Can’t get 35x12.50 Baja MTZ tires to balance

04RubiOR

TJ Enthusiast
Supporting Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2018
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140
Location
Redmond, OR 97756, USA
Bought some wheels and tires from desert rat a couple months ago. I have never been able to get them to balance properly. I’ve taken them in to Les Schwabs about 3 times now. Every time I pick up, the ride feels much better. That lasts for a week or so though. Lots of wheel weights on there now. Any suggestions? Different shop? I’m in Bend Oregon if that helps. Thanks.
 
It's rare when a regular tire store used to only installing far smaller car tires is up to the job of getting a big off-road oriented tire tire balanced. My local Discount Tire store has a hell of a time with my 35" MT/Rs yet a small offroad shop I occasionally go to with a 50 year old basic tire balancing machine has no problem. Sometimes it's just a matter of rotating the tire to a different position on the wheel. It could also be bent/non-true wheels. Tires on steel wheels can sometimes be harder to balance due to it being easier to bend or dent steel wheels.
 
Les Schwab stores regularly deal with larger tires and have a strong customer service ethic so it is unlikely that the issue is lack of skill or lack of caring about doing a good job, particularly if they have invested time and energy trying on multiple occasions without receiving additional compensation. They want the job done right so they can move on to the next one and so you can recommend them to your friends and neighbors.

My suspicion is an out of round tire or out of round or bent wheel. Be sure both run true.

Two things you can try after you have eliminated bad tires or bad wheels as the cause of your issue are "road force" balancing and static balancing. The first typically works better for smaller, lighter tires but sometimes is the answer for offroad tires. The second method is largely a lost art because spin balancing is faster and less effort, but sometimes it is the best alternative for big, heavy tires if the tire man knows what he is doing.
 
Sounds like you may have excessive road force variation. Most, but not all shops have tire balancers that can measure this variation. The balancer will show the tech at what spot to spin the tire on the rim to reduce the amount of variation to a level that won't be detected, if possible. It can detect a bent wheel or a tire with too much deflection. It costs more to perform because it is sometimes necessary to break the tires down from the wheels. Hopefully this finds you already having your issue resolved.
 
Thanks for the info. I’m not sure of any off road shops around here that can balance tires. Les Schwab is pretty much the only game in town, besides one America’s discount tire.
 
I have the exact same tire on Dick Cepek wheels and have told people that these are the best balanced big tires I have ever owned. Hope it something simple and you get it figured out.
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