loose spheres inside my tire???

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

Put Avon Azaro's on the RT back in June. Changed the front one tonight. As I carried the wheel w/old tire to the workbench, I could hear something rolling around in the tire.

 

I got the old tire off, and found these:

 

 

perfectly round, like tiny ball bearings. You can crush them between your finger and thumb if you squeeze hard enough.

 

I'm quite sure they weren't in there when I put the tire on back in May.

 

I'm guessing it's crud that got loosened up somehow from the inside surface of the tire, and through continuous rolling action got formed into a bunch of perfect spheres.

 

First time I've seen it in 100K miles. Anyone else seen it?

[leikam]

Deer pellets. Crafty buggers, aren't they?

[RFW]

Yup, I've seen it in car tires. It is exactly what you said.

 

Bob.

[AviP]

In racing, when running off the racing line on the dirty side, it's often referred to as "running-in-the-marbles" for all that tire residue from aggressive cornerning. Can you say a picture is worth a thousand words.

[randys]

you got a lot of balls

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

In racing, when running off the racing line on the dirty side, it's often referred to as "running-in-the-marbles" for all that tire residue from aggressive cornerning.

 

I'm familiar with "the marbles" on a racetrack. But note that the spheres in my photograph were inside my tire, not outside.

[BMT]

I think they start as small pieces of grit, introduced before the tyre is fitted, becoming coated with the moulding residue and fitting lube from the inside surface of the tyre over time.

 

If they were in an oyster, they'd be valuable, but in your case ...

[Wooster]

No Mitch, I've never seen the like of it. Perhaps this byproduct is specific to certain tire makes. With many changes of tubeless metzlers & tubed continentals, this is news to me.

A few years back, I bought a bottle of "tubeless slime" thinking of extending the life of a metzler w/staple hole; wussed out and simply replaced it. I mention this here as tubeless slime has visible flecks of rubber, evidently intended to migrate to tire's puncture. You haven't been sliming the tire have you ?

 

Wooster

[George Brown]

If they were in an oyster, they'd be valuable, but in your case ...

 

Tire Pearls? Maybe you can string them and increase their value. Move fast the holiday season is upon us.

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

If they were in an oyster, they'd be valuable, but in your case ...

 

Tire Pearls? Maybe you can string them and increase their value. Move fast the holiday season is upon us.

'

 

Yeah...that'd be a real hot seller: a necklace made of squirrel turds.

[Tool Man]

a necklace made of squirrel turds.

 

[skinny_tom (aka boney)]

you got a lot of balls

 

Yeah, but Richard's are still bigger.

[steve.foote]

Mitch,

 

Those are tire seeds. If you plant them early enough, you should have a fresh crop of tires ready to be harvested by the spring El Paseo.

 

I've got dibbs on one of the sets.

[Ken H.]

Your suppose to transfer them periodically from your tires to your fuel tank to improve fuel mileage. I've seen similar things in the back of magazines with proven results documented by the manufacturer of them. Then as you ride, over time they transfer back into the tires reducing their rolling resistance and for re-use later.

[hindsight]

I was cleaning out the garage today and I noticed that in the original Continental TKC 80 rear tire that I took off after only 1700 miles had the same thing. They were not as large as yours, but they are there (first time I have ever said that).

 

I had never noticed them before until you mentioned it.

[redryder]

Are you using live rabbits for valve stem caps???

 

 

 

I used to run Dunlops on the old Honda, and I saw them from time to time. Like others have said, a little foreign matter gets into the tire and it rolls around in there picking up residue from inside the tire.

[KDeline]

I see them from time to time, never gave it a thought. Of course I don't think a lot.

[USAF1]

Marty hasn't been hanging around with one of ARTIG's sheep has he??

 

If not....then I did hear that those were good as a salt substitute when sprinkled on asparagus!!

 

Pat

[VikingRider]

Check your air supply.

Water is being introduced with the air.

 

Rolls around inside the tire and forms "Pearls" as it accumulates the dust/release compound on the inside of the tire.

I've found ones as big as golf balls in some car tires

[AviP]

Check your air supply.

Water is being introduced with the air.

 

Rolls around inside the tire and forms "Pearls" as it accumulates the dust/release compound on the inside of the tire.

I've found ones as big as golf balls in some car tires

You are absolutely correct. I was thinking to myself as to the catalyst and water/moisture makes perfect sense.

[tallman]

Where is the original "my balls hurt" thread?

[Al Navecky Jr]

I see them from time to time, never gave it a thought. Of course I don't think a lot.

 

Same here

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

Check your air supply.

Water is being introduced with the air.

 

This makes sense. Tires were installed back in June; this was before I put the filter/dessicator in the line, so it would have put moist air into the tire. Not only that, but there might have been some soapy water in there from the tire change itself.

 

However, I've been doing it this way for the last 6 years, and this is the first time I've had this happen.

 

No big deal, just a matter of curiosity, I guess.