Hello Andy, you seem to be very customer service oriented, good for you. Question, is it really possible to have a big heavy tire and wheel combo such as these double beadlocks be completely smooth at high speeds? it seems that with 160lbs spinning around at 70 mph the centrifugal forces would be uncontrollable. I have a set of 35" tires that are reasonably smooth under most conditions, and then sometimes I'll hit a bump and get some pretty good bounces that feel just like a tire out of balance or out of round. Just wondering how smooth these things are actually able to be. Thanx
Yes it is possible. We do it all the time. What stinks is that the farther you get away from the stock size of tire on your rig the more precise you have to be with everything to get it to roll true down the road. I have 42" bias ply tires on my Jeep and have them balanced correctly clear up to 107mph. But it took a crazy amount of effort to be sure it was done correctly.
There are so many different items you have to pay attention to concerning the wheel and tire combo and quite honestly there is some really bad info out there about double bead locks and take offs that you have to wade through the BS to get to the truth. It has been my experience in the 8 years that I've been doing this that not all situations are equal so we have to search for the correct answers to get you rolling straight down the road.
There are some constants.
The wheel has to be correct. If it isn't there is no way you'd balance a combo.
The tire has to be defect free. We run into this more than anything since we are using used tires. TWF offers 30 days to figure out issues and if you have something that can't be corrected we'll send you more tires to get it right.
You shouldn't use stock run flats. They are heavy. They don't center well on the wheel and cause you massive balance issues.
BALANCING!!! This is such a huge word. Not many people care about proper balance on a combo and the biggest offender are the tire monkeys at the shop. They just want the combo to reach zero so they can go on to the next thing. They'll stack weight after weight on the wheel to get you out the door. I personally hate tire shops. I do my own balancing.
There is a much bigger conversation to be had about balancing that if you're interested I'd talk with you about it instead of writing a book here.
What you are experiencing doesn't sound like a wheel and tire balance issue so much as it sounds more like there are some components in your steering or suspension that could use some addressing. I know a complete free way for you to understand what is going on in your front end that will let you figure out these issues without spending a dime. That way you can spend your money on the correct fix instead of wasting money. It's the steering wheel test.
I'd bet that if you get someone to help you with the steering wheel test you'll see that there are some unwanted issues going on up front that cause the feelings you're experiencing when you hit the bumps. And it is simple. Get someone to sit in the driver seat while the vehicle is on flat ground. You might have to turn the key on to unlock the steering wheel but don't start the vehicle. You want to have them turn the steering wheel back and forth from 11:00 to 1:00. Back and forth and don't stop. You want them to basically just change direction continuously.
Get under the front end and I'd bet you will see the frame moving side to side parallel to the ground over the front axle. Whatever is causing that issue needs to be addressed. If you're interested call me at the shop and I'll walk you through what to look for.
