Tire balancing is a tune-up for your wheel-tire set. When all areas of the wheel-tire unit are as equal in weight as possible, the tire will roll smoothly. This helps it wear evenly, for longest life. Balancing also contributes to ride comfort: Imbalanced tires will wobble or hop up and down, which causes vibration.
It ensures that the weight is evenly distributed over the entire circumference of the unit. The most common symptoms of unbalanced tires are uneven and faster tread wear, poor fuel economy, and vibrations in the steering wheel, floor pan, or seat that get worse at higher speeds.
If a front tire is not properly balanced, you will likely feel vibrations in the steering wheel. If the problem is in the rear, the tremor will be noticeable in the seat or floor. Imbalance tires are easily corrected, but the work is precise. It’s done by attaching small weights, just fractions of ounces, to the wheel.
Daily tire wear contributes to imbalance. Normal manufacturing defects are also a cause: tires and wheels do not have exactly the same weight distribution. They will be a bit heavier in some places. Just half an ounce of weight difference is enough to cause a vibration when driving.
Related: Difference Between Tire Balancing and Tire alignment
Tires and wheels do not come from the manufacturer in perfect condition and are ready to go. Though they may seem uniform to the eye, tires and wheels often have variations in weight throughout their structure.
Normal wear and tear can also change your wheel and tire’s balance. When your wheels are not balanced, your tires will not spin smoothly. This affects the way your vehicle handles.
Rebalancing is done in a tire shop by putting the wheel-tire unit on a tire balancing machine that takes measurements to pinpoint lighter or heavier areas and making adjustments to account for these weight differences.
The best time to get it done is when tires are being rotated, both for convenience and because you might have a tire out of balance on the rear of the vehicle and won’t feel it until it is moved to the front.
Here’s how it’s done:
Unlike some vehicle maintenance issues that tend to hide until the problem gets out of hand, you’ll know when it’s time to get a tire balance or at least a check-up. An imbalance in the tire will cause it to wobble and vibrate as the wheel starts to rotate.
The faster the rotation, the more intense the vibration. If you feel a vibration in the steering wheel, that’s probably related to an issue with the front tires’ balance, but a vibration that can be felt in your seat likely indicates an issue with rear-tire balance.
Only a small amount of imbalance is enough to disrupt how your car feels and handles. Discover some of the signs that you need to balance your tires.
The sudden appearance of vibrations is one sign that your tires don’t have the correct balance. These vibrations are noticeable in your steering wheel when you reach moderate speeds. The vibrations get worse as you drive faster, then smooth out after you reach highway speed.
A poorly balanced tire causes unusual, patchy flat areas in a tire’s tread after time. These wear patches often have no consistency in size or shape. If you ignore the problem for too long, then your tires could end up with lost treads. Uneven wear also affects the strength and integrity of the sidewalls after a while and could result in a blowout.
The vibration from unbalanced tires reverberates through the rest of the wheel and suspension system. This eventually leads to early wear and damage to wheel bearings and shocks. It also affects your vehicle’s responsiveness and handling. Over time, you may notice more play (or looseness) in your steering or strange noises from the bearings.
Vibrations and unusually worn tires can cause your gas mileage to diminish, especially as your speed increases. However, check your tires for underinflation as well, as this is also a common cause of increased fuel consumption.
There are three main types of tire balancing:
Static balancing involves weights being added across only one line of the tire, which is called one plane as if the tire was a disc. It is an old-school method that is the easiest to perform and is helpful in light-imbalance cases.
If tires are out of balance, each is placed on a vertical supporter with a spindle tool or a bubble balancer. The heavier side will lean lower to the ground, showing that 180° across from it is where your mechanic should place a weight.
Eventually, the weights will be only on one side of the wheel, which is good for those who don’t want them on the outside. However, if the imbalance is more complex, this method may be insufficient.
Dynamic balancing involves having the weights spread across the tire (side-to-side, up and down), which is dual plain. Mechanics use modern spinning computer balancers for this procedure. The technician places the wheel-tire assembly on a machine, which then spins at certain speeds.
During manufacturer tests, the speeds are usually from 10-15 mph to 55-60 mph. While the unit spins, the sensors of the machine measure all weight imperfections. Spin balancers don’t just show the location of the stiffer spots if the tires are out of balance. They also measure how much weight your mechanic should apply to fix the situation.
The weights are on both sides of the wheel in this case, and it also provides more precision and balance. Plus, some of the wheels have a “positive offset”, meaning most of the wheels’ surface is inboard. In such a case, the outer elements can be behind the wheel’s face, while the inner can be on the inside part.
Road force balancing is one of the newest technologies that create road conditions simulation. The machine has a large roller that presses on the tire, applying the estimated weight of the vehicle. This method can detect if the tires are out of balance even in complicated cases.
