Aside from safety concerns, you aim for comfort in any of your travel. No matter how beautiful or top of the line your automobile is, if there are issues with the tires, you cannot get the comfort you wanted.
You know that there is something wrong when you start feeling there is an uneven vibration while driving and worse, even on a rather smooth road. When this happens, it is time you need to call for help.
Wheel balancing is the process of placing weights on the rim of the wheel, so the tire rotates evenly. It is one of the most cost-effective ways to promote safety and comfort and can do a whole lot more. It can also reduce tire wear, increase fuel efficiency and minimize steering wheel vibration leading to a smoother, more comfortable ride.
Average Cost of Tire Balancing
Wheel balancing costs around $6 to $20 per wheel or $24 to $80 for four wheels. This cost depends on local labor rates and the make and model of the vehicle in various tire shops around the country.
The average for various service centers and tire dealerships is $50 for four wheels and will range from $15 to $75 depending on which location you visit and what warranty is offered.
- Pep Boys – includes pressure check and lifetime warranty – $14.99
- Goodyear – includes 24,000 miles warranty – $49.99
- Americas Tire – includes pressure check – $30
- Firestone – includes pressure check and lifetime warranty – $65
- Walmart – includes lifetime warranty – $65
Additional Costs
A complete wheel balancing may include tire mounting or putting the tire on the wheel, and tire rotation or the changing where an individual wheel-and-tire is located on the vehicle; because tires in front wear down faster than those in back.
In cases where these are not included in the package, it may be done separately for about $2 to $10 per wheel.
Shopping for Tire Balancing
Tire balancing is done in almost all car and tire dealerships across the country. You can use some of these dealers’ locators below for your convenience:
What Should Be Included?
It usually takes 30 minutes to balance the tires of a standard Toyota Camry or other sedan type vehicles and anywhere between 1 and 1.5 hours for bigger trucks and SUVs.
Typical wheel balancing includes:
- Tire and wheel removal
- Mounting each wheel on a state-of-the-art dynamic computer-controlled spin balancing machine
- Detecting and locating any imbalance
- Turning each wheel to make sure the weight of the wheel and tire are balanced evenly around the axle
- Establishing optimal balance of the tire/wheel assembly by correcting any imbalance
- Check and set tire pressure to your vehicle’s specification
- Courtesy Vehicle Inspection
- Attaching a lead weight on the opposite side of the tire to compensate for weight differences
- Remounting tires and wheels
Factors Affecting Cost of Tire Balancing
Several factors influence tire balancing price, namely:
- Labor hours – generally, the price you are paying covers for the time it takes to remove the wheels from the vehicle and then put them on a spin balancing machine one at a time to balance them out.
- Location – different areas around the country have different tire balancing rates.
- Service and tire center – as indicated above, different tire centers charge different tire balancing price.
- Warranty included – different tire dealership may and may not include warranties to go with the tire balancing service.
- The extent of damage – tires get damaged differently and the more treadwear they get, the more time needed to balance them.
Importance of Wheel Balancing
Your four wheels keep you grounded. Balanced tires are essential in keeping you safe and attentive while driving. Day to day treadwear causes changes in the distribution of weight around the tire and wheel assembly. When this improper alignment happens, and you ignore it, it would cause damage to your tire assembly, bearings, and shocks.
The ultimate goal is to make sure that when the wheel is mounted on the axle, the weight pressed on should settle evenly around the axle. You know that your tires are out of balance when there is an uneven vibration while driving and worse, on a smooth road.
Balancing your wheels minimizes potential vibration felt in the steering wheel, seat, or floorboard and aids in proper tire treadwear. Getting your wheels balanced can result in:
- reduce steering wheel vibration
- Reduced tire wear
- Enhanced drive-train components
- Increased fuel efficiency
How Often Should Tires/Wheels Be Balanced?
Tires tend to hold their balance in the early use. They are made to be that way. Due to often use, they go out of balance gradually. The question is, how often do you need to get your wheels balanced? The experts can help you determine if it is time to do this based on wear or mileage.
A good rule of thumb is to balance your tire every five oil changes, or about every 15,000 miles to help extend their life and give you a smooth ride.
Some tire stores sell an upgraded type of warranty that covers various road hazards like nails, and also includes balancing as well as a free rotation for the life of the tire.
If you hit a curb and blow out a tire, the road hazard protection would replace the tire for you for free. So depending on how you drive, and the cost of the road hazard upgrade, it may or may not be worth it to you.
Goodyear recommends you to have your wheels balanced every 3,000 to 6,000 miles or 5,000 km to 10,000 km. However, if you’re experiencing these symptoms, your tires may need adjusting:
- Steering wheel vibration at highway speeds
- Seat or floorboard vibration at highway speeds
- Scalloped/cupped wear patterns on your tires