Road Force Balance Cost
For certain vehicle models, if the tires are not balanced accordingly, it can result in an unpleasant vibration-like feeling while driving, and as tires have changed, so have the cars.
To avoid this vibration issue at hand, one of the best tools mechanics use is what’s known as a Road Force Touch balancing tool, an advanced balancing tool which spins the tire against the roller to account for any type of variation in the tire’s sidewall as it can be common for stiff spots to occur here. If so, this is what can cause the car to shake while driving, even if the tires are balanced for its weight.
Today, since tires are considered to a much lower profile, the distance from the rim at the top of the tread tends to be less and the sidewalls can be much stiffer, meaning minor problems can be amplified and transmitted to the car, according to MotorWeek.org.
Road force balance cost
The cost of a road force balance greatly depends upon your geographical region and where you have the job done. From our research, the average cost, if you were to use a franchise-based mechanic, per se, such as Discount Tire, then you’re looking at a total of $15 to $30 per tire or about $60 to $125 for all four, and this will be the additional price outside of the tire balancing quote. The costs at a local dealer, from those who did post their quotes, were often about 20-30 percent more than using an independent tire shop, usually around $100~ for all four.
According to members on this BobistheOilGuy.com forum thread, for example, someone said the going rate around his area was about $25 per tire, while another said he paid $18 per wheel.
A member on this CovetteForum.com thread said his local dealer charges $100 for all four wheels, whereas someone who replied said he paid $85 for all four.
What is a road force balance?
The road force balancer, along with performing a traditional spin balance, will measure the tire and wheel by pressing a large roller against the thread as the tire is spinning. Applying about 1,400 pounds of pressure as the tire is spinning, this process is meant to simulate the weight of the car as if it were traveling on the road.
As the tire is spinning, the computer, along with strategically placed sensors, determine the variations of the tire stiffness, radial runout and if anything is obstructing the tire’s construction that would ultimately affect the tire and wheel from working appropriately when in use, according to TireReview.com.
In the end, the computer will tell the mechanic where he or she needs to shift the tire around the wheel until it is in the most effective point of the tire, matching the lowest point of the wheel. In some rare cases, the machine may be needed to run a combination of tires to determine which wheel and tire combination works best.
Tips to know
Not all installers offer this type of service, so before taking your car, talk with the mechanic ahead of time to see if they can provide the service.
Call around. Whether it’s an independent and/or dealer, most places will be able to give you a quote over the phone as to how much it will cost.
The road force balancing process, according to Discount Tire, takes about 20 additional minutes to perform on a set of tires/wheels.
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