Tires balanced on new rig?

[Montana_5534]

I have 2955RL on order and from reading the forum I get the impression that the tires won't be balanced when I recieve it, is this correct? I suppose the dealership doesn't have the equipment nor the expertise to balance them? I'll definitely have them balanced before I hit the road.

Thanks everyone,

[ols1932]

You are correct on both counts.

Orv

[richfaa]

When I asked that Question the Montana rep at the Toledo Rv show looked at me as if I had 2 heads, You don't drive it or ride back there there so you won't notice anything...honest he said that..( he is a very good company man) We will have them balanced.. Lug Concentric for RV's. Your dealer MAY be able to do that, also check for Axel alignment. On our factory tour(Sprinter) , at the first area where they put the frame , wheels and Slide mechanisms together I asked one of the Skilled old world craftsmen when do they align the axles and I got a skilled old world blank look. These are just little money saving things for Keystone and others that we need to be on the look out for. I would attempt to include all of these little things in the "deal" from your dealer.

Forgot to add.We were at a Mini Rv show this Am put on by a couple of our local RV dealers (outside, very cold) several brands of TT's and Fifthwheels..NONE of them had the wheels balanced..it is not a keystone thing it is a industry thing. Our tire guy and good friend says Balance them..he balanced them on our last TT..

[cargary]

We had doubts as to whether ours (a 2005 3400rl)was balanced and took it to a tire dealership and found out that they were close but not as good as I would prefer them to be - as close as possible.
A word of caution though, make sure the dealership torques them as per your manual states, that is, in the proper sequence and amount of foot pounds of torque. Alot of these dealers have these air torque guns set at a very high torque and could possibly cause some damage to the studs and brake housing.

Gary & Carole

[Hemlockusa]

Another inportant factor, when you take your rig to the tire shop for baslancing...Make sure the Teenager in the back with that AIR TORQUE tightens the lug nuts in STAGES... The one's that don't know or care, can torque the first lug nut right up to 125 first go round and put so much stress on the wheel it will crack it. MAKE SURE THEY DO IT AS PER MANUEL IN STAGES... even if you have to watch them..

[joe2speed]

The wheels on my monty were never balanced and this coming summer will be my fourth summer with it. I have done around 12,000 miles. The tires show no wear. Maybe they don't have to be balanced. Could be a personnel choice. My steel wheels are already chipped and starting to rust in spots. I ordered new alloy wheels from the dealer this week. A little pricey at $756, but they will look good. The dealer wanted $200 to mount and balance. So there you go with the balancing. The dealer thinks they should be balanced. Guess that shows the factory don't want the expense of doing balancing. Will have the mounting and balancing done at the local Chevy dealership where I work part time. Will probably coust $50.

[Wrenchtraveller]

I got mine remounted and balanced for 15 dollars a tire from a tire shop. The dealer was going to over charge you if he wanted 200 bucks. The Chev dealer will probably do a better job.

Tires all have to be balanced if you want to get the smoothest ride out of them . It is easier on your trailer and the contents if your trailer rides smoother. Take care.

[Montana Sky]

I had my tires balanced because I wanted to get the best wear out of them, and because I figured all the additional bounce and shaking of 4 tires being out of balance would not be good on the frame, cabinets and so on. Was well worth the expense of having the tires balanced in my opinion...

[rickfox]

There have been numerous threads on this topic. Per my recollection, the steel wheel center holes are stamped then welded. The resulting lack of tolerance with respect to the mounting holes (its the center hole that most balancing systems use as the center - not the mounting holes) is such that good tire balancing is not often obtained. Tire balancing with these types of rims requires that the rim be mounted to the balancing machine via. the mounting holes - then a reasonable balance can be achieved.

On the other hand, most aluminum wheels are machined and have close tolerances to both the center hole, and the mounting holes. The result is good balancing.

With respect to the inexpensive steel wheels used in the trailer industry, many tire shops are not aware of the above. But, I believe that researching the topic on the Internet will agree with the above.

[richfaa]

quote:Originally posted by rickfox

There have been numerous threads on this topic. Per my recollection, the steel wheel center holes are stamped then welded. The resulting lack of tolerance with respect to the mounting holes (its the center hole that most balancing systems use as the center - not the mounting holes) is such that good tire balancing is not often obtained. Tire balancing with these types of rims requires that the rim be mounted to the balancing machine via. the mounting holes - then a reasonable balance can be achieved.

On the other hand, most aluminum wheels are machined and have close tolerances to both the center hole, and the mounting holes. The result is good balancing.

With respect to the inexpensive steel wheels used in the trailer industry, many tire shops are not aware of the above. But, I believe that researching the topic on the Internet will agree with the above.

That would be hub concentric VS lug concentric,, RV's are lug concentric and Tire shops have to know how to do that and have the proper equipment..most real tire shops do..

[Wrenchtraveller]

If anyone has been following my tire balance posts, the first tire shop I went to used the cone adapter which is wrong for RVs. Rich is right, for RVs they must use the wheel stud adapter plate and the second Tirecraft Shop knew this.

He also kept remounting the tire to get the best balance he could. He claims the rims were fine, it was the tires that were so badly out of balance. One more thing worth noting is I have the aluminum rims which are very nice looking but also are made so that there is no way to attach weights to the outside of the rim and all the weights must be put on the inside.

My truck has aluminum rims and they will hold weights on both sides of the tire which gives you a better balance. The truck rims also get their fit on the hub and do not use tapered self centreing nuts like my Montana aluminum wheels. For the truck, the cone adapter would be the right choice.

Costco has Michelin 235/85 LTs going on sale next week and if they let me mount one on my aluminum trailer rims and it balances without 4 large weights, I think I will get rid of the Chinese Missions. Any buyers out there? Junk tires going cheap.

One last point, All reputable tire shops have been doing their final tighten with a torque wrench for a number of years now.
If they only tighten with an impact gun, go somewhere where they know what they are doing.

[Montana Sky]

I have the aluminum wheels on my coach as well and there are weights on both sides of my wheels.

[rickfox]

stick on weights are also often used on aluminum wheels.

[sreigle]

As far as I know, no trailer on the road comes with balanced tires, although there may be an exception or two out there. In many miles I've never seen any adverse wear that could be contributed to the tires not being balanced. I don't understand why that is but that's my experience.

However, we put new tires all around on our Montana about 1900 miles ago and I had them balanced at the time of purchase. Call it insurance, I guess.

[Montana Sky]

Steve,
Welcome back! I have been wondering where you have been? Just curious what tire did you end up going with? I know you were looking at two or three different ones back in Jan.