Wheel Balancing Services across the UK

What is wheel balancing?

Wheel balancing ensures your tyres have even contact with the road. To correctly balance your wheel, the wheel assembly will be removed from your car and mounted on a balancing machine. The machine will highlight any weight imbalance and calculate where the wheel weights should be placed to correctly balance the wheel and tyre.

What causes wheels to lose their balance?

Wheels can lose their balance from sudden impacts such as potholes, kerbs or hitting an object in the road. Impacts can cause your wheels to lose their balancing weights and this will effect the performance of your car.

What are the signs of unbalanced wheels?

Unbalanced tyres are relatively easy to identify, providing you know what to look out for, this quick checklist should help you spot any early warning signs:

• Increased tyre wear - tyres not lasting as long as they should or wearing unevenly
• Increased wear and tear on suspension parts - elements of the wheel assembly such as shocks, springs and wheel bearings will wear quicker
• Steering wheel vibration - usually felt at higher speeds.
• Problems steering - the steering wheel's response times will be delayed and uncomfortable.
• Fuel consumption increases - imbalanced tyres create more resistance putting additional strain on the engine which in turn requires more fuel to keep it operational.
• Uncomfortable ride - the vibrations at high speed will be felt throughout the car
• Braking distance increases - it will take longer for your vehicle to stop when you brake as the tyre treads on unbalanced wheels make less contact with the road.

Why are balanced wheels important?

It is important to regularly carry out tyre checks. This is to ensure they are in good condition and have plenty of tread left. For your safety wheels should be correctly balanced and aligned, this will ensure that the tyres grip the road properly to aid driving and more importantly braking. If the wheels are not balanced, the weight of the car is not evenly distributed across the circumference of the tyre causing the tyres to wear unevenly. Uneven tyre wear can be dangerous as the thinnest section can rupture spontaneously causing a ‘blow out’

Book Now

What should I do if my wheels are imbalanced?

If you are experiencing any of the issues above and suspect your wheels may need rebalancing, simply book a balance today. As a rule of thumb, wheels should be balanced every 12,000 miles to prolong the lifespan of your tyres, saving you money in the long run.

How much is wheel balancing?

Tyre Shopper are able to offer our customers wheel balancing at just £6.50 per wheel through our fitting partner. To take advantage of this, simply click book now. Don’t forget to add more wheels if needed.

If you are purchasing new tyres, the balancing of the wheels comes as part of the tyre price, so no need to add additional wheel balancing to your basket.

Book Now

Do all 4 wheels need to be balanced at the same time?

If you are experiencing a vibration while driving, it is recommended that all 4 wheels are balanced together as it can be tricky to work out which wheel is causing the issue. If you are needing to balance a wheel because a tyre has sustained a puncture and has been successfully repaired, then just this wheel will need to be rebalanced. Likewise, if you are changing a tyre, only that wheel will need to be balanced.

Book Now

What are the differences between wheel balancing and wheel alignment?

The two services are closely linked and help maintain your tyres and maximise their lifespan.

Wheel balancing ensures the weight of the wheel and the tyre is evenly distributed around the axle, whereas wheel alignment is the positioning of the wheels in relation to each other and the road to ensure the vehicle drives in a straight line.

To find out more information on wheel alignment please click here:

Wheel Alignment