Rear Tire Out Of Balance Symptoms

Wheel balancing is an important part of tire maintenance, but rear tires often miss out on it. But what are the rear tire out of balance symptoms that you need to look out for? Read on to find out more.

It is a common situation in which the rear tires of your car are out of balance. You can experience specific changes to the driving pattern of the vehicle. These changes are clear indicators or symptoms of a rear tire being out of balance. You will feel the rear tire on your car be faster and more uneven. 

You should check the balance of the wheels. When every aspect of a tire is even, such as its weight and balance, then the tire will roll very smoothly. We will discuss these symptoms in detail further down this article. 

Rear Tire Out Of Balance Symptoms

Spotting Symptoms Of Imbalance Rear Tire

Every car driver wants to remain out of any kind of trouble when they are driving their cars. But there are situations where your car might start troubling you, such as the rear wheel on your vehicle might be off-balance. 

If the wheels of your car are not working smoothly, you will not be able to drive the vehicle. You have to remember that your car’s wheels are the only part of the car touching the road.

If you don’t have proper wheels on your vehicle, the entire performance of the car will be wasted. Two important maintenance steps for wheels are wheel alignment and wheel balancing

You can spot the rear tires of your car being out of balance in the following ways:-

Noisy

The rear tires of your car will start making an irritating noise when they are out of balance. This noise will also induce vibrations in the vehicle, which can irritate the driver. You should be able to identify this noise as it will not be present initially. This tire noise is most prominent when you press the accelerator. 

Vibrations

When the tires start vibrating too much, your rear tires may be imbalanced. Many people think that the vibrations will only affect the steering wheel, but this is not entirely true. Imbalanced rear tires will also induce a lot of beats in the car. 

Vibrations in the car can also damage your physical health. People can develop back or neck issues because of these vibrations in the vehicle. If you want to enjoy your car ride, then you must get your rear wheels balanced. 

Do note that issues in wheel assemblies can also cause vibrations, so don’t jump to conclusions without a thorough inspection. 

Rear Tire Out Of Balance Symptoms

 

Also read: What does 7 J mean on a wheel?

 

Poor fuel economy

If you suddenly start experiencing your car consuming more fuel, this can also be a significant sign of unbalanced wheels. 

Wear and tear

If the tire starts to get marks of worn out tire tread, you should be concerned about them. You can drive the wheels unbalanced for a maximum period of two months; exceeding this time frame might harm the vehicle. 

 

You might also like to read: Tire Sidewall Damage When To Replace? : The Complete Guide To Tire Sidewall Damage

 

How Do Wheels Get Out of Balance?

The constant wear and tear when the brakes come in contact with your wheels contributes daily to disbalancing the wheels. There comes a point where your imbalanced tires will create issues while driving the car. 

Sometimes the wheels may start balancing because of manufacturing issues or imperfections. You will find out that the tires don’t have equal weight distribution or there has been uneven tire wear. Some wheels are heavier in some spots. Your drive can suffer even if there is half an ounce of the weight difference between the wheels. 

Balancing Versus Wheel Alignment

Both balancing the wheels and aligning the wheels of your car are a part of regular maintenance for your vehicle. People often confuse tire balance, tire rotation and tire alignment as the same thing, but that is not the case. 

When you go for alignment of the wheels, you are correcting all the angles of the tires so that all the wheels can move and travel in the same direction. Proper alignment of the reels will reduce tire wear and increase their lifespan. 

However, balancing the wheels means working on the wheel which has the issue. Your mechanic will increase the weight of the wheel that has a balancing problem.  Wheels are balanced when the load on the wheels are equally distributed. 

Rear Tire Out Of Balance Symptoms

The Cost of Tire Balancing

The cost of tire balancing depends on the mechanic’s procedure. The amount required for tire balancing also depends on your locality, tires, warranty, and the method used to balance the tires. On average, the cost of balancing four wheels will vary from $15 to $80. 

You will need to spend around $10 for one tire at a tire shop. So if you are going to balance four tires, then you are going to spend about $40. However, if you visit a car dealership, you will get a slightly expensive deal for balancing the tires. 

 

You might also like to read: What Does Maintenance Tire Mean For Nissan Leaf?

 

Balance Tires on Your Own

You can also balance tires on your own if you feel that the tires are out of balance. Primarily, you can balance tires on your own, either with a balancer or without using a balancer. 

When balancing the wheels with a balancer, you should remove all the weights on the wheel. After that, you need to remove the wheels from the vehicle. Then you will need to remove all the dirt and grime from the tires’ tread before balancing them. Now you need to put the wheel on the balancer and then start spinning the wheel. 

You can use chalk or something else to measure the spots on the wheel where you will be adding the weights. After that, you can add the consequences again and check the balance of the wheels.  

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it okay to drive in a vehicle with unbalanced tires? 

No, you should not drive a car with unbalanced tires. Driving a vehicle with such tires can cause damage to different parts of your car. The suspension of your vehicle will undergo a lot of undue stress because the tires are not balanced. Your vehicle will also start producing poor fuel performance because the fuel consumption will increase. You can expect the fuel cost to rise for the same amount of distance covered as before. 

Why is my car vibrating at high speeds? 

Your car could be vibrating at high speeds because of some tire issues. Tires are the most prominent reason a vehicle starts shaking at a higher rate. You should consider checking out your tires if you begin experiencing intense shaking around 60 miles per hour. You are most likely to find your tires out of balance. There can also be some flat spots on the wheels. 

Rear Tire Out Of Balance Symptoms

How long does tire balancing last? 

According to vehicle mechanics, on average, you should get your vehicle’s tire balanced after every 5000 to 6000 miles. If you continue to follow this trend, you can expect to increase the lifespan of your cars and keep them in good shape. 

How long can you drive on unbalanced wheels? 

You can drive your car for some time on unbalanced tires, but you cannot continue doing so. You can go for two months at maximum on unbalanced wheels. But you must remember that driving on such tires will cause damage to your car every time you do so. After two months, the wear and tear to the wheels will reach such a point that you will not be able to drive the car around anymore. 

Wrap Up

Unbalanced rear wheels on a car is a more common problem than you think. Drivers can experience driving issues when the wheels on their vehicle are not balanced. You can be expected to experience more wear and tear on the wheels while causing unbalanced wheels. Thank you for reading, we hope this answers any questions you have about tire balancing.

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