What Causes a Tire To Get Out of Balance?
Tires become unbalanced when the weight around the tires and wheels is no longer evenly distributed. These are some possible causes:
- Tire/wheel assembly becomes lighter as tires wear.
- Tires are over or under-inflated.
- Improper alignment results in abnormal tire wear.
- A wheel weight has fallen off.
- An improper wheel or tire repair.
- Leaky valve stem replacement.
- Cold mornings cause “flat-spots.”
- The car has been sitting in one place too long.
- The wheel is damaged from hitting a pothole or bouncing into a curb.
To extend tire life and even out wear, check tire pressure and rotate tire/wheels every 5,000 to 8,000 miles. However, if you notice vibration while driving, you’ll need to have the pros balance the tires.
Educational automotive content for general audiences.
