Question for alignment/tire balancing techs ... So many tire weights!?

Thanks for all the feedback everyone.

I'll be dropping it off at a new shop tomorrow to see what they can do.

 

I see you reside in SoCal. I highly recommend this father/son shop - Nate Jones Tire Co in Signal Hill. They have a tire shaving machine for tire truing.
http://www.natejonestire.com/

 

You would roadforce a tire with miles on it and see if the number is excessive enough to be a faulty tire.

while visually inspecting the wheel for any bends.
You can try rotating the wheel 180 degrees on the rim. Some weights are more dense than others. Like clip on. Or stacking sticky weights atop each other if there is enough clearance between the brake caliper.

I used to have a bent wheel. And still managed to successfully balance and run it without vibration before replacing it.
Found a matching TRD Sport 17” 5-spoke for like $20 on Craigslist to replace it. And the guy lied. so now I’m missing a center cap. Because it was actually a same dimension and style 4Runner wheel that has a different depth on the center area that holds the cap. Never bothered to try finding that style 4Runner cap to slap on. Dealer price on the cap is high

typically you free spin balance a tire. Supposedly rubber has not settled in yet on a new tire until you’ve actually driven. Only then might a person try the extra step of a roadforce (costs more) as part of diagnosing a vibration concern, that most of the time will never happen after a spin balance.


When you spin balance a tire, it might say add 1oz here and 1oz there. So you do. Then re spin it. Says “OK!” In green. Then if you click the button to roadforce it pushes a barrel down onto the tire simulating force of the road. You can have a tire that spin balances just fine but then fails to pass roadforce.
Roadforce costs more because it takes longer and requires more labor. For example, if you spin balance a tire, fast. No re or de mounting of the bead, deflate, or reposition necessary. However with a roadforce repositioning the tire 180 degrees can be needed to attempt to have it balance (if it’s not faulty). Which is more labor time. If the shop even has a roadforce. Some do not.


Reasons the shop is not aware of this: maybe they just don’t give two fucks

also, sometimes balancer machines don’t work or need to be recalibrated.

if the shop is lifetime alignment they may be low quality, with low wages. You might be making a mistake by going there. A technician or shop that has any amount of respect for themselves and good quality is going to charge per alignment. If this shop is goofy with alignments, they are goofy with everything else including tires.
It’s not hard to receive a printout showing your roadforce readings. Or for a person to write it down or take a picture.
Or maybe you have something else unrelated causing vibration.


A lot of weights does not always indicate a tire out of balance. A wheel can have many weights on it and still be balanced. Big meaty truck tires usually need more weights then car tires. And some truck tire brands balance easier than others.
If no matter what you do and everything else is good and a tire still will not balance, it means the tire is defective and possibly built wrong by the manufacturer not meeting their standards of, well, being able to be balanced
It’s easier to point the finger at manufacturer defect when the tire is still close to new, as opposed to a ton of miles where tire wear can wear the rubber poorly (if the alignment is bad, if the shocks are bad, and so on)

you may not see a bend with the naked eye. It would have to be spinning fast. Aka on a machine. It’s easier to see that way. or you hold a tire crayon with your hand next to the rim while it spins and slowly inch closer. If it starts leaving marks on only sections of the wheel (skipping) this indicates a slight bend

i too have a lift and big tires. But they are balanced.
Many trucks now come stock with big tires (raptor, bronco, etc) - they also balance

 

This

 

@TacoTuesday1 hit the nail on the head. In my few years as a tire tech, most of the time when a road force failed on a truck it was due to the tire especially if it's newer. Some just don't balance out and need to be warrantied. Discount Tire was great about this. Just carefully watch to make sure they don't slap that tire on the right rear and send you home. That's a dirty trick that shops will play to make the vibration disappear.

 

I mean honestly right rear works sometimes
For a car roadforce limit is about 20lb and you might not feel that if it’s on the right rear
But idk what his reading is at
And even then it’s still not ideal because if he does rotates then it’s just gonna put it back closer up front the next time it’s rotated

I assume all Tacomas wear faster in the rear because RWD when dailying
Unless just mine is doing that if alignment is off