Centramatic Balancing FAQs

1. How do Centramatic Auto Balance Rings work?
2. Should the rear drive duals and the trailer wheels be Centramatic balanced?
3. What are the benefits in fitting Centramatic Balance Rings on steer axles?
4. Can Centramatics help tyres that are already cupped?
5. How long do the Centramatics last?
6. In respect to the fitting of Centramatics on steer axles, how does wheel alignment figure?
7. What exceptional outcomes do you have in the records in respect to the fitting of Centramatic Balance Rings?
8. Competitors to Centramatic Auto Balancing use various forms of 'media' inside the tyre. How do these compare as a balancing solution?
9. How do Centramatic Rings compare to other brands of balance rings?
10. How do I ensure the ultimate centre-ing of the wheel with Centramatic Balance Rings?
11. At what speed do Centramatics start working?
12. How can I simply check wheel balance on the steer wheels, prior to fitting the Centramatic Balance Rings?
13. How can I check the dual drives are round / true, centred and the tyre rim assembly is not 'out', giving Centramatic rings the best chance of effectively balancing the rotating mass?
14. When fitting Centramatic Balance Rings on the steer axle and replacing tyres, what key issues should one be aware of to ensure the best chance of success all round?
15. After years of neglect, wheel studs become dry / rusty and the threads filled with swarf. This creates tightness, seizure and gawling. What's the fix? Centramatic fitted or not?
16. Should the wheel be pre-balanced?
17. Effective wheel balance in the carriage of thoroughbred horses imparts much calmness and stress reduction to the valuable cargo. Is this so?
18. Will Centramatic Balance Rings correct vibration caused by an out-of-round tyre?
19. What are the warranty terms and the sales, technical and customer support you provide for purchasers of Centramatic Balance Rings sold in Australia and New Zealand?
20. How can I see a demonstration of the Centramatic Model Balancer working?
21. I have further questions regarding the Centramatic Balance Ring product. Can you answer them?

1. How do Centramatic Auto Balance Rings work?

By using centrifugal force, the free moving weights (durametal and synthetic fluid) sealed in the balancer ring automatically distribute 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 tyre sidewalls. These free moving weights sense this deflection and move 'opposite' the heavy points, to balance the entire assembly, wheels, tyres, drums, hubs and even mud stuck to wheels. Stones that enter the tread temporarily are also 'balanced out'.

2. Should the rear drive duals and the trailer wheels be Centramatic balanced?

Absolutely! The largest bottom line investment in tyres is on the rear. Typically, even when loaded, duals carry less weight per tyre and are prone to hop / skipping / pounding. This causes excessive heat build-up, skid braking and excessive, erratic tyre wear. Centramatics help cool the duals, and one pair of balancers handles four tyres, wheels, hubs, and drums.

Rear drums are a major cause of imbalance on dual assemblies. The Centramatics are exceptional when fitted to Trailers, Dump Trucks, Concrete Agitators, Container Carriers, etc, doing 'one way' empty journeys.

3. What are the benefits in fitting Centramatic Balance Rings on steer axles?

Many!

• Dramatically improved tyre life of 15% to 40%, as proven by many thousands of users
• Safety issues, such as reduced driver fatigue
• An absence of shake / vibration and damaging effects to dash, batteries, lights, etc
• Extended mechanical front end component life
• Reduced fuel consumption
• Reported Gyroscopic effects assist steering re-entry on road irregularities / edge

Twin Steer vehicles, particularly, benefit from having Centramatics fitted to the 4 steer wheels, with fleets reporting benefits of greatly reduced 'shake' and 'out of phase' harmonics, created by the 'multiplied combined free play' of steering joints / linkages / rod ends / levers / steering boxes etc. Steering is said to be enhanced.

4. Can Centramatics help tyres that are already cupped?

This depends on the severity. Tyres that are severely cupped are unlikely to improve, while tyres that are slightly cupped should not deteriorate further. Balancers cannot 'grow' rubber back where it is gone. Nor will they make the higher tread wear faster.

5. How long do the Centramatics last?

Centramatic have records of balancers with over 2,500,000 km on them and still in good condition. Some of our customers are known to have had the balance rings in use for over 12 years.

