Tire Balancing Guidelines

Static and dynamic balance are the two kinds of tire/wheel balance:




- Static balance, also called single plane balance, affects the distribution of weights around the wheel circumference.
- Dynamic balance, or two-plane balance, affects the distribution of weight on each side of the tire/wheel centerline.
Most off-vehicle balancers can check both types of balance simultaneously.
As a general rule, most vehicles are more sensitive to static imbalance than to dynamic imbalance. As little as 14 - 21 g (0.50 - 0.75 oz) may induce a vibration in some vehicles. Vibration induced by static imbalance will cause a vertical, or bouncing, motion of the tire.

Dynamic imbalance results in a side-to-side motion of the tire, or shimmy.




- Balance all 4 tires as close to ZERO as possible.
- Carefully follow the wheel balancer manufacturer's instructions for proper mounting techniques for different types of wheels.
- Aftermarket wheels, especially those incorporating universal lug patterns, are potential sources of runout and mounting problems.
- Use the correct coated weights on aluminum wheels.
- Retest the tire and wheel assemblies for excessive runout after correction and installation.
- Evaluate the vehicle at the complaint speed and note if the vibration has been corrected.
- If the vibration is still present, or is reduced but still unacceptable,consider these possibilities:
- On-vehicle imbalance
- Radial or lateral force variation