General Information

There are two types of wheel and tire balancing: static balancing and dynamic balancing.

Static balancing assures an equal distribution of weight around the wheel/tire. Assemblies that are statically unbalanced cause a bouncing action called tramp This condition may cause vibration on smooth roads at highway speeds.

Dynamic balancing assures equal distribution of weight on each side of the wheel centerline, preventing the wheel from shaking from side-to-side and exhibiting a condition known as shimmy.

The two common methods of dynamic wheel balancing are off-vehicle balancing and on-vehicle balancing.

Off-vehicle balancing provides dynamic balancing and is more commonly used than the on-vehicle method.

On-vehicle balancing also provides dynamic balancing and is sometimes helpful in stubborn cases where the wheels, brakes, and/or hubs need to be balanced as a unit.