6. In respect to the fitting of Centramatics on steer axles, how does wheel alignment figure?

Alignment front end and steering control the direction and travel of the tyres, and the expected tyre life outcomes. Vehicles must be aligned at professional alignment facilities to exacting specifications. Premature tyre wear and resulting vibration / shake occurs if proper alignment is not maintained. Worn, loose, bent or damaged suspension components must be replaced. Centramatics balance the entire rotating assembly and cannot 'correct' poor alignment issues. Many forms of tyre wear, pulling, and poor on-road handling result from misalignment. Centramatics dramatically extend tyre life by removing tyre damaging vibration, overheating and effects of unbalanced wheels, etc.

7. What exceptional outcomes do you have in the records in respect to the fitting of Centramatic Balance Rings?

We had one Kenworth owner - an overnight IPEC subbie - with a Truck Align Total Alignment performed and Centramatic Balance Rings fitted all round, engaged on 1,000 km Sydney / Melbourne overnight. The two steer tyres fitted were Michelin Pilote 295 x 22.5 and one set achieved 396,000 km with usable tread still showing. This record for steer tyre life was reported extensively in the trucking media at the time.

8. Competitors to Centramatic Auto Balancing use various forms of 'media' inside the tyre. How do these compare as a balancing solution?

Firstly, Dunlop, Michelin and Bridgestone are three of many tyre manufacturers that state in their warranty that only air, nitrogen or CO2 may be used in the their tyres.

The theory of centrifugal balance in tyres and rotating commercial machinery states that for effectiveness, the 'medium' must run inside a round, ringed enclosure. The variable 'flat bulge' of the tyre on the road - among other detrimental issues - limits the effectiveness of any 'media' placed inside a tyre.

9. How do Centramatic Rings compare to other brands of balance rings?

Centramatics do not contain dangerous toxic chemicals such as mercury and have a much greater counteractive force than mercury running in a small rubber tube, rendering it much less effective in its balancing capability, compared to Centramatic.

10. How do I ensure the ultimate centre-ing of the wheel with Centramatic Balance Rings?

Fact: 2 to 3mm 'off centre' creates a huge out of balance force at higher road speeds. Centramatic (AU/NZ) sells, as a low cost life-effective accessory, 3 Centre-ing Sleeves that slip onto wheel studs at the 12, 4 and 8 o'clock positions. The wheel is refitted in the regular way, the 7 other nuts attached and tightened, sleeves removed, final 3 nuts put back on and wheels finally torqued. Our Centramatic rings come with 3 oversize holes, allowing fitting using the 3 Sleeves.

When fitting, the most exact means of guaranteeing 'true centre' and the benefits of avoiding potentially 'out-of-round' assemblies creating mass offsetting balance forces is achieved using the 3 x sleeve centre-ing tools.

11. At what speed do Centramatics start working?

Most models start working at 40kph, depending on wheel diameter. This occurs long before vibration due to imbalance, which is at speeds in excess of 55 kph.

12. How can I simply check wheel balance on the steer wheels, prior to fitting the Centramatic Balance Rings?

Free running wheels, brakes free. Jack up the wheels, axle off ground. Turn wheel to and fro, ascertaining if a heavy spot continues to go to 6 o'clock position. To 'self balance' the wheel prior to fitting Centramatic rings, apply an equal wheel weight to the 12 o'clock position. When done, the wheel will rotate / stop at random positions. Now mark the wheel / stud / valve position, remove wheel, fit the Centramatic rings to instructions and using the 3 Centre-ing Studs, refit the wheel to 'marks' and torque to OEM Spec.

Centramatic rings now have full effective capacity to deal with variable balance forces through the life of the tyre, including, stones in tread, balance of rotating wheel / tyre / drum and mud.

13. How can I check the dual drives are round / true, centred and the tyre rim assembly is not 'out', giving Centramatic rings the best chance of effectively balancing the rotating mass?

With the heavy vehicle in a workshop - in neutral gear, brakes off, all non-driven wheels chocked securely - jack up the diff centres (... under each diff end is wiser), so that all driven tyres are just clear off the ground. Carefully run the engine in a low gear, wheels rotating slowly, driver remaining at the controls. With chalk, an observer can mark the out-of-roundness, rim buckle, hop effect, etc, and thus deal with the outcome.

