>Is there somewhere you can buy this stuff and put it in yourself?
I have not found a source for it other than truck tire dealers. The
material I used is called "Equal". They wanted $15 per tire to do mine.
There is also another product called "Magnum" avalable too.
The fact that it works is intriguing to me so I have been doing some
experimentation on another vehicle. I have a jeep that has always had wheel
balance problems and is just about due for new tires. So I figured if I
screwed things up I could just take it in for new tires and be done with it.
For my tests I have been using powdered silica gel (its sold at craft
stores for drying flowers). I made an injector out of a length of metal
pipe, two reducing fittings, a hose barb, an air valve and a length of 1/4"
rubber hose. I removed the schrader valve from the valve stem on the wheel.
Then I put 3 oz of silica gel in the pipe. I attach the rubber hose between
the pipe and the tires valve stem. I slowly turn on the air and the air
pressure blows the silica gel from the pipe into the tire. Then I replace
the schrader valve and fill the tire to normal pressure.
So far my test results have been inconclusive. When I first installed the
silica gel it seemed to work intermittently. It would run smooth for a
while and then, if I hit a patch of rough pavement, it would start
vibrating. Later I removed the wheel weights. That seemed to solve the
problem. Now it runs smooth all the time. Actually the end results are
quite impressive.
But the reason I say my results are inconclusive is that I don't know how
bad the tires and wheels are when there are no weights and no balancing
compound inside. Maybe removing the weights is all I needed to do. There is
no simple way to do that test now unless I dismount the tires and vacuum
out the silica gel. So at this point I would say that it may work but more
real world testing would have to be done to know for sure.
Other notes. If anyone is interested in experimenting here are some other
things to think about:
I chose silica gel because its cheap ($10 for 1.5 lbs), stable, has a
course texture (like very fine sand) and absorbs moisture. If there is
moisture in the tire (from the compressed air) then the moisture may
condense or freeze during the winter and cause the power to clump up.
Silica gel absorbs moisture so it should stay loose even during cold weather.
Be sure to dry the silica gel before placing it in the tire. I baked mine
on a cookie sheet for about an hour at 300 degrees. Most Silica gel has
indicator particles that will change color (mine went from brown to blue)
when its dry.
Be sure the pipe is at least long enough so that you don't fill it more
than half way with the silica gel. If the pipe is too short the powder will
not flow freely when the air is turned on.
Never open the air valve unless there is air pressure applied to the valve.
Opening the air valve with no pressure will allow the powder to get into
the valve and trash the seals in the valve.
When checking your tire pressure the powder tends to get into the schrader
valve and cause slow leaks. Be sure the valve stem is at the top when
checking air pressure. I blow a little air into the tire to clear the dust
before checking the pressure. I also use metal valve stem caps with rubber
seals. The metal caps will hold the pressure even if the valve leaks.
Hope this is food for thought for anyone else interested in experimenting.
If you try this, please post your results to the list. Maybe we can come up
with a cheap and dirty way to keep our wheels/tires in balance.
Dave
Ann Arbor, MI.
73 Sequoia (26'/455/EFI/HEI)
I have not found a source for it other than truck tire dealers. The
material I used is called "Equal". They wanted $15 per tire to do mine.
There is also another product called "Magnum" avalable too.
The fact that it works is intriguing to me so I have been doing some
experimentation on another vehicle. I have a jeep that has always had wheel
balance problems and is just about due for new tires. So I figured if I
screwed things up I could just take it in for new tires and be done with it.
For my tests I have been using powdered silica gel (its sold at craft
stores for drying flowers). I made an injector out of a length of metal
pipe, two reducing fittings, a hose barb, an air valve and a length of 1/4"
rubber hose. I removed the schrader valve from the valve stem on the wheel.
Then I put 3 oz of silica gel in the pipe. I attach the rubber hose between
the pipe and the tires valve stem. I slowly turn on the air and the air
pressure blows the silica gel from the pipe into the tire. Then I replace
the schrader valve and fill the tire to normal pressure.
So far my test results have been inconclusive. When I first installed the
silica gel it seemed to work intermittently. It would run smooth for a
while and then, if I hit a patch of rough pavement, it would start
vibrating. Later I removed the wheel weights. That seemed to solve the
problem. Now it runs smooth all the time. Actually the end results are
quite impressive.
But the reason I say my results are inconclusive is that I don't know how
bad the tires and wheels are when there are no weights and no balancing
compound inside. Maybe removing the weights is all I needed to do. There is
no simple way to do that test now unless I dismount the tires and vacuum
out the silica gel. So at this point I would say that it may work but more
real world testing would have to be done to know for sure.
Other notes. If anyone is interested in experimenting here are some other
things to think about:
I chose silica gel because its cheap ($10 for 1.5 lbs), stable, has a
course texture (like very fine sand) and absorbs moisture. If there is
moisture in the tire (from the compressed air) then the moisture may
condense or freeze during the winter and cause the power to clump up.
Silica gel absorbs moisture so it should stay loose even during cold weather.
Be sure to dry the silica gel before placing it in the tire. I baked mine
on a cookie sheet for about an hour at 300 degrees. Most Silica gel has
indicator particles that will change color (mine went from brown to blue)
when its dry.
Be sure the pipe is at least long enough so that you don't fill it more
than half way with the silica gel. If the pipe is too short the powder will
not flow freely when the air is turned on.
Never open the air valve unless there is air pressure applied to the valve.
Opening the air valve with no pressure will allow the powder to get into
the valve and trash the seals in the valve.
When checking your tire pressure the powder tends to get into the schrader
valve and cause slow leaks. Be sure the valve stem is at the top when
checking air pressure. I blow a little air into the tire to clear the dust
before checking the pressure. I also use metal valve stem caps with rubber
seals. The metal caps will hold the pressure even if the valve leaks.
Hope this is food for thought for anyone else interested in experimenting.
If you try this, please post your results to the list. Maybe we can come up
with a cheap and dirty way to keep our wheels/tires in balance.
Dave
Ann Arbor, MI.
73 Sequoia (26'/455/EFI/HEI)
