Tyre Balancing

Any vibrations when you're on the road? Present at the steering wheel or in your seat, they can be a sign that your tires need to be balanced.

What is tyre balancing?

Balancing tires or wheels is the operation of distributing the weight of the tires or wheels evenly around the axis of rotation to ensure smooth and even operation at high speeds. This is why this intervention is beneficial both for the driver, who will feel its effects on the driving comfort and handling of the vehicle, but also for the tyre, which will be preserved from irregular wear. Depending on the type of rims, sheet metal or steel, the balancing weights will not be arranged in the same way: rather inside the rim if they are made of aluminium for aesthetic reasons, or placed between the tyre and the rim if they are made of sheet metal.

Why and when should the balancing be done?

Before final fitting, your tyres must be perfectly balanced. This essential step can be carried out following several events :

• An impact or an accident: the friction of the tyre against a pavement for example may displace the masses that have been arranged to balance the tyre.
• A flat tire repair.
• Putting on new tires.
• If you're feeling vibrations.
• If abnormal wear is found on the tread: different types of wear can be found, and are not necessarily the result of a balancing problem. Incorrect pressure or alignment problems may also be responsible for premature wear.
• By prevention after having travelled a certain number of kilometres (around 15,000 kilometres).

The course of the procedure.

Balancing tyres is a delicate operation that requires the right equipment and professional skills: a tyre changer and, above all, a balancer are essential. The balancer allows qualified personnel to identify what is known as "unbalance", in other words an imbalance in the weight of the wheel that causes it to stop when it is rotated.

The balancer has a rotating support on which the wheel is fixed and the parameters of the tyre model are entered, such as width, diameter and rim type. A mechanical system will then put the wheel in rotation and stop it, and, if the tire is unbalanced, indicate the exact positions of the balancing weights to be placed, and which weights are to be added. The weights will then be fixed on the rim and the balancing test repeated.

The use of a balancer by our Tyreplus experts enables a so-called "dynamic" balancing method to be carried out. For your information, another so-called "static" method can also be used. This method is based on the principle of placing a weight on the opposite side of the unbalance (or unbalancing mass) but without rotating it. However, the wheel is often still unbalanced once it has been set in rotation. Dynamic balancing, on the other hand, is more precise and efficient, because the balancer indicates exactly where to distribute the different masses on the tyre. Inflated to the correct pressure, your tyres can then be fitted to your vehicle before the final fitting stage: alignment.

Don't risk your safety and the safety of your passengers by putting on unbalanced tires!