How to Balance RV Tires

Keep your RV running smoothly by having the tires balanced regularly.

If your RV tire is not balanced correctly, it can cause problems for you down the road. Your RV may begin to shake parts loose, for example, even if you cannot feel it vibrating. Unbalanced RV tires can also result in the formation of indentations on the tire tread, causing the tires to wear out before their time.

Things You'll Need

• Light truck bubble balancer
• Wheel weights
• Weight hammer

Instructions

1. Set up a bubble balancer on flat ground. This type of balancer is manual and requires no electricity. It has a handle on its side to raise the tire into the balance mode. Look on its top plate for a bubble that that indicates a centered balance, which works much like the bubble in a level used in construction.

2. Place your RV wheel and tire on the top plate of the bubble balancer, and raise the handle.

3. Place the wheel weights around the wheel without installing them yet. Center the bubble. To do so, level the tire with the wheel weights. If the bubble sits off to the right, lay weights on the left. If you notice the bubble off to the left, lay weights on the right.

4. Install the wheel weights by hammering them on with a weight hammer once you have the bubble centered. (You will notice that the wheel weights have clips that allow you to attach them to the wheel.)

References

• Dan Marsh; Dan the Tire Man; Julian, California