Tire Balancing

Maintaining the tire balance on your vehicle is critical to receiving satisfactory service from your tire investment. In addition to a providing a smooth ride, balancing is a key component in tire wear. The focus of this article is to help you understand the balancing process and to know why it is important to keep your tires balanced throughout their tread life.

For those of you who may think that tire balancing isn’t that important, consider some industry trends—they may help you rethink the issue. Perhaps the most compelling argument for precision balancing comes from an obvious fact...vehicles are being made lighter and lighter. The heavier cars of yesterday actually helped smooth-out the ride by dampening many vibrations before they could be felt by the driver. The softer suspensions also had the same effect. The second factor is tire technology; generally, more responsive tires with lower profiles (which send more road feedback to the driver) are being used in today’s style and performance oriented market. By the way, lower profile tires do provide lower rolling resistance, which helps fuel economy. As a result, the slightest imbalance (as little as half an ounce) can be felt in most modern vehicles; this is significantly less than the average of ten years ago. For those of you who have plus-sized your tires and wheels, balancing is even more critical.

Perhaps the best way to begin is to discuss the lack of balance. When a tire is mounted onto the wheel, two slightly imperfect units are joined to form an assembly weighing forty pounds (this is the average for cars). The chances of this assembly having absolutely precise weight distribution about its radial and lateral centers are virtually impossible. Remember that all it takes is half an ounce of uneven weight distribution for a vibration to be felt. The illustration below shows how an imbalance creates vibration.

Static Imbalance: Occurs when there is a heavy or light spot in the tire so that the tire won't roll evenly and the tire and wheel undergoes an up-and-down motion.	Dynamic Imbalance: Occurs when there is unequal weight on one or both sides of the tire/wheel assembly's lateral centerline, thus creating a side-to-side wobble or wheel shimmy.

The static imbalance creates a hop or vertical vibration. The dynamic imbalance creates a side-to-side or wobbling vibration. Most assemblies have both types of imbalance, and require dynamic balancing (commonly referred to as spin balancing) to create even weight distribution. The balancing system directs a technician to place counter weights on the rim's outer surface to offset the imbalance. When the balancing system tests for virtually perfect weight distribution, the assembly is in balance and will not vibrate. Your tires will ride smoothly and wear evenly (with regard to balance).

Other Sources of Vibration

Very often the wheel/tire assemblies on a vehicle may be in balance but you 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

Hogan Tire 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. But 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.
  

• Wheel Weight Placement
  Many of today's wheel designs necessitate unique wheel weight placement to achieve both precise balance and esthetic appeal. Hogan Tire will use the best method for your wheel type.

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