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What is tire balancing and why is it important to you?

What's balancing got to do with a little tête a tête that I had with my best friend's wife recently?

Balancing can correct vibration

Jacqueline has spent a lot of money on a Hummer and it's time for a change of tires. Jacqueline enquired about tire balancing.

I explained to Jacqueline that the purpose of tire balancing is to eliminate vibration caused by mismatch between the tire and wheel. It can be caused by as little as 1/4 ounce difference.

A small force, repeated rapidly and frequently, can cause serious damage to almost anything. A car's wheel, traveling at 60 mph, is making approximately four revolutions every second. Every one of those revolutions is producing a tiny shake, which is passed on to every part of the vehicle connected to it.

More than 14,000 little shakes an hour from just one wheel!

People tend to notice unbalanced tires when they are on the front wheels because the vibrations transfer through the steering wheel to the driver's hands. These same vibrations are not felt when they are on the rear wheels, but are still contributing to mechanical wear-and-tear. This is why it has become a standard practice to balance every new tire.

It made sense to Jacqueline but what surprised her was that many vehicle owners get their wheels balanced at every rotation, not just every new set of tires.

Under average driving conditions, the experience of many thousands of motorists has shown that it is advisable to check tire balance every time they are rotated (between 4 and 6,000 miles). Also, perform a balance after all repairs.

The conclusion

By this time, I was speaking as though Jacqueline and I had been friends since school and she understood that tire balancing is an important ingredient for keeping her vehicle in good mechanical condition.

If tire balancing is only considered when there is a vibration, it may have already caused considerable stress to your vehicle. So, I gave Jacqueline the following advice to keep her Hummer in top order:

1. Always balance new tires.
2. Check tire balance whenever tire rotation is performed- ideally at intervals of 4,000 to 6,000 miles.
3. Have any tire that has been repaired balanced.

If you'd like to see more articles from the female perspective follow this link...

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