When I put on new rims with tires do I need to do any alignment? I'm doing it myself so I'm curious. Some of my friends says I need to do alignment so I don't mess up the car. Then again, they aint'no expert so... lol

 

no need for alignment if its only rims and tires. however yes when you get lowered

 

oh cool. what about going from 16 to 17 or 18 inch, anything special besides getting them on the car?

 

if you get bigger or smaller rims you may need alignment. but it wont be absolutely neccessary after some new rims if they are the same size as the stock.

 

It isn't rquired if all you do is remove and replace the tires/wheels. However if you replace any suspension components it is required.

However, as a rule I usually have a 4 whel alignment done after getting new tires if t has been awhile. It is cheap compared to 4 tires and will help them last longer. If you are spending that much money (new wheels and tires), an extra $80 is pretty smart.

 

What does balancing the tire after getting on the the rims mean? Is this something I can do it myself?

 

When they balance a tire they place weight in positions on the wheel to offset the imperfection of the tire and wheel. Basically it makes them not wobble at speed because there is to much weight in one spot.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 20strong &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">When they balance a tire they place weight in positions on the wheel to offset the imperfection of the tire and wheel. Basically it makes them not wobble at speed because there is to much weight in one spot. </TD></TR></TABLE>

in short, you cant balance it yourself you need one of those machines that pepboys have.

 

^^ Thanks

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by yuning83 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">What does balancing the tire after getting on the the rims mean? Is this something I can do it myself? </TD></TR></TABLE>

Balance = Balance the weight of the wheel. Rims and tires are not perfectly uniform. At speed, that lack of uniformity can cause wheel shimmy, vibrations, or worse. Balancing the wheel corrects for the uniformity by placing weights on the rims (both outside and inside). These weights allow the wheel to spin true at speed.

If you have a bubble balance you can, but it really is not a good way to balance your wheels. High speed spin balance is what you need and you need special equipment. Most gas stations with a shop have a high speed balance machine

So to answer your question, no, you can't balance the wheels yourself.