Wide tires need balancing in two planes
There are two kinds of imbalance, and the difference matters more as tires get wider.
Static imbalance is a heavy spot somewhere around the tire. It makes the wheel hop up and down as it turns, which you feel as a vertical shake. A single weight placed opposite the heavy spot corrects it.
Dynamic imbalance is a heavy spot that sits nearer one side of the tire than the other. As the wheel turns, that off-center weight tries to twist it from side to side, which you feel as a shimmy in the steering wheel. Correcting it needs weights on both the inner and outer edges of the wheel, placed to cancel the twist.
On a narrow tire, the two sides are close together and dynamic imbalance stays small. On a wide pickup tire, an SUV tire or a large truck tire, the sides are far apart and the twisting effect is much stronger. A wheel balanced for the vertical shake alone can still shimmy.
What that means at the shop
A modern balance measures both and places weights to correct both, which is why you will usually see weights on the inside of the wheel as well as the outside. If a wide tire was balanced with weights on one side only, and it still shimmies, that is worth mentioning.
Signs to report:
- A side-to-side shimmy in the steering wheel at a particular speed.
- A vertical shake felt through the seat.
- Either one starting after new tires, a flat repair, or a wheel change.
When it is something else
A pull or a wander is car and light truck alignment or worn parts. A vibration that survives a balance can be the wheel itself, and wheel refurbishing is at this store. The national tire and wheel balancing page covers the occasions worth asking for a balance.
Other stores nearby
Joplin and Osage Beach also balance tires and wheels.
About this store
The Springfield store carries all nine Purcell tire categories and is managed by Steve Richardson.
See the national tire and wheel balancing page for all 51 locations.