Balance the steer tires on heavy trucks too
Balancing is usually thought of as a car job. On a heavy truck, plenty of fleets fit steer tires without balancing them, on the reasoning that a truck is heavy enough not to notice.
The steer axle is where that reasoning fails. It carries the steering, it sits under the driver, and it is the position most sensitive to a vibration. An out-of-balance steer tire shakes the steering wheel, and over thousands of miles it does two kinds of damage.
To the tire. A wheel that is bouncing slightly wears the tread in patches, often called cupping. Once that pattern starts, it tends to feed itself, and the tire comes off well before its tread should have run out.
To the driver. A steady shake through the wheel is tiring over a long day. Drivers rarely report it, because it is not alarming. It is simply there, and they adapt to it.
Balancing new steer tires at fitting heads off both, and it is a small cost against the price of a steer tire.
Other occasions worth a balance
- Every new fitting, car, pickup or truck.
- After a tire repair, which can change the weight at one point.
- When a vibration appears that was not there before.
- When a weight has come off, leaving a clean patch on the wheel.
What this store does not do
Alignment is not offered here. A pull rather than a vibration usually needs alignment, and the nearest Purcell locations for it are in Orem and Salt Lake City.
Balancing goes naturally with the work this store does: fitting tires after a roadside call, and keeping a fleet's steer tires running smoothly. The national tire and wheel balancing page covers the other occasions to ask for it.
Other stores nearby
North Las Vegas, NV and Kingman, AZ also balance tires and wheels.
About this store
The Washington store carries all nine Purcell tire categories and is managed by Steve Williams.
See the national tire and wheel balancing page for all 51 locations.