Balancing tires

by Margaret
(Calgary, Canada)

Wheel Balancing Weight

Wheel Balancing Weight

I recently purchased tires from one shop and had them put on rims and balanced there.

About a month later I was at another shop to get an oil change, where they informed me that the balancing on my tires was done incorrectly, as there were 10 weights on one rim alone, and that the maximum number of weights on a tire shoudl be two!

The second shop said I should go back to the first shop and have the work re-done, properly this time. I'm sure you can predict what happened at the first shop, who told me that the second shop was incorrect, and that becuase of bends in the rim, etc.

Can you tell me who is right?

Thanks,

Margaret

Comments for
Balancing tires

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Balancing work
by: Tireguy

I'm not trying to weasel out of this, but it is possible that both places are right!

Let me explain. I agree that it isn't good practice and MAY be sloppy work if there are more than two weights on a wheel. In our shop, I've insisted the guys re-do jobs that were done where there were "too-many" weights, but on rare occasions you do run into situations where you just can't seem to get a tire in balance without adding a great amount of weight.

It could be that your wheel was indeed in poor shape, that it was damaged, etc. and in this case no matter what any shop does in their balancing, they are going to be forced to use a lot of weight. Maybe the wheel can be repaired, or you might have to replace the wheel in order to get a balance with less weights.

There's nothing wrong with using a lot of weights provided it does put your tire into balance, but it might be a sign of sloppy workmanship if the wheel is in good shape and your tire too is without defects. I've seen brand new tires that were impossible to balance, too, but in that case the tire should be returned and exchanged by the manufacturer, if it is a reputable brand name.

In addition you might want to read about balancing for a bit more background.

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