How Important Is Balancing Your Tires?

Many vehicle owners don’t think about balancing their tires when they bring their cars in for routine maintenance. This task may seem minor, but it’s actually critical to your vehicle’s handling and safety. Check out this guide to tire balancing to find out how it works, why it’s important, and how often you should get it done.

What Is Tire Balancing?

Tire balancing is a maintenance procedure that helps keep your vehicle’s wheels in good condition. It ensures the even distribution of weight around the circumference of the unit so that the tire will be able to roll smoothly. Therefore, it can significantly improve your car’s handling and ride quality. Balancing tires is a relatively easy task, but it requires a high level of precision, as it involves working with small plates that weigh only a fraction of an ounce.

How Do Wheels Become Imbalanced?

Tire imbalance may be the result of a number of factors. Some wheels and tires don’t have a precisely equal weight distribution when they leave the factory because of manufacturing imperfections. As you use your vehicle on a regular basis, your tires will become increasingly worn, which may result in uneven treads. Consequently, you may feel vibrations when you’re driving your car at a high speed. This is one of the common signs of tire imbalance. Even a weight difference of half an ounce can cause your car to vibrate.

How Is Tire Balancing Done?

A new wheel-tire unit typically comes with three small metal plates that are clamped to the rim. These plates are placed in strategic locations to balance out the tire’s weight distribution. These days, tire balancing is usually performed using a computerized spin balancing machine. This machine takes measurements to identify lighter and heavier areas along the circumference of the tire and makes adjustments to compensate for the weight differences.

The process of balancing a tire begins with mounting the wheel-tire unit onto the balancing machine. Then, the machine will spin the wheel at highway speed and take vibration measurements. By looking at the readings on the machine, the technician will know where the tire is unbalanced, where they should place the weights, and how much weight to add at each location. After attaching thin metal plates to the wheel, the technician will spin it again to make sure it’s properly balanced.

What Is the Difference Between Tire Balancing and Tire Alignment?

Tire balancing and tire alignment are often confused with one another. While they’re both an important part of auto maintenance, they aren’t the same procedure. Tire balancing adds weight to different parts of a tire to achieve an even weight distribution, whereas tire alignment adjusts the angles of the tires so they’ll move in the same direction. Similar to tire balancing, tire alignment can also reduce uneven tire wear and extend the life of your tires.

Why Is Tire Balancing Important?

Tire balancing is an inexpensive maintenance task that offers many benefits. Below are a few good reasons why you should have your tires balanced at your local service center:

• Even tire wear: If your tires aren’t properly balanced, they’re likely to wear at different rates. Other than having an impact on your car’s handling, unevenly worn tires have to be replaced sooner, which can significantly increase your cost of ownership over the long run.
• Lower repair costs: Unbalanced tires not only reduce the longevity of your tires, but they can also cause damage to other parts of your vehicle, such as the suspension system and wheel bearings. You’ll be surprised at how much you can save on repair costs down the road by having your tires balanced regularly.
• Better driving experience: Tire balancing makes your tires roll smoothly and contributes to a more composed and comfortable ride. Additionally, it helps prevent your car from vibrating and shaking when you’re driving on the highway.
• Enhanced safety: Another issue that can result from tire imbalance is the loss of traction. This can cause you to lose control of your vehicle when you’re driving around sharp corners or on slippery surfaces. It’s highly recommended that you go to a service center for tire balancing before the start of winter.
• Better fuel efficiency: When they’re well-balanced, your tires will be able to move more effortlessly. Therefore, they won’t put unnecessary strain on your engine, resulting in better fuel economy.

How Often Should You Have Your Tires Balanced?

The recommended tire-balancing interval may vary from one vehicle to another. It depends on a wide range of factors, including the type of vehicle you own, your driving habits, and the weather and road conditions in your area.

However, as a general rule of thumb, you should have your tires balanced when you go to your dealership for a tire rotation, which is generally once every 5,000 miles. Not only is it convenient to get a tire balancing at this time, but it’s also a good practice because you may have an unbalanced rear tire and won’t know it until you move it to the front. If you routinely drive on rough roads, you need to give your tires a tuneup more frequently. In addition, it’s a good idea to ask your service center to balance your wheels whenever they work on your suspension system.

The small metal plates that keep your tires balanced can be knocked off in certain situations, such as when you collide with another vehicle, hit a curb, or drive over a large pothole. If this happens, you need to get your tires rebalanced as soon as possible. Also, you should look out for any signs of unbalanced tires, such as uneven tire wear, unusual vibrations, strange noises, and looser steering.

If you live near Louisville, Kentucky, and own a Ford or Lincoln vehicle, the best place to have your tires balanced is Oxmoor Ford Lincoln. Since we specialize in servicing and repairing Ford and Lincoln vehicles, we can let you know exactly when you should bring your car in for tire balancing. Additionally, we have a team of highly trained, certified technicians and state-of-the-art equipment to deliver top-notch tire and wheel services. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.