Wheel Balancing

Stop the Shake, Start the Smooth!

Balancing your tires gives you a smooth, comfortable ride, keeps your vehicle safe on the road, and helps your tires last longer. Unbalanced tires can lead to flat spots, premature wear and tear, and handling instability. At Baldwin's Tire and Alignment, our expert mechanics will perform tire maintenance, including wheel balancing, tire alignment, and other services to prevent wheel wobble and balance issues. 

Why Do You Need to Have Your Wheels Balanced? 

Your tires absorb the impacts of the road so you don’t have to. Unfortunately, some of these impacts — whether rough jolts from potholes or everyday bumps and wear — can knock your tires off balance. When this happens, uneven tire wear can lead to vehicle vibrations, road noise, and damage to your tires and other vehicle systems, such as your tie rod ends and suspension. 

Although they can be performed at the same time, a tire alignment isn’t the same thing as a tire balance. An alignment adjusts your tire angles whereas a balance corrects weight imbalances. Baldwin's Tire and Alignment can perform a tire and wheel balance to get your wheels back in optimal working order and prevent expensive repairs down the road. 

Types of Balance Issues

There are two primary types of wheel imbalances: static and dynamic. You can often feel the resulting vibrations with each type in your steering wheel or floorboards.

Static Imbalance

A static imbalance happens when a spot in your tire prevents it from rolling evenly. When this happens, your wheel will vibrate up and down while you’re driving. 

Dynamic Imbalance

A dynamic imbalance happens when there’s an uneven weight distribution on one or both sides of the tire. This causes a side-to-side wheel wobble. 

Types of Wheel Balancing

To correct these tire vibrations, the experts at Baldwin's Tire and Alignment will perform the appropriate tire balancing procedure. 

Standard Tire Balancing

With standard tire balancing, your technician uses a machine to find out where your tire is unbalanced. Once they discover where the problem is, they use a weight to even out the balance on your tire and wheel assembly. This balancing equipment causes your tire and wheel to spin on the same center of gravity and eliminates vehicle vibrations. 

Road Force Balancing

Sometimes your tires and wheels aren’t perfectly round. You may have inconsistencies in your tire weight, stiffness, or balance called lateral or radial burnout. When this happens, your center of gravity isn’t in the center of your wheel. Baldwin's Tire and Alignment mechanics correct this issue by matching the high point in your tire with the low point on your wheel. 

Signs Your Wheels Need to Be Balanced

When your tires are balanced and your vehicle is functioning properly, your ride should be quiet and smooth. If you notice any of the following issues, bring your vehicle into Baldwin's Tire and Alignment for a vibration diagnosis. 

Vibrations

Shaking in your steering wheel can be the first sign of a wheel imbalance caused by uneven tire wear patterns. If you don’t address the issue early, the vibrations can spread throughout your entire vehicle, especially at higher speeds. 

Road and Tire Noise

Many issues can cause noises in your vehicle, so it helps to know what it normally sounds like. Noises from balance issues may sound like they’re coming from the road or your tires. They’re often louder as you drive faster. If you notice any of these noises, bring your vehicle into Baldwin's Tire and Alignment to prevent tire damage. 

Irregular Tire Pressure

Although some fluctuation in tire pressure is normal, if you regularly lose pressure in one or two tires, it could be a sign your wheels are out of balance. Under normal circumstances, your tires will lose pressure at about the same rate. 

Handling Problems

You might notice your vehicle doesn’t handle as well when your tires aren’t balanced. This happens because your tires aren’t gripping the road evenly. Unchecked, it can lead to an accident because your vehicle is harder to control. Baldwin's Tire and Alignment uses advanced technology to meticulously balance your tires and help you stay safe on the road. 

Tread Carefully to Baldwin's Tire and Alignment for Wheelly Tire-rific Care

When your wheels are balanced, your vehicle will handle better and you’ll extend your tire lifespan. Contact us for a tire balance check and any other vehicle maintenance and repair needs.

Baldwin's Tire and Alignment has been serving the Gap, PA area since 2023. Call us at (717) 442-4680 to schedule an appointment or stop by to see us at 6105 Old Philadelphia Pike, Gap, PA 17527 today!