Ballancing your 5th wheel tires

**BimmerAgent** · 12-04-2019, 05:10 PM

Balancing is a must. I just made the dealer balance my tires on my yet to be picked up 29RS.

**Champ837** · 12-07-2019, 06:00 PM

I just put new Goodyear Endurance tires on and as a part of the agreement to purchase, the installer was to balance them using their "Road Force balancing machine". The first wheel was mounted and failed the balancing test. It could be balanced but the Road Force loads it up with a wheel that simulates the trailer/auto weight and also senses the up/down and side to side movement while sensing the balance. This tire balanced OK but if you watched the tread while it was spinning you could see it moving side to side. The rim was tested and was true. The tire was rotated to a different spot on the rim but still tested bad. We set this tire aside and mounted another on the same rim. This one was good and passed with no problem as did the next three. By this time the manager had called Goodyear and had printed out a document where they stated they recommended the tires not be balanced and only investigated if the driver noticed a problem. I advised him that he had a decision to make, he could remove all three of the others and forget the whole deal or get another new tire and Road Force balance it like the other three had been done. He had no others my size in stock so he ordered another and when it cam in it passed fine. BTW, this was my truck dealership that also sold tires. My advise is to have an understanding up-front. I endorse the use of a Road Force machine too.

**fez111** · 12-07-2019, 07:06 PM

Originally Posted by RVing in Michigan

I see a lot of comments on tires and monitoring devices, but, no-one has commented on getting their tires/wheels balanced. We all strive to get a smooth ride for our RV and add shocks, equalizers, rubber cushioned pin boxes, hanger supports and more. Wheel balance is a big deal and extends tire life and suspension parts.

Comments?

Dan

When we bought our new Carlisle 16 inch 16-ply load range "G" tires for our Solitude 379FL after a Westlake blowout ($1750 insurance claim), The tire dealer was NOT going to balance them because they were "only" trailer tires. I had a very firm discussion with the manager after which they were taken back off and fully balanced. Not balancing tires meant for highway speeds is just nuts!

**BimmerAgent** · 12-08-2019, 10:31 AM

@Champ837 Good for you on the balancing. You obviously had a bad 4th tire. I have no idea why GY would be against balancing...just doesn't make sense to me. I think that proper balancing is integral to a smooth ride and better tire wear, as well as possibly less stress on hub/axle components. I also agree with @fez111. Just my $.02 .
Bruce

**Marauderer** · 12-08-2019, 11:09 AM

Originally Posted by BimmerAgent

@Champ837 Good for you on the balancing. You obviously had a bad 4th tire. I have no idea why GY would be against balancing...just doesn't make sense to me. I think that proper balancing is integral to a smooth ride and better tire wear, as well as possibly less stress on hub/axle components. I also agree with @fez111. Just my $.02 .
Bruce

I agree. But the trailer tires not getting balanced is really old school and has been around for decades. They even came out with special machines to balance trailer tire and it was something about the design of the rim. I have had this conversation with tire store managers over the years and none of their reasons held up under close scrutiny. I always balance my tires that see highway miles. This means I don't balance my tractor wheels.

**powerscol** · 12-08-2019, 01:18 PM

I always balance - even my hay trailer - PJ goose neck (23' 14K deckover). Short story on the deck over PJ. I picked it up new in ABQ and headed north to home on I-25 - running at speed. The dang trailer bounced and rattled badly. I could even hear the tries bouncing. When breaking I would get a tire locking up. (And yes I know how to set up a break controller) Got to the first town on 550 Bernalillo and found a tire shop and had them balance all 5 including the spare. I forget what brand they were but they were all bad and the spare had to be exchanged for one on the road that could not be balanced (spare later replaced by JP dealer). Once done no more bouncing or noise for trailer the rest of the way home. Breaking also improved with no tires locking up.

I have also seen RV's suspension bouncing badly as they passed and in campgrounds badly cupped tires. You could tell they were not balanced.

PS PJ does not recommend balancing their trailer tires either - or at least that is what the ABQ dealer told me at the time. I had requested they be balanced before I picked it up.

For a few $$ it is worth the piece of mind. Keep in mind as a tire bounces the load it sees can be huge and lead to failures.

Hope this helps

**MPitts** · 12-11-2019, 12:29 PM

I pull two trailers, one a 20" car hauler and the other a Reflection 307 MKS 5er. I had new tires put on both this past summer and had the tires balanced. Tires came from two different tire places the 5er tires were balanced the car hauler tires were not. (Balancing was included in the price and was to have been done on both sets of tires.) I was in a hurry when I picked up the car hauler, took it home, loaded the car and set out for a car show. At 65, I thought the pickup would come apart. and as I have been fighting a vibration in it I figured that it was a driveline problem (angle of U-joints changing). When I returned home, I looked at the tires/wheels and went right back to the tire place. They balanced the tires, no questions asked, and guess what? No vibration!

So, in a nutshell, YES tire balancing does make a difference on trailer tires. Always balance them when putting om new ones, and it doesn't hurt to have them re balanced after 500-1000 miles. If you are running valve cap style TPMS, have them balanced with the sensors on.

**RVing in Michigan** · 12-18-2019, 01:30 PM

FYI, I brought my 4 RV tires/wheels to Costco and they balanced all of them for $20. Those guys rock.

**andrewssteve** · 12-18-2019, 03:06 PM

https://www.centramatic.com/

**Brewhedd** · 12-20-2019, 08:43 AM

Balanced my new Carlisle tires after replacing the original cheap tires after 250 miles. The tires that come on these RV's are usually very cheap. They MIGHT hold up if always run under ideal conditions but to me it wasn't worth the risk.