Today I had an appointment at Massey's Wheel Alignment in Selma NC to have my tires trued and high speed balanced. The tires were pretty out of round, you know what mil-spec means right? Made by the lowest bidder LOL
So the truing process is pretty cool. Basically a machine is butted up to the tire, turns the tire and shaves it while it rotates. This takes the wheel and tire both into account and creates a perfectly round and flat surface.
While many say that truing a tire wastes rubber and costs money, the owner of Massey's, Bernice Parker (pronounced Burn-iss) likes to educate people about the process. Truing a tire only removes rubber down to the lowest natural point of the tread. The tire is only as good as this lowest point anyway, so the truing process simply matches the rest of the tire to this point. A true tire runs cooler, this means longer tread life and helps the tire to resist heat related damage. A true tire does not bounce, this helps to limit cupping and scalloped tread. It also helps prolong suspension component life. Finally, a true and properly balanced tire rides smooth and is a joy to drive. No matter how much weight you use, you cannot fix an out of round tire with balance weights.
High speed computer balance is similar to regular computer balance except the high speed part. The tire is spun up very fast, I would say 3 times as fast as a regular tire balancer spins. It measures and predicts accurately the imbalance and required weight. The proof is in the driving and it drives great. I had the tires dynamically balanced. This places weight on the inside and the outside of the wheel. While a wheel weight is ugly, a vibrating tire is uglier.
My truck is a new animal. The tires were not terrible before, but they did vibrate and shake at times and at certain speeds. Now, it is perfect. I mean Lincoln smooth. No trace of a vibration in the steering wheel. My review mirror is still and my butt is not getting a Goodyear massage. My wife was amazed at the difference and said it was $115 well spent. When your wife says that, you know you got a good service for a good deal.
This is something you should really consider if your truck has large off road tires that you can't seem to balance properly or seem to have the shakes no matter what you do. Honestly the difference is mind blowing. I never thought these tires would ride like this. Best money I have spent on any mod or repair.
View from the bay, waiting to be pulled into the building. About 25* here today.
A fleet of truing machines. The owner says they are rarely silent and in fact, there were 3 other vehicles there today while I was in the shop which also received the service.
Video 1 of the truing process. Just getting started. Notice the long area of no contact and then the cutting. This is beginning the process of getting the big 37 round.
Video 2. Getting into the meat.
Not much weight for a 37, 2 were like this, 2 required more.
This one is ready to go. Surface is slightly grainy but will quickly look normal after a few hundred miles.
Brutus looks happy doesn't he?! Smooth tires and some liquid dinner.
