I have pretty much decided to go with Centramatic wheel balancers when I get new tires, I had always assumed I would have them on all axles. I recently ran across a guy that just had them on the steer axle and said that was all you needed. So now I'm wondering what other folks do. If you use this system I would like to know what you think and how many you have.
I put on all axles. There's even more mass rotating on the duals that will shake more if out of balance.
They were on the rear, between the duals when I purchased my 1996 U320. The fronts are spin balanced.
Do not know why they were not also installed on the front.
I used Equal powder in my previous coach but found that when hitting pot holes on rough California Freeways, the steering wheel would shake violently for a couple seconds before smoothing out again.
Falconguy,
We have them on all 4 corners. Noticeable difference in ride. If I can tell a difference they must really help. Hubby thinks less vibration then less wear on shocks and drive train. Saves $$
Pamela
Our coach had them on all four corners when we bought it. They were installed by the prior owners (Thanks John & Genni). Since I have never driven the coach without them, I can't actually tell you what difference they make. BUT, I can say that our ride is perfectly smooth at all speeds up to 75 mph (my personal limit), and I have never felt the slightest hint of any tire balance problems. I will definitely reuse them (all 4) when we finally replace the tires.
Side note: some people say you don't need to use balance weights (spin balance) on the wheels when you install the Centramatics. In the case of our coach, the (brand new) tires had just been balanced when installed, and then the Centramatics were added for additional balance security. They left the weights on the wheels, and like I said, it seems to work great. Do what makes you happy!
Thanks for the input everyone. I'm sticking to my plan and will have them on all axles and I am going to have them trued at the truck place in Huntington. New,round and balanced is all good in my world.
Did not bother with the balance myself. New tires are all tested on the same industry std high tech spin machine to catch bad construction. Someone said third level harmonics or something like that?
Called the Michelin guy before I bought our xza-3+'s.
Koni FSD's, centrimatics. LRH 275's and a tight front axle setup and 90/100 psi derived from our exact weight are a pleasure to drive.
The xza evertreads self steer noticeably and the ride is also noticeably better than our xza-1's and the noise is reduced and the mpg seems to be up a bit also.
Too many years in the high line Rv biz and as a Foretravel manager to put anything less than the best on these coaches.
Other coaches not as much as they do not drive like a uni product. They are numb by comparison.
Uni's are a high precision setup because cm Fore wanted to build the best driving coach made.
Truing is probably not needed as much anymore
I tried them on my steer tires once and there was no difference whatsoever in front-end vibration. They had a 30-day money back guarantee, so off they came.
I use balance beads now and am very satisfied with the ride quality.
I have them all the way around and the coach was never smoother.
Florida Shores Truck Centers had the cheapest prices - $168.00 front/$183.00 rear, free shipping.
They also had great prices on Toyos.
I have Centramatics on all four corners. I had all tires balanced off the coach as well. I think the Centramatics improved the ride when I put them on. However, that might have been a result of "I paid good money for those, they must have helped." I figure they don't hurt anything and they might help.
We have some vibration around 50-55 mph. I think it is the result of some cupping on the XZA-1 tires. The tires are at about 80K miles. I plan to replace them soon with XZA-3 LRH. We'll see if the vibration settles. I will have the new tires balanced and the Centramatics will go back on with the new wheels.