I had searched here for some threads on the subject, and found the ones that turned up pretty much out of date....so here is an update.
I talked to Jerry at Centramatic. He knows his stuff. Centramatic has developed several different part numbers for fitting Airstreams. The one I needed was NOT in the online catalog.
They have different 300-556's depending on if you have drums or disc brakes, and if you have aluminum or steel wheels. It is important when you call to explain to the person answering the phone that you have an Airstream and need to talk to Jerry to get the correct part number shipped to you.
A set of four was $211.00. A longtime trailer owner friend of mine suggested I put them on because he has run them for YEARS and tows at fairly high speeds and once he put them on his 34 footer, everything quit shaking apart.
He always had his tires balanced and the hubs...as explained by Inland Andy, but the Centramatics work to keep the running gear in continuous balance.
Anyway, since most of the threads were of the 2004 era, and Centramatic had refined their product, if you want to consider Centramatic Wheel Balancers, be sure and talk to Jerry when you call them.
Once I get mine installed, and some miles on them, I will provide additional feedback.
Hi, I would like to hear more about these balancers. I went to their site and came up with the same part number you did, 300-556 as these were the only six lug option. But their site lists only 16" and larger wheels. I have 15" wheels with drum brakes. 2air put some on his trailer that has six wheels and I haven't heard much since; I wonder if he had to buy two sets of four [eight] to get six? the site lists sets of four only. I would like to hear from other Airstreamers that are useing these. [Centramatics]
I told the first person past the phone receptionist that I had an Airstream and wanted to buy balancers, and wanted to make sure and get the right ones.....so she says, "let me get Jerry, he is the technical specialists."
Jerry asks:
1: what size tires?
2: steel or aluminum wheels?
3: disc or drums for brakes?
Then says, the set you need is not in the online catalog, you need the special set designed for Airstream steel wheels and drums....that'l be $211 total with tax and shipping....do you want to go ahead?
I did and they should ship tomorrow, and be here by Monday.
When we lived in the DFW area I drove down to Alvarado and the Centramatic plant to have mine installed by their folks. They're good people with a great product. The 18-wheelers were lined up at their plant to have Centramatics installed on their rigs. Centramatic did have several varieties on display in the front office and I feel confident that once you speak with Jerry about your rig you'll receive the proper material for an easy self-install. This hardware combined with Doran Pressure Pros, proper inflation, weight loading and safe speed make for peace of mind for us when out there on the highways and byways. Happy Trails
both types fit my aluminum wheels fine. As you can see from the post, this was a year ago. I guess I'll talk to Jerry when I order the set for my Safari, which has the old/original vacuum disk brake system.
If I understand this balancers correctly they have weights in the outer tube thing that roll around and find the sweet spot, the weight in that spot gets everything balanced.
Is that the way they work?
If you turn them all around in your hand can you hear or feel anything moving around?
__________________
Bob
'77 Sovereign Intl 31' CB '07 GMC 4x4 2500HD EC 8.1 Allision six | Bedrug | Softopper
WBCCI Time's a-changing Say no to Lawrence Welk attitudes
Thanks for the info Bob.
I assume these are installed at a tire store by breaking the bead on one side and pouring them in. Or am I missing something?
Dave
You do not have to break the tire down. Just let the air out and remove the valve core, pore them in. Installation
The instruction have you remove the tire from the trailer, but I would think if you ramped up the tire, you could do it in place....
We put Centramatics on our Globe Trotter and SOB motorhome. We will be putting them on the '79 Trade Wind, next. I have ridden in the GT at highway speed and all is perfectly smooth. We used to have an idea about the speed of our coach, but on very smooth roads, you have to watch the speedometer instead of feeling the speed by the seat of your pants. If I had a few spare bucks, I would use Centramatics on everything we own with wheels.
__________________
Jim and Chris
WBCCI #5812
Denver Unit 024
5 Airstream trailers, 1951, '59. '67, '79, 2006 Q/S
1984 Classic 270 Motorhme with 34K documented miles
I will go with the little beads when I replace my tires. It looks to be just as efficent, but at a fraction of the cost. My trailer does not have lug nuts, it has lug bolts. The Centramatics would be very difficult to install with that configuration.
azflycaster,
you may want to install some wheel studs instead of the lug bolts to make mounting the tire easier.
I thought about the balancing beads but if you have a flat tire out on the road somewhere you will need to replace the beads. The centramatics are always there.
Both of these systems assume that the tire is out of balance along it's center line. It is not uncommon for tires to be out of balance more on one side than another. How is this addressed?
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Hi, I would like to hear more about these balancers. I went to their site and came up with the same part number you did, 300-556 as these were the only six lug option. But their site lists only 16" and larger wheels. I have 15" wheels with drum brakes. 
Say no to Lawrence Welk attitudes
Hybrid Mode
