Tireballs

WolfGT

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#1
In the April 2013 issue of 4Wheel & Off-Road under the "New Products" they show the "Tireballs Air Inflation System". This system has been around for a while for ATV's and Motorcycles but they now offer them for Offroad Vehicles (even though I couldn't find any mention on their website). Here is the paragraph from the magazine.

"Using proven military, industrial, and motorcycle technology, TireBalls now offers its unique Rock Crawler Multi-Cell inflation System for tires ranging from 38 to 42 inches. The High Performance Inflation System consists of multiple individual inflation cells inside your tire, not just one tube. The puncture of a TireBall inflated tire results in a single flat cell out of many, not a flat tire, allowing many puncture situations to be ignored. Information: TireBalls Inc., 877-847-3225, www.tireballs.com."

Has anyone had any experience with these? I don't think this would be good for a daily driven rig due to the fact that you would keep the tireballs at trail pressure and inflate the tire to road pressure, that would make it impossible to balance. But it does look like a great thing for the trailered rigs. No more worries when it comes to gashed side walls ending your day or making you limp back to the trailer for the spare.
 
#4
They appear to be a large pain to install as well, a few guys ran them in koh and they seem to work rather well, but that is really the only application I see them being used for in our industry.
 

WolfGT

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#5
If they work rather well, why is that (I assume you are referencing "racing") be the only application? Is it because of the cost? They were just introduced for this application, I would imagine the price will go down. Or like other costly items that most of us acquire, get them used.

I can see the obvious value in a race rig. Sponsors and teams invest a lot of money to participate in those races, this would allow them to not be one of those rigs on the side of the trail changing a tire and loosing position.
 

WolfGT

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#7
I guess it's one of those trade offs. Either spend the money and time in the comfort of your shop to install these, or hope you are close to your spare when the **** hits the fan. May be a good solution for the buggies and rigs that don't carry the spare everywhere they go.
 

LBarr2002

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#8
Yeah, it the tire is gashed, it's probably already ruined any. Just ride out on the rim and change the tire... Or send your buddy to get your spare, that's my plan :).
 

WolfGT

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#9
Here is a video of them being installed on Shannon Campbells rig back in 2011. 40" tires, 20 tireballs per tire. These guys are with Tireballs and had a special manifold to inflate them. I wonder if that setup is for sale. But watching the video, they don't look that hard to install. I would imagine inflating them all to a consistent pressure without that manifold would be a very time consuming event, but so is putting on a beadlock ring.

[video=youtube_share;M91s2Q3aPmM]http://youtu.be/M91s2Q3aPmM[/video]
 
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