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Tire Balancing vs. Alignment: What Does Your Truck Need?

Andrew Cilio
By: 

Andrew Cilio

 / May 19 2023
Tire Balancing vs. Alignment: What Does Your Truck Need?

Tire balancing and wheel alignment are both services that all vehicles periodically require. However, it's easy for truck owners to get these two types of maintenance confused considering how similar they sound. While both of these services are important for preventing premature tire wear and maintaining your truck's performance, they're two completely different types of maintenance. 

Read on to learn more about tire balancing vs. alignment and how to tell which service your truck needs. 

Key Takeaways:

  • Tire balancing ensures equal weight distribution, while wheel alignment adjusts the angles of the tires. 
  • Signs your tires are imbalanced include poor fuel economy, vibration, and uneven tread. 
  • Signs your vehicle is out of alignment include a crooked steering wheel, pulling to the right or the left, vibration, and uneven tire tread.
Contents
  1. What Is Tire Balancing?
  2. Signs Your Truck's Tires Need Balancing
  3. What Is Wheel Alignment?
  4. Signs Your Truck Needs an Alignment
  5. How Do I Know if I Need an Alignment or Balance?
  6. FAQs

What Is Tire Balancing?

Tire balancing, also referred to as wheel balancing, is a type of maintenance that ensures the wheels have even weight distribution. Even slightly imbalanced wheels can lead to discomfort while driving, loss of fuel economy, suspension issues, and decreased performance for your truck. 

Not to mention, driving on imbalanced tires can cause increased tread wear, so you'll need to get them replaced more often. Since the best truck wheels can be quite pricey, getting your tires balanced is a good idea for your wallet, too. 

During the tire balancing process, a technician will place the wheel on a balancer machine that spins at a high speed to identify uneven points and correct them with weights. According to Auto Trends Magazine, a tire balancing service costs around $15-$25 per tire. 

Graphic of two tires demonstrating which indicates a tire needs balancing, with one labeled "properly balanced" and one labeled "out of balance".

Signs Your Truck's Tires Need Balancing

While the exact number varies by manufacturer, it's generally recommended to check tire balance every 5,000 to 6,000 miles. 

Here are some signs your tires may need balancing: 

  • Vehicle vibrating: You may notice your truck vibrating—especially when driving at faster speeds. If you feel the vibrating in the steering wheel, your front tires may need balancing, whereas vibrating in the seats could signal an imbalance in your rear tires. 
  • Decrease in fuel efficiency: Uneven tires can lead to poor traction and a loss of fuel economy as a result.
  • Uneven tire tread: You might notice patchy tread marks or one tire wearing down faster than the others. 

If you notice any of the above signs of a tire imbalance, it's best to take your truck in for a service.

What Is Wheel Alignment?

Wheel alignment is a type of maintenance that involves measuring and adjusting the angles of the wheels. 

Over time, your wheels may become misaligned due to driving over a pothole, hitting a curb, or another minor accident. Driving with poor alignment can lead to dangerous issues like suspension failure or steering problems. 

During a wheel alignment, a mechanic will adjust the suspension according to the manufacturer's measurements to ensure all wheels point straight in the same direction. You can expect a wheel alignment to cost somewhere between $50 and $200, depending on the shop and the type of alignment your vehicle requires. 

There are two different types of wheel alignment: front-end and four-wheel. 

A front-end alignment involves adjusting just the front two wheels, while a four-wheel alignment involves adjusting all four wheels. While the type of alignment your vehicle requires may vary depending on your specific vehicle, four-wheel drive trucks require a four-wheel alignment. 

Graphic of the profiles of two vehicle frames with one labeled "before alignment" and showing wheels pointed to the side, and one labeled "after alignment" with the wheels pointed forward.

Signs Your Truck Needs an Alignment

It's generally recommended to get a wheel alignment every 5,000 to 6,000 miles, or six months to a year of driving. However, certain factors may require you to get a wheel alignment sooner. 

Below are a few telltale signs your vehicle needs a wheel alignment: 

  • The steering wheel appears off-center: Your steering wheel may appear crooked when steering straight. Check the logo in the middle of the steering wheel to make sure it's centered. 
  • You feel the steering wheel vibrate: You may notice your steering wheel shaking or vibrating. 
  • Your vehicle veers to one side of the road: You may find yourself constantly having to adjust the steering wheel in order to steer straight. 
  • Inconsistent tread wear: One side of your tire may be more worn than the other. 

The above signs may be due to a misalignment. In this case, it's important to get a wheel alignment to prevent damage to your vehicle. 

How Do I Know if I Need an Alignment or Balance?

Now that we've covered the differences between alignment and balancing, you may be wondering how to determine which service your truck needs. As you may have noticed above, some signs of a misalignment and an imbalance are the same, such as uneven tire wear. However, examining the type of tire wear can give you a better sense of which service your truck needs. 

  • If your vehicle is misaligned, you may notice heel and toe tire wear, which occurs when one edge of your tread blocks visibly wears down before the other side. 
  • Meanwhile, if your truck is out of balance, you'll likely notice patchy tire wear.

If you notice either of these patterns on your tire tread, consider taking your vehicle to a repair shop to see what's going on. 

Graphic labeled "Maintenance issues by tire tread" with an illustration of a tire with toe wear labeled "alignment problem" and one with patch wear labeled "out of balance".

FAQs

Does Wheel Alignment Include Wheel Balancing?

While wheel alignment and wheel balancing are both important for vehicle maintenance and are often performed during the same service, they're technically two different types of maintenance. 

Should I Balance My Tires Before an Alignment?

If you're getting your tires balanced and aligned at the same service, most mechanics will perform tire balancing first, then the wheel alignment. In addition to regular maintenance, it's also important to get new tires balanced and aligned. If you're looking to replace your tires, learn how to compare tire options using our tire size calculator.

 

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