Hamilton Tyre & Battery Services

Since its founding in 1973 Hamilton Tyre and Battery has been dedicated to providing its customers the best tyre and wheel selection, purchase guidance, automotive products and service for their money.

Wheel Balancing

Wheel balancing provides a smoother ride by minimizing tyre vibration and bounce. This helps improve traction, steering control and extends the life of your tyres. But no matter how carefully wheels and tyres are balanced, they will eventually lose their balance.

As the tread wears, the distribution of weight around the circumference of a tyre changes altering the balance of the tyre and wheel assembly. Eventually the tyre may have to be rebalanced because only 1/4 ounce of imbalance can produce a noticeable vibration.

WHEEL BALANCE PROBLEMS

An out-of-balance tyre and wheel will typically create a vibration or shake that become progressively worse as the vehicle's speed increases. The speed at which the vibration first becomes apparent will vary depending on the size and weight of the tyres and wheels, the size and weight of the vehicle, the sensitivity of the steering and suspension, and the amount of imbalance.

The vibration or shake usually starts in at 40 to 50 mph and increases in intensity as the speed increases. Speed-related tyre and suspension vibrations may also be caused by radial (vertical) or lateral (sideways) run out in a tyre, wheel or hub.

Loose, worn or damaged wheel bearings as well as certain kinds of tread wear can also cause vibrations. So too can an out-of-balance or out-of-phase rear wheel drive drive shaft (FWD shafts usually don't rotate fast enough to cause vibration problems).

CHECK WHEEL BALANCE

If you have a vibration problem or your steering wheel shakes at highway speeds, take your vehicle to a tyre dealer or repair shop so they can check the balance of your tyres. They should also inspect the steering and suspension for any other problems that might be causing a vibration or shake.

If the problem turns out to be the tyres, re balancing them should eliminate the vibration. If it does not, the problem could be wheel/tyre run out or one of the other problems already mentioned. The going rate for re balancing tyres is $15 per wheel.

Or, it may be free if you purchased new tyres some time ago and free re balancing and rotation were included in the price.

Hamilton Tyre & Battery Services is a Bridgestone and Firestone Authorised Dealer.