?
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Jimmy, here is how I dealt with Equal, slow leaks, Schrader valves, etc.
First, every purchase of Equal had a Schrader valve with the filter supplied with it as part of the purchase. The filter is intended to keep small pieces of balancing media from getting into the valve seat and causing a slow leak. If you remove the Schrader valve if it has the filter it will be seen on the back side as a miniature small screen. The only way to know it has the screen is to remove it.
But in the absence of pressure pro type sensors leaks can be mitigated by the use of “fill through the cap” valve stem caps. Even if a valve leaks all tires should have a sealed cap so leaks through the Schrader valve are stopped. If you remove a cap that is not the type that allows filling without removing and the Schrader valve is leaking you will hear a slight hiss to alert you the Schrader valve is leaking.
Keep in mind, even without Equal Schrader valves can and will leak. So no matter how you balance the tires you need some type of valve stem cap. The fill through the valve cap is ideal because it is a double seal against leakage through the stem.
But if you have Equal and do not have Sensors for a TPMS the best way to insure a seal every time is to use a tire fill valve that also has a tire pressure gauge as part of it. I use that type and would check pressure, and then before pulling it off the valve stem I gave a short blast of air into the tire. If any foreign matter was on the valve seat the blast of air cleaned it off and no leakage occured.
Keep in mind however if you have a TPMS the Schrader valve is ALWAYS open and if you have a slow leak, look at the seal at the sensor or somewhere else on the tire such as a slow leak around a nail in the tire.
It is really easy to blame slow leaks on Equal, sensors, or phases of the moon, but if there is a slow leak it cannot be ignored and if need be get some soapy water and start looking for bubbles after it is sprayed on the suspected areas.. I have had more leaks at where the valve stem comes through the wheel than anywhere else.
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Squirt the Schrader valve with soapy water Jimmie.
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