Why do you balance your tires?

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.

1. Do you really need to balance your tires?
2. What happens if you don't balance your tires?
3. How often do tires need to be balanced?
4. What does an unbalanced tire feel like?
5. Is tire balancing the same as alignment?
6. Is it okay to drive a car with unbalanced tires?
7. Can you balance tires yourself?
8. Do I need to balance my tires after rotation?
9. Is Wheel Alignment Necessary?
10. Are unbalanced tires loud?
11. How much does it cost to balance tires?
12. Why does my car vibrate at 70 mph?
13. How long can you drive on unbalanced tires?
14. Should I get my tires Balance before an alignment?

Do you really need to balance your tires?

Wheel balancing isn't optional; it's necessary. Once new tires are put on your vehicle, they need to be balanced to your car, truck, or SUV's wheels. ... Tire manufacturers balance tires during the production process, but the balancing must be fine-tuned once the tires are placed on the wheels.

What happens if you don't balance your tires?

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.

How often do tires need to be balanced?

How Often Should I Get My Tires Balanced? 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.

What does an unbalanced tire feel like?

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. ... Balancing also contributes to ride comfort: Imbalanced tires will wobble or hop up and down, which causes vibration.

Is tire balancing the same as alignment?

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.

Is it okay to drive a car with unbalanced tires?

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.

Can you balance tires yourself?

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.

Do I need to balance my tires after rotation?

It's not completely necessary to balance tires when rotating, but it is a good idea to do so. When performed by a shop, the balancing procedure is inexpensive, so its usually paired with the rotation. If you're doing a rotation job yourself, it's up to you whether you want to also balance.

Is Wheel Alignment Necessary?

We recommend an alignment after the installation of new tires. This helps you get the most life from your new tires. Wheel alignment checks are always advised after a significant impact or uneven tire wear is detected. Also, get a check annually, or twice yearly if you typically travel on rough roads.

Are unbalanced tires loud?

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. ... This will cause irregular tire movement and make the sounds coming from the air chamber louder. A bad wheel bearing is one of the more serious issues that cause tire noise.

How much does it cost to balance tires?

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.

Why does my car vibrate at 70 mph?

Wheel balance

Tyres that are out of balance will cause a vehicle to vibrate at higher speeds (usually around 50–70mph). ... Out-of-balance tyres can cause vibration in the steering wheel, through the seat, and through the floor (steering wheel – front tyres; seat/floor – back tyres).

How long can you drive on unbalanced tires?

Conclusion. So, you can drive on unbalanced wheels for a couple of months at max. After that, the problems will increase progressively, and the damage to your vehicle will increase as well. To avoid all this trouble, it is good to get them fixed within the 1st two months of noticing the problem.

Should I get my tires Balance before an alignment?

You don't have to balance your tires before an alignment, it is completely up to you. ... Tire balancing is done to restore tire balance due to uneven wear etc. While tire alignment is done to adjust the angle of your car's wheels to the “proper” position.