ATV maintenance is no easy task. There is a long “to do” list that you need to cover before setting out for a new off-road adventure and ATV tire balancing is at the top of the priority.
ATV tire balancing costs $14 per tire. Therefore, you will need to pay $56 to balance your ATV tires. The price will go higher if you have spares. A useful tip for people who are buying new ATV tires is to ask the seller to balance them for you. The service will be included in the tire price.
Getting the right ATV tire pressure and balancing is essential to having fun on the trail. Keep reading to learn how to do it yourself and save money!
The average price to balance ATV tires is $14. If your local Autoshop is charging more, you can visit Walmart’s Auto Care Center service and the price will be $14 per tire. However, there is a caveat here. Walmart also charges $11 per tire mounting. You can go around this extra tax by taking the tires down at home and bringing them with your personal vehicle. They will easily fit in a truck or a regular sedan. Although, you might need to put two of them on your backseat.
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A useful tip that I learned way too late is that if you are buying a new set of ATV tires, you can ask the workers at the shop to have them balanced for you. 9 times out of 10, they will do this without charging anything extra. After all, you are already paying them a couple hundreds bucks for the tire set.
Walmart’s Auto Care Center is definitely the best place to get your ATV tires balanced. Don’t worry if you don’t have a Walmart around the area you live because there are plenty alternatives. First off, ATV dealerships like Yamaha or Can-Am will always be a good choice.
Since they specialize in ATVs, you can be sure that they know how to properly balance off-road tires. The only downsides are that the price will likely be more expensive and that you need to schedule an appointment. They are usually fully booked. Even though ATV tires are different than car tires and you should never mix them up, local tire shop that sell care tires will be able to balance your off-road tires.
There are several tell-tale signs that indicate your ATV tires need balancing. Here are the most common symptoms to watch for:
If the four-wheeler starts to vibrate exclusively (especially at high speeds), this means that the tires are unbalanced.
Inspect your tires regularly and if you see signs of uneven wear, then you need to balance them asap. Otherwise, the tires will need be replaced soon.
If it feels like ATV is harder to steer than usual, chances are that you are dealing with tires that need balancing. Another indicator is when the ATV starts pulling to one side.
Since unbalanced tires cause uneven friction and resistance when riding, your four-wheeler will consume more fuel than usual.
Balancing ATV tires yourself is not a complicated process that will save you money. The only bad part about it is that you have to invest in a tire balancer, set of balance beads and air compressor. However, the costs will be in your favor since you can balance the tires anytime you want without having to spend $14 per tire at the auto shop.
The Tools You Need:
As previously mentioned, you need a couple of tools to balance your tires. The first one is a tire balancer. The one I use is called the Portable Bubble Wheel Balancer and you can find it on Amazon. You probably have an air compressor for your daily drive but if you don’t, I recommend the VacLife Tire Inflator which is quite cheap. The last item you need is a set of wheel weights.
Start by setting up the tire balancer on a flat surface. You can use a spirit level or an iPhone’s Measure app to make sure that the surface is flat. The bubble in the spirit level (or the app) needs to be fixed inside the dot.
Remove the tire from the ATV and clean it. You can use a screwdriver or set of pliers to scrub the mud and debris that piled on.
Now that the tire is cleaned, the next step is to install it on the tire balancer and check the balance. Spin the wheel on the balancer and let it come for a rest. You will see if the tire is not balanced if the bubble doesn’t stay inside the circle.
There are two ways to apply wheel weights and balance a tire. The first one is to use an adhesive, and the second is to clip them with a hammer. The ones I recommended come with a special adhesive that makes applying them easy. You should stick the wheel weights on the side of the tire where the bubble is leaning towards. After fixing the weights, the bubble level needs to be centered.
If you test the ATV tire on the balancer and the bubble stays right in the middle, then you are good to go. You can remove the tire from the balancer and put it back on the four-wheeler. You should also take the ATV for a spin and see if it starts pulling to the left or right.
Do you have an easier time learning from videos? You should check out the video below from Skylar Hill Shop. He does a fantastic job of demonstrating how to balance tires.
Making sure that your ATV tires are balanced is something that you should always do before setting out for the trail. It can be dangerous to ride with unbalanced tires, and I am not talking only about getting a flat tire. For example, an uneven tire can cause the ATV to pull toward one side, and this makes steering a challenging task in tight corners.
Fortunately, ATV tire balancing is cheap. It costs $14 per tire and if you decide to buy a tire balancer, you can do it yourself for free. The process is not very complicated, and the guide I presented today will help you do it from the comfort of your garage.
