Do Trailer Tire and Wheel Combos Come Balanced?  

Question:

Expert Reply:

This is a great question, and one that we see from time to time.

Trailer tires do not have to be dynamically balanced like passenger car tires do since a trailer tire's primary duty is supporting a vertical load. Because of this, steering and cornering concerns apply less to trailer tires. Passenger car tires on the other hand benefit from being fully balanced since passengers might otherwise feel the irregularities at higher speeds.

Our trailer wheel/tire combination products are joined by the manufacturer so that the tire's low spot is matched to the wheel's high spot. This matching provides a degree of balancing that is sufficient for trailer use. Tire and wheel combos like the Westlake ST235/85R16 Radial Tire w 16" Bobcat Aluminum Wheel - 8 on 6-1/2 - LR G - Black # LHAXSO513B are going to come matched up at the factory before they are shipped and this will be sufficient for use on your trailer.

You can go the extra mile and have the trailer tires balanced out after the fact, but it's really unnecessary and I don't think that you're going to notice any significant difference between their ride/handling between the factory balance and any after-purchase balancing by a local tire dealer.

expert reply by: Erik B

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