Mississippi tire shop, Tire City, recently went viral when a mechanic warned viewers against balancing beads.
TikTok has become a reliable source of maintenance advice. On the social media app, countless mechanics post videos on a wide range of topics, including why to not buy a new car and which tires brands not to trust. User [Expletive] Tire continued the trend with his recent video, which garnered over 1.1 million views as of publication.
The video begins with the cameraman zoomed in on Chevrolet Silverado’s tires.
“Y’all got to stop letting these places put balancing beads in your tires.” he said.
The unnamed mechanic explains that the customer originally took his vehicle to a different shop, which told him they couldn’t balance the tires, so instead they installed balancing beads. Unfortunately for the owner, the beads only made the situation worse, and made the car drive “like crap.”
Should you use balancing beads on your tires? And, uh, what are they?
Made of tempered glass or ceramic, ABC Balancing Beads reports that beads balance a tire by increasing the rotating weight of a wheel. According to car site the Autopian, these beads “bounce around inside the tire and end up in the right position to counteract any imbalances in the wheel.” Benefits of balancing beads include reducing wear and tear on a tire, giving the car a smooth ride, reduces fuel consumption, and improving safety.
Educational Wave adds that balancing beads are durable, cost-effective, and last for the lifespan of the tire. However, they are also hard to remove and they may not resolve every type of tire vibrations. Essentially, beads are a quick fix that’s less precise than other balancing methods. On top of that, they can also damage a tire, become displaced or damaged during a rotation, and are sensitive to temperature and pressure changes.
“Some people swear by beads, some people like them, we don’t use them unless we have to,” the TIkTok mechanic said, “…but we ain’t never had good luck out of them.”
Multiple commenters defended the beads as an effective way to balance a tire.
“I love balancing beads, then again I don’t buy cheap knockoff tire brands either,” one said.
“If beads are done correctly it will ride just as good as weights,” a second added.
“I have beads and my truck rides like a cloud,” a third agreed.
“Wasn’t enough beads in that tire. When you get the weight right they ride great,” a fourth pointed out.
Others agreed with the mechanic and warned against them.
“Beware of beads! My wife convinced me to use them and all it gave me was hemorrhoids! Rough ride indeed,” a user shared.
@shittytire #cars #trucks #carsoftiktok #trucksoftiktok #cartok #trucktok #tires #tire #tireshop #tirebalance #mechanic #mechaniclife #mudtires ♬ original sound – shittytire
“I had a front motorcycle tire mounted and they convinced me to use the beads. It was awful! after getting it re-mounted, we discovered they didn’t even take them out the bag when they put it in,” another said.
The Daily Dot reached out to the mechanic via TikTok comment.
