Wife is changing channels on the TV and comes across some DYI show.They are giving tips to maintain your vehicle. Not a TT but "vehicle".Eating dinner a couple hours later she says "we need to balance the trailer tires to get better fuel mileage"I thought balancing tires was for better wear, not mileage. We don't put on enough miles to wear out our tires, we'll time out first IMO.(Doing a search one thread came up)Question...Is there any reason to balance trailer tires other than wear? Maybe better MPG or ride or anything else I might not know of? If ride is the concern, who rides in them going down the road anyways?

I balance all my tires. A few years back I noticed one of my trailer tires was wearing funny and after checking the tire I saw the balance weights were missing. I guess they got bumped off as I was running up and down a very bumpy I59 in North ALA that season several times. Had to replace both trailer tires with only around 25-30K miles on them...I would imagine that a smoother trailer ride would get somewhat better gas mileage.Roy Ken

I suppose if they are horribly out of balance it might make a small difference but assuming they were balanced when the tires were mounted, shouldn't really be an issue.

An out of balance trailer tire can beat the heck out of the trailer and contents. The mileage savings angle amounts to nothing.

My motto, if it spins it gets balanced.

ScottG wrote:My motto, if it spins it gets balanced.HummmmmmmmmmmmThat's my same motto

I never knew, balance trailer tires for mileage?

24 Replies

W_E_BGood
Explorer
May 23, 2015
I've had the aluminum rimmed wheels on my TT balanced with the TST507 TPMS sensors installed on the stems. The local professional tire/installation company I took it to put the weights on the inside of the rim. I'd never allow weights clamped on the outside of an aluminum rim...here in the snow belt the road salt corrodes around the clamped-on style.
path1
Explorer
May 22, 2015
keymastr wrote:
All of my hubs have been balanced. There is a 1/4 inch piece of plate welded to each one at some point on the outside. It is the same color as the rest of the hub so it is hard to spot but it is there....

Thanks for posting...I might have those also. I thought maybe somebody welded on a plate because they screwed something up underneath it. Learn something new everyday.

Thanks
keymastr
Explorer
May 22, 2015
All of my hubs have been balanced. There is a 1/4 inch piece of plate welded to each one at some point on the outside. It is the same color as the rest of the hub so it is hard to spot but it is there.

Balancing may not gain you mileage but it definitely prevents wear and tear on your suspension and trailer contents, as do shock absorbers. Both of these things are so cheap compared to the benefits that you are just being stubborn if you are not adding them to your trailer. $100,000 for a new truck and trailer, spend the $200 it takes to balance and add shocks.
JIMNLIN
Explorer III
May 22, 2015
I've wore out many sets of LT and P tires on trailers of all types. The LTs ran in the 50k-60k miles and P tires in the 35k-40k miles. Non were balanced.
Present 11200 lb trailer has around 48k miles on the 2nd set. Ran the 1st set for 55k miles and non were balanced.

Trailer hubs are not balanced. Now throw a wheel with a wad of weights on the hub and it may make any imbalance even worse.
BubbaChris
Explorer
May 21, 2015
Also be aware that some states have outlawed lead in tire balancing weights, so the new steel ones look like the weight clips have lost their lead pieces (happened on my car in California).
Huntindog
Explorer
May 21, 2015
Adam H wrote:
It would be obvious when a non hub centric wheel is mounted to a balancer. Besides the obvious tire runout, the balancer will ask for 10oz or some huge number. Then you know to mount up the lug adapter. As for the drums, in most cases they are close to balanced anyhow and since they are a small diameter, a small imbalance wouldn't matter. Rims without tires are pretty close to 0 balance also. Besides, one of my drums has a small weight attached to it so someone balanced it. Do yourself, your camper and your bearings a favor and balance the tires. For heaven's sake it doesn't cost THAT much.
Do not rely on the tire shop to know what to do. I use discount too. I have had to argue with them about using the lug centric plate. They hate to do it... Sometimes they do not have the right one, and have to go get it from another location.
On mt Blazer I fought a vibration for years. They once told me that my rims were bent. I finally read here about the lug centric rims on TTs, and thought that maybe that was the problem on the Blazer,,,, It was. It took a big argument for them to try it. But it worked!
ROBERTSUNRUS
Explorer
May 21, 2015
:) Hi, I always get my trailer tires balanced, and because trailer brake drums aren't balanced, I have Centramatics too.
AH64ID
Explorer
May 21, 2015
I run Centramatic balancers on my TT which will balance out the hub and the wheel.

The one time price is higher, but I never have to pay for balancing again.
69_Avion
Explorer
May 21, 2015
I always have my trailer tires balanced. When you are traveling at freeway speeds, my opinion is that it should reduce vibration. It is hard to tell how much of a difference it makes since I'm not riding in the trailer. LOL
Old-Biscuit
Explorer III
May 21, 2015
path1 wrote:
Op here....

Wife dug out receipt and in fact balancing was supposed to be included in the price. I walked around the TT and didn't see one weight. What are the odds of every tire being perfectly balanced from factory? Not very good IMO.

Called tire shop and gave invoice number and voiced my opinion and their answer was...look at the inside the of rim. Went back out and looked real closely at inside of rims and Yes, I saw tire weights.

Called back tire shop and wondered why they hide them on inside.

They said, that's the best way to balance aluminum wheels.

I learned something today. But still not convinced.

Is that the best way balance aluminum rims or the way the industry does it now days?

I'm asking because this tire shop has lied to me before and now I don't trust them. These tires were mounted late last year. Also will be last business their getting from me. Previous problem was posted here...

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/28123204/gotomsg/28123620.cfm#28123620

Thanks

Aluminum wheels ....weights on inside out of view....cause nobody wants ugly weights showing on their aluminum wheels