How To Balance a Tire
Balancing a tire is a very simple and easy process that I'm sure anybody can do. If you can follow instructions and simple measurements then balancing tires will be easy for you.
There are many different types of tire balancing machines out there and they all typically work the same way. The tire balancing machine we will be referring to today is the Hunter GSP9200. We are referring to this specific model because it is one of the most commonly used tire balancing machine in most tire and auto service shops.
Let's get started! With so many different types of wheel designs out there, how you balance a wheel assembly will differ. The weights used for tire balancing are tape weights as well as clip weights.
Tape weights are used for both after market wheels and wheels with no lip on the front.
The type of wheel we are going over are wheels that allow you to put clips on both the front and back. With the clips vary in sizes so you will want to make sure your clips are the correct size since there are so many variations of lip sizes for these wheels.
To your left is an image of commonly used clips for your reference. By understanding that there are different types of wheels and weights used when balancing a tire, you are now ready to begin reading our tire balancing guide.
Keep in mind this guide is a basic representation of how to balance a tire. Having a decent understanding of tires and wheel will help greatly with the process.
Steps to Balance a Tire
STEP 1: After you have turned on the balancer, make sure it has been calibrated to ensure accurate readings. Your tire balancer should come with cones that fit snug in the center of the wheel hub. Find the right cone for your wheel hub and continue to step 2. See images below for help.
STEP 2: After you have found the right fit for the hub. Place the wheel assembly on to the balancer using the pressure cup and wing nut to tighten the assembly on to the balancer. Make sure that the wheel is as straight as possible for accurate reading.
STEP 3: With the GSP9200 tire balancing machine, you are now going to measure the width of the wheel. You will want to measure the wheel from the front of the lip to the back of the lip for an accurate measurement.
STEP 4: After you have measured the wheel, close the hood and let the machine do its work. Make sure to watch the wheel as it spins to ensure that it’s spinning how it should. Any hops or wobbling means that the wheel isn't on the machine correctly or that there are imperfections in the wheel.
STEP 5: After the tire balancing machine is ready, the wheel will stop spinning and the computer will show you how much and where to add weights.
STEP 6: After you have added the needed weights, lower the hood and spin the wheel assembly once again. After it has finishing spinning, the machine should show you zero ounces on both sides. If not, add the desired weight or move the current weight to wear the machine asks to properly balance a tire.
STEP 7: This is the step where we say you’re complete! All you have to do now is unscrew the wing nut and take the wheel assembly off of the tire balancer. If you are balancing the same set of wheels then no re-measuring is necessary.
You Have Come to the End of our How To Balance a Tire Quick Guide
We hope this quick guide on how to balance a tire has been helpful. As always, thank you for choosing SimpleTire.com, your simple solution to buying tires online!