A wheel mounted off center shakes like an unbalanced one
A tire can be perfectly balanced on the machine in the shop and still vibrate on the truck. One common reason has nothing to do with weight: the wheel is not centered on the hub.
Commercial wheels are centered in one of two ways. Hub-piloted wheels locate on the hub itself, with the center bore fitting closely over pilots on the hub. Stud-piloted wheels locate on the studs and nuts, with the tapered nuts drawing the wheel to center as they tighten.
Either system centers the wheel properly when it is done right. Mix the parts, use the wrong nuts, leave rust or debris on the hub, or tighten the nuts out of sequence, and the wheel can end up slightly off center. It then runs eccentric, rising and falling a little with every turn, and the driver feels it exactly as they would feel an imbalance.
What that means in practice
Before concluding that a balance has failed, check how the wheel went on. Clean hub faces, the correct nuts for the wheel type, and nuts tightened in a cross pattern to the specified torque.
If a vibration appeared right after a wheel was changed, on the road or in the yard, the mounting is the first suspect. Mention it when you book.
When it is something else
A wheel that is bent or damaged at the mounting face is a wheel refurbishing job, and a vibration after a roadside tire change may come down to how the wheel was mounted in a hurry on the shoulder, worth raising after any roadside call. Alignment is not offered here; Phoenix aligns trucks and light vehicles. The national tire and wheel balancing page covers the other occasions for a balance.
Other stores
North Las Vegas and Phoenix Commercial & Consumer also balance tires and wheels.
About this store
The Kingman store carries all nine Purcell tire categories and is managed by Kevin White.
See the national tire and wheel balancing page for all 51 locations.