# Rotate & Spin Balance Tires or Just Rotate

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/rotate-spin-balance-tires-or-just-rotate/9402>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Created:** [January 14, 2008, 2:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rotate-spin-balance-tires-or-just-rotate/9402 "2008-01-14T14:28:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![rogermtz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@rogermtz](https://community.cartalk.com/u/rogermtz)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 2:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rotate-spin-balance-tires-or-just-rotate/9402/1 "2008-01-14T14:28:27Z")

</div>

I recently had some work done on one of the vehicles and had them rotate the tires but they didn’t spin balance. The car rides fine so is there a need to spin balance?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![andrew\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@andrew\_j](https://community.cartalk.com/u/andrew_j)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 2:54pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rotate-spin-balance-tires-or-just-rotate/9402/2 "2008-01-14T14:54:12Z")

</div>

Most of the time no and it really depends on your vehicle.

Some vehicles like sports cars/sedans with actual feeling of road in steering and firmer suspension, vibration is noticeable especially when imbalanced tire moved to front. Other vehicles due to all the looseness like trucks and most SUV’s it does not matter as much.

In your case no spin balance needed. Most places suggest because if out of balance you are unhappy and have to pay for entire job again essentially since they remove tires and have to check each one.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![SteveF](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/stevef/32/2_2.png) [@SteveF](https://community.cartalk.com/u/SteveF)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 3:11pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rotate-spin-balance-tires-or-just-rotate/9402/3 "2008-01-14T15:11:24Z")

</div>

When a new tire is balanced it almost never goes out of balance during its lifetime.

A few tire stores offer free lifetime rotate-and-balance when you buy a set of four. Take them up on it regularly. But if you have to pay for future tire balancing, it simply isn’t worth it. There’s no point in re-balancing tires that already ride smoothly.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pleasedodgevan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/51bf81/32.png) [@pleasedodgevan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/pleasedodgevan)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 6:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rotate-spin-balance-tires-or-just-rotate/9402/4 "2008-01-14T18:41:01Z")

</div>

They charge way too much for balancing these days.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/joseph_e_meehan/32/21_2.png) [@Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joseph_E_Meehan)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 7:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rotate-spin-balance-tires-or-just-rotate/9402/5 "2008-01-14T19:18:44Z")

</div>

I vote to rotate and see. If they don’t start bouncing around, you are fine. You don’t need a balance at each rotation.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Beadsandbeads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c57346/32.png) [@Beadsandbeads](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Beadsandbeads)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2008, 1:15am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rotate-spin-balance-tires-or-just-rotate/9402/6 "2008-01-15T01:15:55Z")

</div>

You might have to if you want to collect on a tire mileage warranty.