Centramatic Rings will NOT fix the problems of out of round tyres, buckled rim effects or off-centre forces. Sometimes, as a rough fix, the duals can have their out of round 'bumps' located 'opposite' to each other, ie, at 6 and 12 o'clock. This ensures the Centramatic rings ably cope with balancing out-of-force effects, limiting vibration, providing an enhanced ride, improved tyre life and reduced fuel consumption.

14. When fitting Centramatic Balance Rings on the steer axle and replacing tyres, what key issues should one be aware of to ensure the best chance of success all round?

After use of Centre-ing sleeves - with a hammer on ground, handle upwards a few mm out from the tyre tread - turn the tyre slowly and see that no appreciable 'out-of-round' is evident (1 - 2mm is acceptable; 3 - 5mm is unacceptable). Check rim for buckle, a poorly seated tyre bead or 'out-of-round' tyre. If all OK Centramatic will cope with the high-speed balance! See self balance advice elsewhere.

15. After years of neglect, wheel studs become dry / rusty and the threads filled with swarf. This creates tightness, seizure and gawling. What's the fix? Centramatic fitted or not?

Centramatic (AU/NZ) has an accessory 3 x wire brush head cleaner kit that, when fitted to a 3/8" drill, ensure's effective hassle-free cleaning of stud thread. A single brush supplied in the kit then allows the stud holes in the wheel to be cleaned. Apply recommended lube and fit wheels to OEM spec. Changing wheels just got a lot easier! The clean lubed nut torque is now fully effective in maintaining wheel tightness.

16. Should the wheel be pre-balanced?

Generally, no pre-balancing is required - unless you are using oversized or low quality tyres that have a larger imbalance problem, greater than the counteractive weight of the Balance Rings. If so, then you could pre-balance the tyres to allow the Centramatic Rings to use their full effective capacity to deal with the variable balance forces through the life of the tyre. Read other Balance FAQs within.

17. Effective wheel balance in the carriage of thoroughbred horses imparts much calmness and stress reduction to the valuable cargo. Is this so?

Centramatic works! Specialised Transport Operators of horses spend considerable amounts of money on suspension upgrades, air bags, etc, where the big concern is 'spooking' through vibrational frequencies created by poor balance effects, at various speeds, conditional of road surface irregularities. Good tyres, wheels, centre-ing and mechanical and suspension conditions, and especially the fitting of Centramatic Balancers, will ensure a very comfortable ride for your horses.

18. Will Centramatic Balance Rings correct vibration caused by an out-of-round tyre?

Centramatic will not fix the problem. With the prevalence of cheaper / lower quality tyres, out-of-round tyres are becoming more common. Correction for this is a tyre service issue. Ensure proper bead fitting by checking the bead is fitted to the rim centrally. If not, this can be corrected by turning the tyre on its rim 180 degrees and re-fitted. If the tyre is still out-of-round, you can correct it by visiting a workshop with an on-vehicle tyre truer. Here, the tyre tread's high portion will be cut to the same height as the low tread. Although you lose tread rubber, the tyre will actually yield increased life. Correct the 'roundness' and Centramtic can correct the balance!

19. What are the warranty terms and the sales, technical and customer support you provide for purchasers of Centramatic Balance Rings sold in Australia and New Zealand?

Centramatic have a 2-year unlimited km warranty and offer unequalled service, with over 17 years of knowledgeable technical product experience, and we ensure exceptional customer support for your enquiries.

As principals, we travel to the US Centramatic head office and manufacturing plant regularly, in Dallas, Texas, and confer regarding new product releases, technical issues. We also provide research and development for specific Australian-related vehicles in manufacturing new ring part numbers.

Centramatic (AU/NZ) has an excellent relationship with the parent company and receives appropriate amounts of assistance, technical data, operational and testing outcomes, including university tests and latest product and marketing support.

20. How can I see a demonstration of the Centramatic Model Balancer working?

Click here to view a demonstration video of the Balancer Model.

Further, we have demonstration machines which are shown to interested potential purchasers, groups, etc, at truck shows, visits to fleets, TAFE colleges, training sessions at distributors, etc.

21. I have further questions regarding the Centramatic Balance Ring product. Can you answer them?

Please email info@centramatic.com.au or phone 1300 822 765 with your request.