What do you think - will changing rear tire AND bearings allow balancing?

[spyder01]

I’m in the middle of swapping out my rear tire and thinking since I’m changing the bearings at the same time that the wheel would fit on a standard balancer machine.Has anyone done this?Also I’ve been concerned about Little Rock’s getting trapped under the air bag so I fashioned a piece of tin as a shield in case any rocks get flung into that area,I already have the guard for the belt. I know I’ve seen a bag guard that some vendor had but you had to remove the bag to install it.Does anyone see any downside to my design?

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I’m in the middle of swapping out my rear tire and thinking since I’m changing the bearings at the same time that the wheel would fit on a standard balancer machine.Has anyone done this?Also I’ve been concerned about Little Rock’s getting trapped under the air bag so I fashioned a piece of tin as a shield in case any rocks get flung into that area,I already have the guard for the belt. I know I’ve seen a bag guard that some vendor had but you had to remove the bag to install it.Does anyone see any downside to my design?

I remember waaaaaay back 8+ years ago .... the prevalent thought was " change all wheel bearings " at every tire change. .... that thought has certainly slowed down because we discovered that most Wheel bearings last 100,000 plus miles ..... As far as REAR wheel balancing, this was similar .... I did a REAR wheel balance ...ONCE .... and haven't done it for the last 7 rear wheel changes ( using Auto tires ). " Rear Airbag " ..... If any debris ie. small rocks can get to the bottom of the bag .... they can damage it, if you feel your cover will prevent that, then it should work ....if not it may make it worse ...... Good Luck ..... Mike :thumbup:

 

[spyder01]

Actually the reason I got new bearings was bc I read on here they didn’t last long, fortunately they are cheap. The old bearings feel good but I’ve already removed them. I think that the shield will work as long as I’ve got enough clearance, I’ll be checking that carefully. I was having trouble getting rid of the shake up front until I found a guy with a road force balancer. I’m going to have the rear done if it will fit on the balancer.

 

[Bensonoid]

With the rear wheel out of the way it wouldn't be that difficult to install the "bag protector". It's just a 3" fernco cap that is readily available at Home depot, Lowes, or most any hardware store. If you take the air out of the bag and remove the bottom bolt you should be able to slip the fernco cap on. Before you do just make a hole in the center of the cap for the bolt to go thru and while you're at the hardware store get a bolt at least 1/4" longer than the one you took out. When I did mine the original bolt wasn't long enough because of the thickness of the fernco.

 

[trikermutha]

I am with Mike on this one. If the bearings feel good and there is no excessive play in them they can be reused.

Now keep in mind it would all depends too on mileage and severe use events too.

 

[Steve W.]

Removing the bearings might give enough room for the cones used by standard balancers. When I replaced the rear on my wife's RT, the guy that mounted the tires (and balanced the fronts) said he could not balance the rear because his cones would not fit. I just put the axle through the wheel and supported it on jack stands, like I do for motorcycle wheels. Just a few moments later I determined that no weights were necessary. Over the last 10,000 miles, my opinion has been confirmed.

.

 

[spyder01]

Well after removing bearings and getting tire swapped we found that the balancer machine shaft on most newer machines is just to fat to fit through the axle hole and also too narrow to reach the other side of a 10” hub. So I guess I’ll be doing it with the axle on a stand like I did the last time. I’m still gonna do it because I believe in balancing and want it as smooth as I can get it.

 

[ks4hcoach]

I have changed the rear tire twice on my 2009 Spyder GS. First replacement was the Yokahoma S-Drive and the second was the Vredestein Quatrac 5. The Quatrac is better suited for year round use in the midwest as it is a winter rated tire, while the Yokahoma was a warm climate rated sports car tire...but it wore much more evenly than the original Kenda rear tire. The Quatrac 5 tires on the front of the GS are much better than the Kenda OEM tires for both ride and handling.

I have a No-Mar tire changer, purchased for motorcycle use, but it works great with the Sypder tires too. Just use the No-Mar lube paste and take your time when de-mounting and mounting tires, and don't force things. Works great with no damage to rims and lets me change tires on my schedule without having to worry about a CanAm shop not wanting to mount automotive tires.

I balance the Spyder tires with the Marc Parnes static balancer and have the cones for front and rear wheels. Note that you need his longest axle, the 16 inch version, to be able to balance the rear wheel, but it is long enough to set the bearings on jack stands for support, and is very sensitive on the rotation of the wheel/tire assembly minus the sprocket and cush drive rubber. He sells a kit set up with the 16 inch axle, ready to use on the Can Am Spyder on the Marc Parnes web site, stands behind his product, and can be reached by phone for questions. This is a quality kit.

My new 21RTL has a bit over 7000 miles on the original tires, with the rear exhibiting the typical very excessive wear in the center. It may have another 1000 miles left before I have to replace it. Front tires are both great with respect to wearing evenly and well...so I will get a bit more life out of them. Plus, the fronts are super easy to change and balance vs the rear. I have set of three of the new Vredestein Qutracs waiting in the garage for the changes but will have to change the OEM rear on the new RTL out soon. Fronts can wait awhile. I like the looks of the new Vredestein tires and have high hopes for them. The Qutracs are a winter-rated tire with a directional tread pattern that should be very good for wet and dry pavement traction with the Spyders. A big plus is that the Vredesteins are not only much better tires, but significantly less expensive than the OEM tires.

 

[Dmetcalf]

I installed the Centramatic wheel balancers on my Spyder and pickup truck. These things work as advertised and help make for a smoother ride.

 

[jcthorne]

Its really a shame so many service places do not have the right tools to balance the rear wheels. We do!

 

[BajaRon]

I remember waaaaaay back 8+ years ago .... the prevalent thought was " change all wheel bearings " at every tire change. .... that thought has certainly slowed down because we discovered that most Wheel bearings last 100,000 plus miles ..... As far as REAR wheel balancing, this was similar .... I did a REAR wheel balance ...ONCE .... and haven't done it for the last 7 rear wheel changes ( using Auto tires ). " Rear Airbag " ..... If any debris ie. small rocks can get to the bottom of the bag .... they can damage it, if you feel your cover will prevent that, then it should work ....if not it may make it worse ...... Good Luck ..... Mike :thumbup:

Bearings last longer now because belt tension has been reduced. Take the belts back to the original, ridiculously high tension, and you'll be going through bearings again.