Such machines also have different “tolerances” that fit different types of vehicles. During the process, sensors read the pressure around the circumference, detecting irregularities. If there is too much variation, the system shows the technician a message to take readings from the wheel.
The machine then determines whether the tire or the wheel is the cause of the issue. It also shows whether the two items can be re-matched to meet the chosen tolerance. If so, the system specifies the spots to work with.
The technician then lubricates the bead and turns the tire on the rim to achieve the lowest level of road force variation. The machine doesn’t always get the spots right the first time, and there are certain details the technician should know. However, this level of precision is impossible with static or dynamic balancers.
Many experts argue over how often the tire balance should be checked. It is usually recommended that they be examined every 5000 to 7500 miles or every 2 years.
We advise that you use this guide as a rule of thumb, but double-check your owner’s manual and watch for any strange vibrations. If you continue to drive with unbalanced tires, they will wear out very quickly and you could also risk ruining your suspension.
When to Get Tire Balancing Done:
Many tire shops offer free balancing as part of tire packages that are purchased from them, but you’ll have to pay for it in other cases. On average, plan to spend between $15 and $75, depending on your vehicle, the tires, and the shop.
When a technician balances your tire, they use different techniques depending on whether you have alloy or steel wheels. I’ll explain those techniques in more detail in one of the following sections.
The majority of the cost of tire balancing – which shouldn’t be too much of a cost in itself – is labor. You’ll be paying per minute for the technician to lift the car, remove the wheels and balance them before reinstalling everything.
The only material the mechanic will be using is the wheel weights. Although these are technically part of the price you pay, the cost is often less than a few cents per weight negligible, so far as most businesses are concerned. You probably won’t see this cost itemized on your invoice or receipt.
Tire balancing is a tune-up for your wheel-tire set. It makes sure that weight is evenly distributed around the entire circumference of the unit.
So How Much Does It Cost to Balance a Tire? A. Many tire shops offer free balancing as part of tire packages that are purchased from them, but you’ll have to pay for it in other cases. On average, plan to spend between $15 and $75, depending on your vehicle, the tires, and the shop.
Tire balancing provides a smooth ride and assures even tire wear by properly adjusting the tire weight distribution around the vehicle. As you drive, your tires lose balance, so periodic tire balancing service is needed to return proper balance.
The Difference: Wheel alignment is the term for how your wheels sit when mounted to your car and wheel balancing is what’s done to perfectly balance the weight of a tire and wheel assembly so that it travels evenly.
Many experts argue over how often the tire balance should be checked. It is usually recommended that they be examined every 5000 to 7500 miles or every 2 years.
The common symptoms of out-of-balance tires are uneven and faster tread wear, poor fuel economy, and vibration in the steering wheel, the floorboard, or the seat that gets worse at faster speeds. When all areas of the wheel-tire unit are as equal in weight as possible, the tire will roll smoothly.
Balance Tires on Your Own. If your tires are out of balance, you can fix them yourself at home/in your garage. You can balance tires with or without a balancer. However, you must know the mechanical parts of the wheel and the vehicle overall.
Your tires will wear down prematurely when the wheel assembly isn’t balanced – and you may be in for some not-so-good vibrations. Even a quarter of an ounce of imbalance can put uneven pressure on the treads, causing uneven tread wear and excess heat that shorten the life of the tire.
Unbalanced car tires can cause damage to different parts of your vehicle. For example, driving with tires that aren’t properly balanced puts undue stress on your shocks, bearings, and wheel assembly. Increased fuel costs. Driving on tires out of balance may cause your fuel costs to rise.
Balancing a set of four tires may take anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours as a standalone service. An older tire that’s seen its share of bumps and bounces (and accumulated more imbalances) will often take longer to balance than a new tire that’s only picked up minor imbalances during shipping and storage.
Similar to alignment issues, unbalanced tires cause shaking along with uneven tire wear—however, this car problem is set apart by its correlation with certain speeds. If you experience severe vibrations at one speed and none at a different speed, these may be signs of tire imbalance.
A good rule of thumb is that your tires should be rebalanced every 12,000 miles driven or every other time your tires are rotated. Having your tires rebalanced as part of tire rotation is a quick and easy process that could save you from costly repairs in the future.
The unbalanced tread depths cause tires to emit loud noises while driving. Usually, you’ll hear sounds caused by uneven wear coming from one tire. Alignment issues can also cause tire noises. As you travel, the air chamber produces a low humming or drumming sound.
Tire pressure that’s uneven can make your car pull to one side. For example, when pressure is too low or high on the front left tire, the height of the tire changes, which causes a shift in alignment.
What Unbalanced Tires Can Do to Your Car
Brake pads are made to come into complete contact with the rotors to produce a smooth braking experience. When rotors are unevenly worn, the brake pads only come into contact with the rotors in certain areas producing a vibration, usually when braking at highway speeds.
