You’re driving along, and your car starts to vibrate as you pick up speed. The faster you go, the more it shakes. You can feel the floorboard shaking, and your seat and steering wheel is vibrating, as well. This signifies that your wheels are not balanced, and the uneven weight makes them wobble on the road. Oxford Automotive can balance your wheels whenever they need it. Here is a general guide as to when you should schedule an appointment for this service.
Every 5,000 Miles
Tires should be rotated every 5,000 miles or when your owner’s manual specifies it to ensure the tread wears down evenly and lasts as long as it should. Most people get their wheels balanced at that time and distribute the weight adjustment evenly across the axles. At a minimum, you should have your wheels balanced every two years. If you drive on rough roads regularly, they should be balanced once a year. It’s also a good idea to have the wheels realigned when you balance them.
New Tire or Tires
You should definitely have the a balance when you put a new set of tires on your automobile. This is usually part of the service because the wheels need to be balanced to distribute the new tires’ weight evenly across the axles, just as we mentioned above. Each tire’s weight is slightly different. As such, they need to be balanced. A wheel balance can replace only one tire due to an irreparable flat or even if you can repair the flat tire. This can also cause alignment issues.
Uneven Tire Wear
Finally, aside from the bumpy ride, we mentioned in the introduction, uneven tire tread wear is also a sign that your wheels are not balanced. Balanced and aligned wheels can grip the road better, which helps to wear down the tire tread evenly. Wheels that aren’t balanced or misaligned will bounce on the road, and you’ll see patches of tire tread wear. Uneven tread wear reduces the life you will get out of the tires, so it’s a good idea to get the a balance and aligned if they need it.
Stop by Oxford Automotive in Oxford, PA, for a tire and wheel inspection. We’ll check the tread and test the wheels to make sure they are balanced and aligned. We can also rotate your tires.
