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tmoore2484's avatar
tmoore2484
Explorer
Apr 11, 2017

New tires on a class a motor home

Tires on my motor home are 275/r80 22.5 Installing Michelins should they be balanced when installed? Tire installer says that large and quality of tire does not need to be balanced.

8 Replies

  • Our Michelins required no weight on one front tire and a quarter ounce on the other, or some small amount.
    That is unusual, I think for such large tires.
    Used a road force balancer too.
    Had the new rears balanced too and all is good.
    First tires on front were out of balance and you could tell it.
    In the rear, some say don't balance it don't matter but any amount of shaking is not good with the cupboard full of dishes and groceries or anything else. That big old engine mutes vibes some but my own peace of mind they were balanced.
  • Tires are a mass produced product. Like any mass produced product, some are better than others. If the tires spin up smoothly when new, then they do not need balancing. If they don't, then most likely, they will need to be balanced. Wheels/hubs/rotors may also be out of balance. If you notice, if required, not all tires require the same amount of weight to be balanced. Some need more than others. Also, not all tires stay balanced throughout their life, although most do. Locking a tire in motion for any length of time can cause it to become unbalanced. Accumulation of debris on the inside of the rims can also cause balance issues. Alignment and suspension wear too.

    Chum lee
  • Put new Michelins all around last spring and had the Centermatic balancing rings installed. Drive home as noticeably smoother then the drive to the tire shop.
  • When I fitted (10) 11.00 x 22.5 Michelins to Quicksilver I sweated the no balance issue. After a few thousand miles I decided to reduce a tick in the dashboard amd had the fronts balanced. Did the trick. I'd wait awile...
  • DrewE's avatar
    DrewE
    Explorer III
    Large truck tires are not always balanced when mounted. I would suggest getting beads (inside the tire) or Centramatic balancer rings (installed on the hub with the wheels).

    I have Centramatics on my motorhome. They are a little spendy but last a lifetime and seem to work quite well. They do make it a bit tougher to get at the valve stems of duallies if you have plain stems.
  • Posted in the wrong forum. Mod notified.
    Tires should always be balanced.
  • My michelins didn't need balancing. I watched them spinning when jacked up. No vibration at all.