Recently I had a shop mount tires to some new wheels, which they also balanced. 3 days later I noticed one of the tires was flat (truck was still up on stands). Figured they forgot to fill one. Added air, and it went flat. Since tire has only 300-500 miles on it, and never gone flat, pulled it off to take it back to the shop for warranty work.
Upon loading it up, there were pieces of rock and gravel stuck into the treads.
The wheels had been balanced with this same debris in place.

So the question: If the gravel is not removed from treads prior to balancing, would you get an imbalance? I did clean the treads on the problem tire/wheel, and am taking it in today, but the other three?
If it makes any difference these are 15X7 inch and 15X6 inch steel wheels with 205 and 195R60 tires.

 

Yes, it will be out of balance. It's real tough to say if it will be far enough off to cause a problem, though. If it were me, I would take it back and make them re-do it. Then take my next tire purchase somewhere else.

 

I am taking it back, but it makes me mad. Now I will have 3 tires/wheels with a question in my head until I get them rebalanced. The balancing irritates me even more than the flat!
I've been real careful to balance everything that goes round in this truck, even including the rear brake drums (and front drums before changing to discs). Thanks andym.

 

It may sound crazy but I have a front brake disc that I installed 1/4" thick aluminum discs where the inner oil seal and dust cap goes. The center bore is 5/8" for the tempered, chromed and ground axle that fits with axle collars tight against the alumimun discs. With the wheel balanced in the past the thread will wear round and go out of balance. I mount the wheel to the disc brake ( that has been zero balanced) and put it on the motorcycle balancer stand. Once the amount of weight needed to rebalance is found just split it and add 1/2 on the outside and 1/2 on the inside rim lip. For new or remounted tires i'll mount up on the trucks front drum and use a shoe to spin balance first for lateral then radial then fine radial balance on the motorcycle balancer. This balancer with flanged bearings two at both ends will detect a plastic valve core cap. I have had bad balance jobs from tire shops where they use the adjustable spider thats has slop as well cones that bottomed out before they centered the rim and idiots that bang on a weight that is close to balance or the wrong type for the rim. The last time I checked they wanted $15 a truck wheel 12 x 16.5 to balance so i'm like $200 ahead or more as I mount and balance myself, no idiot with impact gun on my vehicles.
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It would be nice if I could be part owner of the tools to mount and balance tires/wheels, sharing the expense. But we are trying to relocate so not now. On my 46 I did not take the truck in to have them mount the wheels, but put it on jackstands and only took the wheels in. Wilwood insists that the front wheel studs/lugs on their aluminum hubs not be torqued over 76 ft lbs. Out of curiosity, and knowing that shops usually have their impact guns at one setting for all, I asked the manager there (Big O Tires) what torque setting they use for 1/2 inch studs/lugs. He looked upward kind of vacantly and said "about 90 lbs".
It is daunting how many little and big ways a person can get hurt on vehicle maintenance and repairs, if they are unknowing, which brings up another question.
On the first trip to Big O I asked them if they could check the truck for alignmnet later this spring, mainly toe in, just wanting the current figure, and I would do any adjustment necessary. They said sure.
Is there any affordable equipment I can obtain to get the measurement myself? Also for castor/camber? I've seen some instruments for castor/camber but it looks like they are magnetic. Dont see how that could work with aluminum hubs, but then I dont really know HOW they work. Toe in for now is a rough setting using straight edges. Front axle in use is dropped tubular.

 

Stick a razor blade into each tread at the 3:00 position and measure, roll forward to 9:00 position (180 degrees) and remeasure. Done accurately you can get within .010". Camber or king pin inclination check with a Smart level off your king pins, and camber off the hub face. Smart levels read out in 1/10 degree increments. First you must be on a level slab.
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