Tire & Wheel Balancing in Wasilla, AK

This store shares its site with the Purcell distribution location that holds Alaska's tire stock, across all nine categories.

In practical terms that means a tire fitted here has often travelled a few yards rather than a few thousand miles, and the fitting and balancing happen in the same visit as the supply. For a fleet, that is one appointment instead of a wait.

No assembly comes out perfectly even, and the imbalance that is invisible at walking pace becomes a shake at road speed, fed straight into the vehicle, the suspension and the steering.

Counterweights even it out. What that protects, beyond comfort:

• Tread, which otherwise wears in patches and shortens the life of a new set.
• Suspension and steering components, which are being vibrated continuously.
• Casings on commercial tires, where irregular wear can cost a casing its retread life.

This store carries agricultural, commercial, industrial, light truck, OTR, passenger, trailer, and UTV and ATV tires. Industrial tires are the one that sets it apart in Alaska, since neither Anchorage nor Fairbanks stocks them.

For a yard running a forklift alongside trucks and pickups, that puts the whole site's tire work at one address.

With every fitting, as standard. When a vibration appears at a particular speed and fades above and below it. After any impact hard enough to dislodge a wheel weight, which a yard curb manages easily.

If the vibration is there at all speeds, or the vehicle pulls, that points at alignment rather than balance, and both are offered here.

The Wasilla commercial store is open Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, managed by Colton Savage, and also offers 24-hour roadside assistance, fleet services and heavy-duty truck alignment.

• Tire & Wheel Balancing in Anchorage, AK, (907) 276-7515.
• Tire & Wheel Balancing in Fairbanks, AK, (907) 479-3399.

See the national tire and wheel balancing page for all 51 locations.