Balancing tires after rotating? Nessary?

[scottmandue]

I had a slow leak in one tire and it was time to rotate so I went down to America's tire where I get all that done for free because I buy my tires there.

The guy at the counter says "we have a special, do you want us to rebalanced the tires for $20?"

Uh, no...

Am I wrong? Should I got them balanced? I have been around for a while and don't remember ever having to balance tires more than once.

I think we have some guys here that have worked in tire shops and perhaps you can enlighten me.

Thanks in advance

[Noah930]

Isn't lifetime rotation and balancing part of the deal when you buy (and have them mount) tires?

But tires can become "unbalanced" with use. Though I don't think I've ever had a tire rebalanced along the way (short of after having had them patch a nail).

[pete3799]

To properly fix a leaking tire it must be removed (patched on the inside) so at a minimum that tire needs to be rebalanced.
Are your tires directional? If so to rotate them they would need to be dismounted and would then need to be balanced.

[kaisen]

If there is no symptom of being unbalanced, then there is no need to rebalance them. If there is a vibration, then they need to be balanced.

If you're not good at self-diagnosing or "feeling" your tires, you're likely much better served popping for a $20 rebalance than running the risk of damaging tires, suspension components, and wheel bearings driving with an unbalanced tire.

[scottmandue]

I am pretty good at "feeling" my car...

Wonder why the guy didn't mention that we should have at least balanced the leak repair tire... hmmmm...

[89911]

If they are balanced, leave them be. Maybe from driving DE's, but I have a complete aversion to vibrations at high speeds. My Acura dealership is actually one of the worse places to get my tires balanced and I quit taking them there. I have a friend that works at Nissan and he does a great job. It's all in the care someone takes thats doing this.

[pete3799]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

I am pretty good at "feeling" my car...

Wonder why the guy didn't mention that we should have at least balanced the leak repair tire... hmmmm...

Like i said....a good tire repair is done from the inside (tire dismounted)
A lot of shops just ram a plug in it from the outside. The problem with this is the plug they put in will absorb moisture into the tire and moisture will rust the steel belts.
They (tire plugs) are fine in a pinch if your on the side of the road with a flat but should be considered a temporary fix.

[teenerted1]

free rotation and ballancing of tires for the duration of warranty at discount.

if the repair the tire they should check the balance.

weights can come off the rim at any time so they may still need to be ballanced

check your recipt of purchase of the tires. they may be upselling you something you should already get for free.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by teenerted1

free rotation and balancing of tires for the duration of warranty at discount.

if the repair the tire they should check the balance.

weights can come off the rim at any time so they may still need to be balanced

check your receipt of purchase of the tires. they may be upselling you something you should already get for free.

This car only has 25K miles... I put some cheap alloy wheels on it that I bought and had mounted at this shop... also have bought three or four sets of tires at this shop for previous cars, but these tires are still OEM. Rotating and flat fix are free... balance is a gray area.

[Noah930]

Ah, OEM tires. Didn't catch that part.

I use my local America's Tire, as well. The one time I had an OEM tire plugged, I can't recall if they balanced it afterwards. But it didn't vibrate, so I never thought about it (until now).

Still, I thought that if you pay for mounting (even if you didn't buy the tires there), it's free lifetime tire repair, rotation, and balancing. IIRC.

[RWebb]

if the car runs smooth at 165 mph just figure it's good enuff for most stuff

[rnln]

kaisen is right on. If you don't have vibration nor boucing problem, save $20. But if they repair leak on that one tire (took it off the wheel and remount), they should balance that tire even if you decided not to pay for balancing all 4 tires.

Originally Posted by scottmandue

I am pretty good at "feeling" my car...

Wonder why the guy didn't mention that we should have at least balanced the leak repair tire... hmmmm...

[rnln]

mine is good at 164. Have not tried 165 yet.

Originally Posted by RWebb

if the car runs smooth at 165 mph just figure it's good enuff for most stuff