Tire Balancing Overview
When it comes to car maintenance, oil changes and tune-ups should routinely occur in order to keep a vehicle running safely. Tires also require routine maintenance.
Tires could be considered the single most important piece of safety equipment on your car. Tires are your vehicle's connection to the pavement and are responsible for safe handling, and most importantly, safe stopping.
To function properly, tires must be properly balanced on the rim of your vehicle. As tires spin at high speeds, minute differences in weight around the tire’s circumference can cause the tire to roll with a wobble or vibration. To counter this, qualified tire shops such as Mavis use advanced machinery and carefully placed weights to precisely balance every tire on your vehicle.
Having tires that are properly inflated and balanced will not only extend the life of your tires and save you money in the long run, but will also enhance your safety as you roll down the road.
Common signs you need your tires balanced
The most obvious sign that your vehicle’s tires are out of balance is vibration coming through the steering wheel, the floorboard of your car, or your seat. A healthy vehicle should never vibrate excessively at any speed. And drivers can expect an out-of-balance tire to wobble with a petulant and annoying vibration.
Other less obvious signs that a tire is out of balance include uneven tire tread wear or faster tire wear. Balanced tires have even tire wear thanks to the tire evenly hitting the ground as it was engineered to do. Once a tire falls out of balance, it strikes the ground unevenly and wears faster. The result: telltale wear spots across the surface of the tire and reduced fuel efficiency.
Tire balancing versus tire alignment
Tires wearing evenly as you drive is the ultimate goal when new tires are installed on a vehicle, and accurate wheel alignment and proper tire balancing are both essential to make this happen. While alignment issues and tires being out of balance may have many of the same symptoms, repairing each issue looks quite different.
Tire balancing focuses exclusively on the wheel assembly of your vehicle, which includes the rim and the rubber tire. On the other hand, tire alignment focuses exclusively on the suspension of your vehicle and not the wheel assembly itself.
During an alignment, technicians attach incredibly sensitive sensors to all four wheels of your vehicle to measure how the tire contacts the road. These measurements are known as toe, camber, caster, and thrust. Every vehicle manufacturer designs their vehicles with unique measurements to achieve the right ride and handling balance. Professional tire shops such as Mavis use advanced tire alignment machinery to measure and adjust the suspension to bring your car back to factory specifications.
Keep in mind that a vehicle that’s out of alignment may display some of the same symptoms as a tire that’s out of balance. If you get confused, bring your car to Mavis and let the experts check it out to make sure you’re balanced and properly aligned.
What is the tire balancing process?
First, our technicians will remove the tire from your car and place it into a tire balancing machine.
These machines spin the tire to various road-going speeds and measure any vibration across the surface of the wheel assembly. Once complete, the machine will indicate where the tire is out of balance, and technicians will place tiny metal weights to balance out the rotation. Sometimes the rim itself may be a bit heavier in one spot, which can also lead to balance issues, especially if the rim and tire are both heavier in the same spot.
Once the weights are placed, the tire is run through the cycle again to ensure that perfect balance is maintained at all road speeds.
Trust Mavis for your tire balancing needs
Tire and suspension issues can be challenging to diagnose and repair, but the experts at Mavis have you covered.
We’ll start with a complete diagnosis to get to the bottom of the issue. Once diagnosed, our team will use equipment to fix the out-of-balance tire and get you back on the road in a snap.
Mavis handles way more than just unbalanced tires, tire repair, and flat tire repair. Our expert techs handle nearly all your automotive needs, from a faulty TPMS sensor to oil changes, brake jobs, tire rotations, and of course, new tires.
Since 1972, we’ve been keeping vehicles on the road safe and secure. Generations of drivers trust Mavis thanks to our commitment to excellent service. We treat you and your vehicle just like family.
