Have you ever wondered about the necessity of balancing tires when you rotate them? Tire maintenance is crucial for safe and efficient driving, but the specifics can sometimes be confusing. Understanding the relationship between tire rotation and balancing is essential to ensure your vehicle’s performance and longevity.
Should I Balance the Tires After Rotating Them?
When it comes to tire maintenance, two critical procedures are often mentioned together: tire rotation and balancing. Tire rotation involves moving the tires from one wheel to another, usually from front to back or side to side. This practice ensures even wear and tear on all tires, extending their lifespan and maintaining vehicle safety.
On the other hand, tire balancing, also known as wheel balancing, corrects uneven weight distribution on the wheels. Unbalanced wheels can lead to issues like vibration, excessive tire wear, and potential damage to the suspension system​​. When a tire technician balances a tire, he uses a specialized machine to ensure the even weight distribution of the tire and wheel assembly.
Now, the question arises: should you balance your tires every time you rotate them?
Opinions vary among experts. Some sources state that it’s not necessary to balance your tires after rotation, as rotating the tires doesn’t affect the balance.
Contrastingly, other experts argue that tires should be balanced every time they are rotated. According to them, when rotating tires and shifting the rear ones to the front, you might feel vibrations due to imbalances in the new front tires. This is because rear tires often experience more load and uneven weight distribution.
We also think it is better to do balancing when rotating the tires, especially the rear ones that you shift to the front. This is a safer strategy and prevents your car tires from uneven wear due to potential unbalancing.