Actually, truck has 101775 on it, and the Centramatics have been on for 65K.
Absolutely one of the best things I've bought for my truck.
New pair of tires installed up front, old front tires rotated to the rear, for some reason the tires don't live as long on the back as they do up front.
But, I do believe the Centramatics have contributed to the 65K miles I got out of the rear tires and the continuing miles the front tires will now give on the rear.
I expect at least another 15K to 20K miles from those old front tires that got rotated to the rear, so 80K to 85K total miles, pretty good for tire life.
And, the ride has been silky smooth from the General HTS 60's and the centramatics, never a hint of vibration at all.
And, my brake pads at 102K miles look like they have at least 80% left on them.

 

Yup, I loved the centramatics I ran on my ‘06 Dodge 3500.

 

Interesting, i pulled the centramatics off mine this spring at 7500 miles.

When the truck was brand new it was totally smooth, but i took the OEM Continental tires off at about 1200 miles and put some BFG's on it for winter and put the centramatics on at the same time since they had so many positive reviews. Vibration around 70-78mph started when i put those BFG tires and centramatics on it, so i wasn't sure if it was a bad balance job on the new tires,or the centras? Fast forward to the next spring and i scored a set of take off new Michelin LTX tires and a set of lariat machined wheels, got those mounted up and and put them on it and still had the exact same 70-78 vibration.......

Yeah i have seen they recommend pulling the weights off the tires, but i wasn't comfortable with that and really they should be damn close anyway so i figured the centras would ensure it was nice and smooth, plus i didnt want to have to cough up another $75 if they still vibrated and i had to balance them again. Anyways, i wasnt going to mess around pulling the wheels again just to see if the centras were the issue so i ran it all summer, come next fall when it was time for the BFG's for winter i pulled the centras off it when swapping wheel sets and the vibration went away, this spring Michelin wheel set went back on without centras, truck is smooth with those also.

Not sure if i got a bad set or what, but they didnt perform as i hoped, the one thing i noticed is mine sound like there is no fluid inside them, they are pretty loud, sounds like metal beads with no cushioning at all, you shake them and they sound like a maraca. You tilt them slowly by hand and you can hear the beads rolling in them very easily and it doesn't sound like anything is dampening there movement like a fluid would?

 

I was planning on possibly buying Centra's as well when I got my truck last year but you're right. The Michelin LTX AT's it came with have been silk smooth and wearing well (even without rotation because I'm not bothering with it being a DRW), so I think when it comes time I may replace them with the same tire.

 

What if the tire is out of Balance from Side to Side.
the Centramatics cannot account for Wobble.

 

That is odd. have you contacted the company to discuss your Centramatics? And mine are loud too, at least until I hit about 20 mph when the beads space out as needed. If my windows are down I can hear them, but if they are up I don't hear them at all. I also don't think that they recommend balancing your wheels or not... they just say that "In most cases, pre-balancing is not required..." I installed mine around 5k miles I think on my stock wheels with the OEM GY Wranglers. I sometimes felt a small vibration around 70-ish but since putting the Centramatics on, it's gone and it has been smooth since. What I like about them is that they will continue to perfectly balance the wheels, even when the tread is wearing down, or if there is mud/debris in them... although I figure most of that will sling out at speeds that the Centramatics start working! As far as side to side out of balance, that sounds like an issue that should be resolved with a proper set up or with a new set of tires rather than trying to balance them out with Centramatics or weights...

 

In your shoes, I would weigh each of all four of your Centramatic balancers individually.

I would pay particular attention if one of your Centramatic balancers was lighter in weight, and darker in color (dirtier) than the others.

It is possible for a balancer to leak (I've had it happen, and Centramatic replaced the balancer immediately, 2nd day air), but it is improbable that all four or even two balancers are leaking at the same time, if any are leaking at all.

However, if one did leak, a weighing of each balancer would identify which balancer was lightest, and if the lightest balancer is also the dirtiest balancer, then that could potentially be a double indication that some of the fluid leaked out of it.

If your front pair of balancers is a different part number than your rear pair of balancers, obviously the weight comparisons would be limited to each respective pair, rather than comparing all four together.

After your weight comparisons and visual inspection, if you find evidence that a balancer leaked, by all means contact Centramatic and explain your findings.

I discovered my balancer leak by seeing a wet spot under where my tire was parked. I at first believed it was a brake caliper or brake line issue, as the fluid witness mark left on the ground looked like brake fluid. After removing the tire and wheel to inspect the brakes, I pulled the balancer off and noticed wetness at the seam where they seal the balancer ring up after filling it with shot and fluid. Come to find out, the light hydraulic fluid that Centramatics uses is like brake fluid, so it all made sense.

I called Jerry (now retired) at Centramatic, and he sent a replacement that day. Jerry told me to toss the leaker, he did not need me to send it back. I really appreciated that kind of trust. Before tossing the leaker, I thought I might cut it open and see what was inside (since this isn't the type of balancer that has toxic mercury, which if it leaked, would be a hazard), but I lost track of where I stashed the old balancer before my curiosity was motivated enough to find a hacksaw. One day the two shall meet.

 

I have not contacted them, i never filled out the register form for them either...

I never thought about weighing them, not a bad idea! I've never noticed any leak by the wheels, or any sort of residue inside the wheels short of brake dust so I really do not think they leaked while on the truck if they did leak at some point? Ill have to weigh them though at some point to see though

 

I guess it's also possible that you got a mismatch in the set. That would very possibly send a fella on a wild goose chase.

 

Just back from another work trip, and the centramatics ran perfectly, super smooth at all speeds.
I do have my tires balanced, even with the balance rings.
I figure the balance rings will make up for wear, keeping things well balanced throughout the tire life.
I did not, do not, rotate my tires, even though on a SRW it is the standard procedure, and as stated I have been getting great miles and wear out of my tires.
Did this same thing all through 614K miles on my previous RAM 2500, only wish I had put the centramatics on it, might have been even better.
I experimented with a few different tire brands on my RAM, settled on the General HTS60's, great ride, handling and wear, and getting the same on my F250 since switching.
Also, remember though, my truck spends 99.99% of its life on the highway, very little town driving.

To those with issues on their centramatic use, calling them is the right way to go, they have pretty good customer service, and bet they would get you taken care of.

 

So do you just have them balance once when new or do you rebalance them throughout the life of the tire?

 

no need to rebalance a tire/wheel combo when Balancing Beads or Centramatics are in use.

that is what they are for, to counteract the imbalance.

I have used DynaBeads in motorcycle tires for years, just throw in the correct amount, and that tire is balanced forever....

DynaBeads will NOT work on dually pickups, like my '98 Dodge RAM, the tires are too wide and they wobble.

I had to go back to Dynamic Balancing of each wheel/tire combo...
meaning it has weights on both sides of the wheel.

 

After installing my new tires and the balance rings, they were never touched until the other day when I had the two new tires put on to replace the worn out rear tires. New tires to front, two old tires that still have lots of tread left rotated to the rear.

 

Sounds like those balancing rings are well worth the money.

 

What model Centra's did you use? I have read a number of threads on here, and it seems there are two separate models that fit these trucks, and the one that seemed more popular was not the one they recommend on the website. Of course I don't recall the numbers off the top of my head, lol.