New Wheels and Tires - No Balancing?

[Bronc69]

So, it's been a few weeks with my new wheel and tire setup - Grams Light 57DR-X (17x8.5 et 0) and Nitto Ridge Grappler tires (35x12.5) and so far I've had zero issues with vibration or any weird feeling (the tires are definitely quieter than the stock GY).

My buddy owns a BMW/Exotic repair business and he's the only one that touches any of my vehicles (I race with him in endurance series).
He mounted the tires and when he went to balance them, he said he didn't have a part that would allow him to fit such a large tire (to be fair, I'm the first person that's come to him to mount off-road tires - he's usually doing ultra high-performance tires or racing slicks).

He said give them a try and see how they are. So, it's been a few weeks with zero wheel weights on them and I have no issues at all. I've had it on the highway running up to around 75mph for an extended period and still nothing.

Thoughts on this? Could there be an imbalance that I'm not feeling that could effect the wheel bearings?

No, I've never had a vibration issue on any of my vehicles before and I know some people have had major issues.

Sponsored

 

[RagnarKon]

You could have gotten really lucky and the tires were just balanced perfectly from the factory. But realistically... probably not the case. The Bronco's suspension is probably just handling it well... and in my experience an unbalanced wheel is a lot more noticeable on a small compact car than it is on a larger SUV or pickup truck.

All that said, you don't strictly NEED to have your tires balanced. In the past I've had a few dedicated off-roaders that I never balanced since they spent 95% of their time below 35 MPH in the dirt. But if you don't balance your tires it may just cause uneven tread wear over time. Ultimately up to you.

If it was me, I'd just take it to a shop that has the ability to balance larger tires. I'm sure your buddy has some shops in mind that would do a decent job in your local area.

 

[Tricky Dick]

I have a couple of tires that they gave up on balancing and they don't feel too bad, but I keep them on the rear.

 

[OX1]

You could have gotten really lucky and the tires were just balanced perfectly from the factory. But realistically... probably not the case. The Bronco's suspension is probably just handling it well... and in my experience an unbalanced wheel is a lot more noticeable on a small compact car than it is on a larger SUV or pickup truck.

All that said, you don't strictly NEED to have your tires balanced. In the past I've had a few dedicated off-roaders that I never balanced since they spent 95% of their time below 35 MPH in the dirt. But if you don't balance your tires it may just cause uneven tread wear over time. Ultimately up to you.

If it was me, I'd just take it to a shop that has the ability to balance larger tires. I'm sure your buddy has some shops in mind that would do a decent job in your local area.

Agree with this

That said, I've had my own balancers for 23 years. My first was a hunter DSP7700, which has no tire hood. It was rated up to a 44" tire and 150 lbs. I just picked up a used road force Hunter balancer (9712), that is rated to a 40" tire and 175 lbs. The largest cone that came with my original balancer was up through 5-3/16th" ID hole, in the center of rim (and you can buy larger cones, if you do a lot of "truck" stuff)

Anyway, you should have no real issue finding a place that can balance 35's. Most balancers built even 20 years ago can. One thing I recommend is driving the tires on the highway until they are good and warm. then remove them and take them to have balanced. Some tires flat spot, even overnight. It's not as big an issue with offroad tires and/or tires with large sidewalls, but if you can do it that way, you will 100% eliminate the chance of balancing a tire that is not as fully uniform, as it might be after 5-10 highway miles.

I have a couple of tires that they gave up on balancing and they don't feel too bad, but I keep them on the rear.

I've had this too. Or they balance out, but they really are not fully round and vibrate anyway. I send them back now, if they are not pretty good out of the box. On say a 35, I typically won't accept more than 3-3.5 ounces per side, or 5 ounces total (more if I have to use stick on weights inside rim) .

Sponsored