What's wheel balancing?

When a wheel is unbalanced, there is an unequal distribution of weight around the rim of the wheel and tire assembly. The tire may seem round and true when rotated slowly, but on the road centrifugal force acts on the heaviest part of the tire, making it wobble or vibrate (like an out-of-balance ceiling fan). This can cause flat spots on the tire treads and is damaging to ball joints, bearings, steering, and shock absorbers. With special equipment, technicians can measure a tire and wheel assembly, then add special wheel weights to restore balance. Hitting potholes and normal vehicle wear-and-tear can cause unbalanced wheels. Uneven tire wear can indicate unbalanced wheels, so it's wise to check and rotate your vehicle's tires regularly.

At Golden Valley Tire, we offer standard wheel balancing using external wheel weights which match the configuration of the wheel for optimal strength and effectiveness. You can also request use of "tape weights" which are applied with a special contact adhesive tape on the inside of custom wheels so that no external weights will be visible once the wheels are on the car.

We also offer "Road Force" balancing. This is a unique new technology using sophisticated equipment which duplicates the force (weight) of the car on the tire to simulate real-time driving conditions and enable us to obtain a "perfect" tire balance on high-performance and ultra-high-performance applications.