New tires - balance rear duals?

[Larryb]

I am getting ready to replace all 6 tires on my MH. One of the tire places I called asked if I wanted to have the rear duals balanced. He said about 90% of his customers did not. What have you done?

Larry

[CoastieSCPO]

I just had all six of my Michelins replaced with new XZE's and all were balanced for $17.50 each. We didn't even consider not balancing the duals because I would think that an out of balance dual will cause undue wear for the tire and a poor ride. The shop's owner said that they do a lot of motorhomes and he always recommends all around balancing.

Bob

[Larryb]

Thanks. I am planning on having all tires balanced for the reasons you mentioned. I was just surprised at the question.

[Max Hubrich]

I always balance all wheels also-

I have "Equal" balancing media in mine now. Works great. .

If, and when I do it again, I'll use the newer ceramic media.


Good luck,

[JoeT]

Most places don't balance rear duals. As a matter of fact (and I'm sure this will stir up a lot controversy) a Michelin seminar I went to said it is not necessary to balance the front tires. A balance weight of a few ounces will not make much difference on a 200 lb wheel.
After my experience, I believe them.
I had new front tires put on my coach and they put equal in the tires. I had a terrible shimmy afterward. I called them and was told to drive awhile and the equal would balance out. It didn't. I went back and had the equal removed. I drove 65 miles to a place to have my tires balanced. The coach was smooth as silk all the way. I had the tires balanced anyway, but it didn't make any difference.

[Roadfrog]

I did not have my duals balanced either and the reasearch I did says it is not neccesary. The tireshop I dealt with said it was not required either.

[GaryKD]

I balance all tires. Out of balance tires can cost $s by increasing the wear and tear on suspension components (springs, shocks, air bags, etc). Since I'm the one who pays for suspension component replacement, I'll continue to balance all tires.

[Darryl]

I balanced all of mine with equal and have a very smooth ride. However, I grew up in a bus shop and no operators I know ever balanced the duals.

[Gary RVRoamer]

As I understand it, the theory is that in most cases the two tires on the duals essentially counter-balance each other. Plus it is such a massive weight (two tires and wheels are 400+ lbs) that only a severe imbalance is going to affect it much anyway. Obviously there could always be a case where both tires were out of balance in the same orientation, but odds are high against that.

But I'll still probably balance the duals when I replace them next year.

[tropical36]

How about when you want to move one of the rear's to the front for some reason while out there on the road somewhere, which is exactly what I would do, instead of putting my old spare on the front if a road hazard was encountered. Then, I would be good to go until which time I found a matching replacement especially if I needed the right dealer for warranty replacement.
At least there would be some kind of balance on the drive wheel in question.
Having said all that, Michelin is a manufacture that does not have a seam anywhere in the molding so they pretty much are in balance from the factory, but that doesn't necessarily make them a superior tire. In fact, I would much rather have Bridgestone's, but run Goodyear's for the price difference and there's not a thing wrong with this sometimes preferred brand, either.

[yogi154]

Just my $ .02 I would balance all. Heck I had all five tires on my trailer. The tire guy thought I was nut's too. I guess it's just peace of mind when going down the highway.

Wayne

[wa8yxm]

I am a firm believer in balancing all tires.. Don't cost much and can make a big difference in how it rides, also affects wear and tear on moving parts, suspension and the tire iteself.. balanced is simply better in my not very humble opinion.

That said.. I am not sure it is as important on the big tires on a motor home as it is on the smaller tires on a car... but I'd still balance.

[TXiceman]

My dually has 6 tires and they are all balanced, the trailer has 4...balanced.

If it rotates, it needs to be balanced. Even with a 150# tire, a couple of ounces of weight make a big difference due to the unbalanced forces. The few ounces results in big shaking forces.

Ken

Ken

[4gone]

I was able to feel an out of balance tire on my duals.