Is Wheel Balancing Necessary When Rotating Tires?
2 Answers
Wheel balancing is necessary when rotating tires. A car's wheel consists of two parts: the tire and the rim. However, due to various reasons, the mass distribution of this assembly may not be perfectly uniform. When driving at high speeds, this can lead to an unbalanced state, which poses a safety hazard. By adding counterweights to correct the balance at the edges of the tire, a wheel balancer will display data. If it shows 0, it means no balancing is needed. If it displays other values, it indicates the required weight to achieve balance. Therefore, wheel balancing should be performed after installing new tires or repairing a tire to ensure the wheel remains dynamically balanced during high-speed driving.
Speaking of whether to do wheel balancing after tire rotation, I’ve learned my lesson the hard way. Last year, I took a shortcut by only swapping the front and rear tires without balancing, and as a result, when I hit 100 km/h on the highway, the steering wheel shook violently. I drove to the repair shop, and the mechanic pointed at the missing lead weights on the rims, explaining that tire rotation alters the weight distribution, making rebalancing a must. Now, I always make sure to do it properly every time I rotate the tires. The process is actually quite simple: mount the wheel on the machine, spin it, and the computer detects where it’s lighter, then small lead weights are stuck on the corresponding spots. Skipping this step doesn’t just make the steering wheel dance—over time, it leads to uneven tire wear and can even cause premature bearing failure. Repairs for those issues cost way more than a simple wheel balancing.
