Weights come off
A balanced assembly stays balanced because small weights are attached to the rim. Those weights can be lost, and the vehicle becomes unbalanced in an instant rather than gradually.
What knocks them off is ordinary. A curb. Pressure washing at close range. A deep pothole. Corrosion under a stick-on weight through a few winters. A tire shop that did not clean the rim surface before fitting one.
Which is why a vibration that appeared suddenly, on a vehicle that was smooth last week, is a different problem from a vibration that crept up over months. The first is usually a lost weight. The second is usually something else: a tire wearing unevenly, a wheel, or a worn component.
Say which one you have when you call. It is the single most useful thing you can tell the store.
What balancing does
An out-of-balance assembly vibrates at speed, and the vibration goes into the tread, the suspension and the steering continuously. The tread wears in patches, which takes a set off early, and the shake you feel is the symptom rather than the cost.
When to ask for it
The national tire and wheel balancing page lists the occasions. The one worth adding is after anything that could have knocked a weight off, which includes a curb, a deep pothole and a close-range pressure wash.
A vibration at every speed, or a pull, points at alignment or at something worn, both of which are handled here. See suspension repair.
Trailers and side-by-sides
This store carries trailer tires and UTV and ATV tires alongside passenger and light truck.
Trailer tires are the ones most often overlooked, and a trailer that bounces or shimmies at highway speed is worth asking about rather than tolerating. Ask when you call and the store will tell you what applies to your trailer.
About this store
The Idaho Falls consumer store is open Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, managed by Adam Word. Commercial assemblies are handled at the Purcell store on Andco Dr.
See the national tire and wheel balancing page for all 51 locations.