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Why Wheel Weights Matter: Understanding Tire Balancing and Tools You Can Trust

Why Wheel Weights Matter: Understanding Tire Balancing and Tools You Can Trust

As any technician knows, wheel weights, and properly balancing customer wheel and tire assemblies is paramount to removing any possibility of excessive Noise, Vibration, or Harshness through the customers drivetrain.

What Are Wheel Weights Used For?

When you have any object spinning around an axis at a high speed, imperfections and imbalance will cause anything from vibration, to noise, to physical damage. It’s like when your clothes are in the wash, and it gets to the point in the cycle where every piece of clothing is bunched up on one side.

It is very easy to recognize the noise and physical movement that unbalanced clothes create. If the clothes were evenly laid throughout the washer drum, it would produce much less noise and vibration. Now imagine instead of a washing machine, it’s a tire. And there are at least 4 of them. And they travel up to 75 miles per hour (or more!). Wheel imbalance can quickly cause unwanted noise, vibration, and even movement in the steering wheel.

Wheel weights are small, precisely weighted parts, that stick to your wheel in a very specific area. A technician will measure your wheels imbalance and apply a wheel weight to correct any measurable imbalance. This process allows a vehicles wheel to spin up to full speed, without creating any additional noise or vibration.

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What Happens If You Don’t Have Wheel Weights?

There are several reasons a vehicle might not have wheel weights:

  • They were installed improperly and flew off at high speeds

  • Theft (once common with lead weights, though rare today)

  • A rare perfect match between the tire and wheel (but don’t count on it)

Most often, improper installation is the cause. Without wheel weights, the vehicle may experience:

  • Excessive vibration through the steering wheel

  • Increased level of noise

  • Potential suspension or tire wear issues over time

Reminder: Always balance tires after service, regardless of age or condition.

Wheel Weight Fell Off?

Wheel weights are designed to be temporary and removable; however, they should not ever fall off or be ejected by the wheel while actively in use.

Common Causes:

How to Fix It:

For clip-on or hammer-on wheel weights, always use a wheel weight rim gauge to determine which weight fits your wheel correctly. Different weights are made for wheels with physically different geometry, and using the wrong profile will create a poor mechanical connection.

For adhesive wheel weights, cleanliness is critical. Use the following tools for a clean install:

Browse Adhesive Wheel Weights & Accessories

Do New Tires Need to Be Balanced?

Yes—absolutely!  Any time a tire or wheel is serviced, regardless of age, it should be balanced. Tire manufacturers do their best to balance the tires they distribute, but it is almost impossible to avoid some sort of weight imbalance in the tire manufacturing process.

Tire balancers do however check the balance, and often times put a yellow dot on the sidewall to mark the lightest point on the tire. Good practice is to line this yellow dot up with the valve stem on the wheel. These ‘cancel’ each other out, and reduce the total amount of weight needed to balance the tire.

Even so, it’s never perfect out of the box. A proper balance is still required.

Shop Wheel Balancer Machines

How Long Does It Take to Balance Tires?

Tire balancing is often a rather quick experience. Most modern tire balancers can detect and locate the precise amount of weight needed in under 30 seconds. However, there is no length of time that you ‘need’ to balance a tire for. While it’s a quick process, doing it correctly ensures long-term ride comfort and safety.

What If There Are Too Many Wheel Weights?

Too many wheel weights can cause the same exact problems as too few. It is important when balancing wheels to follow the weight and the placement that the machine tells you to use. 

If your balancer repeatedly recommends adding more and more weight, you might be experiencing a condition called "chasing weights." This often occurs when the wheel isn’t mounted properly on the balancer.

Pro Tip: Before continuing, remount the wheel on the balancer and zero everything out. If the problem persists, inspect your balancer for accuracy.

How to Remove Wheel Weights Safely

Before balancing any tire, it’s important to remove all existing weights to get an accurate reading. Depending on the type of weight, you may need a different tool to remove it. Using the correct tool is important to avoid damaging the rim or tire.

Tools for the Job:

Shop UWT Tools for Wheel Weight Installation & Removal

Final Thoughts

Wheel weights are essential to maintaining a smooth, safe ride and preventing long-term damage. Whether you're replacing tires or doing a seasonal rotation, balancing with the correct weights and tools makes all the difference.

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Call our experts at (800) 811‑0926 or contact us online

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