Facts About Balancing & Truing Automobile Tires

Your automotive tires must be balanced to get the best performance out of your car.

In order for your car to get optimum performance and gas mileage, as well as a comfortable ride, your tires have to properly balanced and trued.

When to Balance and True Your Tires

Any time your tires are taken off your car, they will need to be balanced and trued. This means that when you buy new tires or have them rotated, they will need maintenance. If for some reason your car tires seem to wear unevenly or you have a bumpier ride than normal, it is because one or more of them have slipped out of balance.

Balancing Tires

If your tires are out of balance, one tire is heavier than the other. In order to balance tires, you need a balancing machine and tiny weights. The tires are weighed on the machine, and the weights are placed on the insides of the wheel where you cannot see them.

Truing Tires

Truing a tire is a procedure that takes a steady hand an a well-trained eye. It consists of shaving down the high points of the tread that noticeably stick out. The aim is to create a perfectly round, smooth tire to give you a comfortable bump-free ride.

References

• Four Wheeler: Tire Truing
• Michelin Man: Tire Balancing