I suppose you could ask them if they balance car/van/4X4 wheels.
------------- XVI yes?
As well is two words!
How does a sage know everything about everything? or does he? or does he just think he does?
Remember, if you buy something you bought it, not brought it.
New tyres for cars & caravans as a matter of course should have new valve & balance, any major tyre fitting chain will do this on any tyre they fit. If your local firm does not want to balance your wheels then go somewhere that will.
Best value I find if you can take caravan or just wheels to tyre depot for fitting is buy online from tyre-shopper.co.uk, price includes fitting, tyres are delivered to nearest branch of National Tyres for fitting & it will be done properly including balancing.
The reason for not(being bothered)to balance caravan wheels is that you will not feel them if they are out of balance.
The reason for balancing them is that balanced wheels will wear bearings less & give caravan a smoother ride, which will increase longevity of caravan & wheel bearings.
i am reasonably sure the manufacturers dont follow your thinking as regards trailer or caravans tyres billy..
is it because they just cant be be bothered or because they know more about the subject than you do..
i strongly suspect heavy goods vehicle tyres are not balanced as a matter of course ether.. again is it because they cant be bothered or because it isnt needed.. ??
stating your opinion is one thing but putting it across as "fact" is another.. tis a bad habit you have billy.. just my opinion of course.. he he
Commercial Tyres are Balanced, I balance them every day, but its fair to say to say the effects are not as noticeable, Wheel Balancing can cause issues with prolonged vibration although its generally for comfort, that people do it, the main one would be stepping in the tyre tread face over time.
I do recall in my truck driving days that if new tyres on front caused steering wobble then they were balanced. For commercial fleets that lease their trucks, buy their tyres in bulk & have their own fitting staff, it might not make commercial sense & I guess caravan manufacturers work like this as well. Annual output of 8k caravans, how much extra is balancing wheels going to cost?
This subject has been done to death on this forum over the yrs but really it's down to tyre regime of individual caravan owner. Those that want input into their tyre choice will after shopping around for tyre brand of choice at best price most likely have them fitted at tyre depot or mobile fitter who also fits car tyres & therefore balance as matter of course, others will be advised by their caravan workshop at service time that new tyres are required & will probably pay through nose for budget tyres not balanced as caravan workshop will not have wheel balancer.
Theres no real case balance/not balance as a reasoned argument, it just comes down to where caravanners have their new tyres fitted.
Just out of interest, how do they balance commercial wheels? The reason I ask is, I thirty years of truck driving I have had a wheel balanced whether steel or alloy. I've had lots of wheels changed and never seen equipment to do it.
My unit has had laser lined tracking done but never any balancing.
Quote: Originally posted by Billy x on 08/6/2015
New tyres for cars & caravans as a matter of course should have new valve & balance, any major tyre fitting chain will do this on any tyre they fit. If your local firm does not want to balance your wheels then go somewhere that will.
Best value I find if you can take caravan or just wheels to tyre depot for fitting is buy online from tyre-shopper.co.uk, price includes fitting, tyres are delivered to nearest branch of National Tyres for fitting & it will be done properly including balancing.
The reason for not(being bothered)to balance caravan wheels is that you will not feel them if they are out of balance.
The reason for balancing them is that balanced wheels will wear bearings less & give caravan a smoother ride, which will increase longevity of caravan & wheel bearings.
So take yer pick.
Agree fully with you I never put tyres on any of my vehicles or caravan without balancing. Also you are spot on about out of balance wheels and tyres causing faster wear of wheel bearings. For trogs benefit this is a fact. One which I am happy to back up with twenty years of motor trade Experience and qualifications to master technician level
I think probably best advice for forum users that intend to tow long distance at motorway speeds is to get your caravan tyres fitted where you get your car tyres fitted or use a mobile service like e-tyes that also fits car tyres. The price you pay includes fitting/valve/balance & that applies equally to both car & caravan tyres so make sure you get what you pay for.
How commercial companies do it is neither here nor there really. I've worked for plenty of small transport & plant hire outfits, all they care about when it comes to tyres is cheap as poss, they buy cheapest tyres in bulk & their workshop fitter fits them using basic stand & tyre levers. No balancing because that would cost money.
The only people who have done any research are Swift who have done exhaustive testing and found there to be no detrimental effects. Cost isn't an issue as it is so low as to have little effect on the overall price.
Unless anyone has done exhaustive testing of their own then how can they counter what Swift have learned.
Was the 'exhaustive testing' to discover if lack of balancing will affect road safety, which it won't, or wear on wheel bearings & body generally which it will? Not by a huge amount perhaps but anything that shortens life of components is going to increase ownership costs.
How is cost not an issue? Caravan manufacturers buy in wheels either with tyres fitted or wheels & tyres separately but balancing each wheel will increase unit cost, how can it not?
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Topic: Caravan wheels (Balancing)
