Wheel balancing is one of those maintenance tasks that's easy to overlook — until you're dealing with a steering wheel that shakes at motorway speeds. When a wheel and tyre assembly is out of balance, the heavier areas create vibration as the wheel rotates, and that vibration gets worse at higher speeds.
What Causes Wheels to Go Out of Balance?
New tyres require balancing after fitting because no tyre is perfectly uniform in weight distribution. Over time, the small adhesive weights used to balance the wheel can fall off — especially after hitting a pothole, which is a common hazard across Leeds and Bradford roads. Normal tyre wear also gradually shifts the balance of a tyre.
Signs Your Wheels Need Balancing
The most obvious symptom is a vibration felt through the steering wheel (front wheel imbalance) or through the seat (rear wheel imbalance), typically occurring above 40–50mph. You may also notice scalloped or cupped wear patterns on the tyre tread — a sign of repeated bouncing against the road surface.
How We Balance Wheels on-Site
Pegasus Mobile Tyres carries portable wheel balancing equipment in our vans, so we can balance your wheels at your home or workplace in West Yorkshire without you needing to visit a garage. After removing the wheel, we mount it on the balancing machine, identify the heavy spots, and apply precision-calibrated weights to counteract them. The whole process takes minutes per wheel.
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