SilverSL

How do u know if ur wheels need to be balanced?? My tires need rotating and I can do that myself but I have no clue what balancing means!!

Ammi

iTrader: (26)

An out of balance tire can adversely affect ride quality, shorten the life of your tires, bearings, shocks and other suspension components. If you have a vibration that is dependent on speed, and usually becomes noticeable around 40-45 mph and increases as your speed increases, it's probably balance related. The other primary cause of vibrations is that the tire and wheel assembly isn't perfectly round.

Bobo

I doubt that you need your tires balanced unless you have been bouncing the wheel off curbs or running over every pothole on the road. I've never had my wheels balanced on my 95SE and I've owned it since day 1 and still have the original tires at almost 60K.

UGAd13

From Goodyears Website:

"Properly balanced tires are important for driving comfort and long tire life. Unbalanced tires can cause vibration, resulting in driver fatigue, premature tire wear and unnecessary wear to your vehicle's suspension. Tires should be balanced when they are mounted on wheels for the first time or when they are remounted after repair. Tires should be rebalanced at the first sign of vibration or "shimmy." Vibration may also be due to misalignment or mechanical problems."

So, some might need to balance their tires after first mounting and some might not have to.

bladerunr

iTrader: (14)

Dude, I'm not a flamer but come on! You're 22 with a 2004 and you don't know what balancing is? Stop by any tire shop and watch what they do: they mount the tire on the rim and then balance the wheel by putting lead weight around the edge of the rim. Next time you're at a shop don't be afraid to ask questions about the stuff they're doing to your car. You'd be surprised at what you'll learn.

JAMAN001

Balancing is best left to the pros or at least someone who does it everyday. They sell kits for the DIYer in you but its a hit or miss and no in between. Most effective to take it in and let them balance and rotate at the same time.

lightonthehill

If your recent gen Maxima wheels come out of the balance shop with 'old-style' weights attached to the inside or outside edge of the rim, you have wasted your money.

Balancing weights on recent gens of the Maxima should be the 'flat patch' style weights, and they should be mounted in the center of the wheel, not near the inside or outside edges.