Wheel & Tire Balancing Q&A
What Is Tire Balancing?
When tires are mounted onto wheels they are often out of balance – meaning that as the wheel spins, there is a slight wobble to the path of the tire. In order to maintain best handling performance and safety, it’s ideal to minimize wobble as much as possible, requiring tires to be balanced.
How Are Tires Balanced?
To balance a tire, we spin it on a machine or drum to determine where it is off-balance. We then attach weights that will counter-balance the uneven weight.
How Will I Know If My Tires Are Out of Balance?
You can tell a front tire is unbalanced if you feel a vibration in the steering wheel. If a back tire is unbalanced, you’ll feel a vibration in your seat. You may not notice these vibrations until they get fairly serious — or until someone else drives your car — because they usually develop slowly. If a vibration starts abruptly, it usually means you’ve lost a balancing weight.