Do I need to do wheel balancing after changing tires?
3 Answers
Wheel balancing is necessary after changing tires or swapping front and rear tires. A car's wheel is an assembly consisting of the tire and rim. Due to manufacturing tolerances, the mass distribution of this assembly cannot be perfectly uniform. When the wheel rotates at high speed, this can lead to dynamic imbalance, causing symptoms like wheel wobble and steering wheel vibration during driving. To prevent or correct this condition, wheel balancing is performed by adding counterweights to dynamically adjust the balance across all edges of the wheel - this correction process is called dynamic balancing.
Absolutely necessary! Last week when I changed my tires, the technician explained it to me with small lead weights: New tires can't have perfectly even weight distribution after being mounted on the wheels. Without wheel balancing, the steering wheel starts vibrating like a cellphone when exceeding 70 km/h. Long-term driving like this could even damage the suspension. They use that spinning machine to test it, then attach counterweights on the inner side of the rim to adjust the balance. I watched as the display reading dropped from 25 grams to under 5 grams before it passed. Now it's rock steady at highway speeds - really essential maintenance. Don't try to save those few dozen yuan, it makes a big difference for tire lifespan and driving safety.
Every time I change tires, I make sure to have them balanced. The balancing machine in the workshop looks like a big turntable, where the wheel is clamped and spun. The mechanic explained that with each rotation, the heavier part generates centrifugal force, causing the car to shake. Watching him attach different weights of lead strips to the rim to adjust the weight distribution is like witnessing a precise manual task. This step can't be skipped—otherwise, not only will the steering wheel shake so much it numbs your hands, but even coins on the dashboard will dance from the vibration. Unbalanced wheels also cause uneven tire wear, leading to premature wear and tear on those expensive tires, which is a bigger loss. After the tire change and a couple of long trips, the ride does feel much more stable.
