Boston's Leading Mobile Mechanics

Great Prices on a Wide Selection of Tires

Responsive tires with lower profiles (which send more road feedback to the driver) are being used today.  Vehicles are being made lighter and lighter.  As a result, the slightest imbalance (as little as half an ounce) can be felt in most modern vehicles. For those who have plus-sized your tires and wheels, balancing is even more critical.

Maintaining tire balance on your vehicle is critical to receiving satisfactory service from your tire investment. In addition to providing a smooth ride, balancing is a key component in tire wear.

Keeping Your Tires Balanced

Let’s assume that you have driven your tires 5,000 miles since their purchase and it's time to rotate. Over the miles, turning left and right, hitting bumps and holes you could not see or avoid, and driving down uneven road surfaces have led to uneven tread wear on your tires. Perhaps a pothole has knocked-out your vehicle's alignment (this creates uneven tire wear). Well, besides rotating the tires and getting an alignment to set things right, you should also rebalance the tires. Even if you can't feel vibrations, they are present. The uneven tread wear creates an imbalance that generates excessive heat and wear on your tires. Considering the hundreds of dollars you spent on your tires, a rebalance is a wise expenditure.

Very often the wheel/tire assemblies on a vehicle may be balanced -      but you can still feel a vibration. Here are some of the other causes of vibration:

• Bent wheel

• Tire out of round (radial or lateral runout)

• Wheel-to-axle mounting error

• Inconsistent tire sidewall stiffness (force variation)

• Brake component wear or failure

• Drive train or engine component wear or failure

• Suspension wear or failure

• Wheel bearing wear or failure

• Wheel alignment is out

We can isolate many of these problems for you, and there is no question that determining whether the tire/wheel assemblies are good and in balance is the first place to start.  However, ultimately this may not be the source of your vibration problem.

Balancing High Performance Tires and Wheels

• Match Mounting - Today's high performance tires and wheels are made with features that facilitate optimum mounting. Wheels are marked to identify the minimum radial run-out spot (low point) on the bead seat surface. Tires are marked with a high point location. Mounting the assembly to match these two points is called match mounting. This method minimizes the balance weight needed to correct any remaining imbalance and the radial run-out that may occur in the wheel/tire assembly.

• Force Variance - On rare occasions, a tire may be manufactured with slightly inconsistent sidewall stiffness (creating what is called force variance) which leads to a ride problem. A new generation of balancers can detect this condition. The balancers can also guide tire technicians to remount the tire in an optimum position that puts the assembly within specification and eliminates the problem. If specifications cannot be achieved, the defective tire will be identified for replacement.

• Wheel Weight Placement - Many of today's wheel designs necessitate unique wheel weight placement to achieve both precise balance and aesthetic appeal. Your tire dealer should inform you of the best method for your wheel type.