5 Signs Your Tires Need Balancing

This is the classic tire balance symptom. You feel a rhythmic vibration or shimmy in the steering wheel that begins around 55 to 60 mph, peaks at 65 to 70, and sometimes diminishes above 75 mph. The vibration is caused by a heavy spot in the front wheel assembly rotating at a frequency that resonates through the steering column. It tends to come on gradually as wheel weights shift or fall off, so many drivers adapt to it without realizing something is wrong. If the vibration is in the seat or floor rather than the steering wheel, the imbalanced wheel is more likely a rear wheel.

When rear wheels are out of balance, you feel it through the seat cushion, floor, or a general buzz in the cabin rather than through the steering wheel. On some vehicles with independent rear suspension, rear imbalance can also show up as a side-to-side shake in the rear of the car at highway speed. This symptom often gets ignored or blamed on the road surface. If it is consistent at a specific speed range and disappears above or below that range, it is almost always a balance issue.

Cupping (also called scalloping) means the tread wears in a wavy pattern around the circumference of the tire rather than evenly across the width. Each high spot gets worn more than the low spots. This happens when an imbalanced tire bounces slightly with each rotation, alternately pressing hard and lifting off the road. Once cupping develops, the uneven surface itself causes vibration even after the tire is balanced. Check by running your hand firmly across the tread surface and feeling for alternating smooth and rough patches spaced about 3 to 4 inches apart.

If you had an alignment done or new tires installed and a vibration appeared afterward, the most likely cause is balancing. New tires always need to be balanced after mounting. If the shop did not balance them properly, or if a wheel weight was knocked off during tire installation, you will feel it immediately. Some shops include balancing in the mount and install price but do a poor job. If vibration starts right after tire work, go back and ask them to rebalance on a road force machine, not just a standard spin balancer.

A hard impact can knock one or more wheel weights off the rim. It can also cause a slight bend in the rim that standard balancing cannot correct. If vibration appeared right after a significant road impact, get the wheel inspected for damage as well as balanced. A visual inspection will catch obvious bends. A road force balancing machine is more sensitive and can detect runout (out-of-round condition) that a standard spin balancer misses. The cost difference between standard and road force balancing is $5 to $20 per wheel and is worth it after any impact event.