I want to put Michelin Alpin PA3 snow tires on my accord , it is H rated tire . I was told that the new tires would need balancing by Sears auto center . Every time I put my summer tires back do I need to rebalance them as well . It would mean paying for balancing and tire mounting every season ?Any suggestions.
Yes it mean getting them rebalanced and installed every yr but you could buy an extra set of used rims from a auto wreckers just for the winter months and over time save a few bucks but you should balance your tires every year anyways. Hope that helps and best of luck.Happy holidays
If you have good balance with your summer tires and wheels, you can remove them for winter months. Re-installing the summer tires and wheels in the Spring does not require re-balancing. Winter tires and wheels can sit in your garage all Summer and be re-installed in the Fall without re-balancing if you put the wheels back in the same place you removed them from. If you have only one set of (4) wheels, you should invest in some low cost steel wheels for winter weather usage exclusively. Some people like to rotate their tires to insure that tire wear is equally spread around the car. Some older balancing machines do not use the dynamic tire spin process and should be avoided in the tire and wheel balancing exercise. Only new tires, the first time on the car, need spin balancing. It is desirable that you tighten the lug nuts using a torque wrench (70 -75 psi) each time you re-mount your wheels.
If you are swapping between snow tires and summer tires using the same rims - the answer is that you will have to pay for tire remounting and balancing every spring and fall. This can be done by any reputable tire shop or automotive service facility. I highly recommend that you purchase a set of used rims on which to have your winter tires mounted - that way all that needs to be done, each spring and fall, is to bolt the appropriate wheel / tire assembly's onto your car - generally speaking it should not be necessary to have them re-balanced after the initial mounting and balancing, unless you observe a vibration. If you choose to go this way you can even change them yourself with just your car's service jack, a set of chocks, and a wheel wrench. But I suggest that you also obtain a torque wrench to ensure that you are tightening the lug nuts correctly if you are going to do this yourself.
