Trailer Tire Balancing

Looking for a tire shop east of Dallas that can balance a trailer tire with a lug-centric balancer. Every place I have tried so far only does tire balancing with a hub-centric balancer. Someone out there has to have a lug-centric attachment.

Have you tried discount tire?

Our trailer was lug centric and we bought balanced tires at discount tire all the time for it.

Discount Tire balances mine.

Gosh, how did we all drive cars and trucks 80 years, without having "hub-centric" rims? I have Mustang rims on my Toyota Tacoma, and every time I buy tires the tire mounter writes a note on my receipt that they can't guarantee my tire installation, because my rims aren't hub-centric! I ask them, ""How have I been able to drive my truck thirteen years with no problems, if it's such a dangerous situation?" If five or six lugs won't keep a wheel centered, you've got bigger problems. Lots of things on today's autos are over-engineered and under-thought. IslandJim

And a lot of people over think things.

Just curious,
What kind of difference can you expect balancing using lug-centric vs hub-centric?

I don't even bother balancing trailer tires. Discount did balance the last one I bought even though I told them not to. Best thing you can do for trailer tires is run max PSI. I added 10 lbs to mine for a trip to Buchanan and got a nice bump in MPGs.

After watching a few unbalanced trailer tires go down the road there is no way in hell i will not balance them.

For sure. And balancing is cheap.

I contacted Discount Tires in Greenville and Rockwall and neither could balance lug-centric tires. I was going to go without balancing as with my previous tires but these new tires ride very rough over 70 mph. Both sets of tires are Goodyear Endurance. I changed out the lugs since I can't find a balancing place and that seems to provide a better ride.

I agree. My trailer wandered until I had my 4 balanced.
Keep the pressure up and hardly know it’s back there!

What is the difference in lug-centric vs hub-centric?

I've had Discount Tire in Greenville do pretty much all my tires for the last 15 years and they do a great job.

I do have all of my trailer tires balanced. From an engineering standpoint, it makes zero sense to run an unbalanced tire down the road, on a tow vehicle or a trailer. Folks always say they don't balance them, but that just makes no sense to me.

They do that when not properly torqued. Mine run fine and trailer tracks well. No uneven wear.. Maybe I will get all 4 balanced next time I replace. It is free at Discount so why not. I have not bothered because Discount does not lug centric balance.

I got lucky sitting on the I30 east exit ramp at Town East. A trailer tire came across 635 at probably 60 mph. It went between me and the car behind me. It made it well up the hill.

Funny our trailer tires dont do it and I have never "properly torqued' a trailer tire lug.

I balance mine because I like the smooth ride going down the highway.

See if the hub opening in the rim is concentric to the lugs. Just because the wheel is mounted to a lug centric hub does not mean that the Hub of the wheel itself is not concentric to the lugs/rim/tire.

My trailer tracks perfectly and no uneven wear on the tires but I will get them balanced when I replace them. It may be that they are just not that far out of balance.

Only issue I have with my trailer is frozen oil bath plugs on my brake axle. I am debating whether to try to extract them or go with bearing caps that have have the oil fill plugs on them.

I thought it was standard procedure from Discount Tire that if you buy new tires they automatically balance for free.

Normally they do. I guess you could request them not to balance. One thing about Discount I don't like is their practice of over inflating tires. Every time I buy tires for the truck or the trailer, they over inflate by 5 or more PSI. When they heat up from driving they are 8 to 10 PSI over.

Ive always had the oppostie, seems like no matter where i buy tires they under inflate them. The info on the sidewall of the tire is xx PSI cold, if you use it they will heat up and go over that pressure.

They do

Discount will balance and rotate the trailer tires that you buy from them. I have had discount tire tires on my boat trailer for years. I did find this on their site.

Discount Tire Info

They normally ask me and if they don't I tell them. One problem I have seen with 1/2 ton pickups is the door sticker is for P rated tires. My Tundra came with BFG D rated and had a supplemental tag stating 46 PSI. When the dealership rotated them they were always under inflated. Maybe I have just been fortunate but even when I have had a trailer tire balanced it has required very little weight. I can't say that for my truck tires.

The charge $22 per tire for mounting and balancing. Look at your receipt.

Y new ones from discount were not balanced, but properly inflated.
First trip trailer really wandered, took it back all 4 balance and runs straight now.

This discussion is interesting in that i had two new tires put on at a Discount Tires. When I asked about balancing I was told by the service writer they dont need nor do they balance trailer tires. So until the time is right I will go with the Max PSI process.

Last two times I bought trailers tires from my local Discount Tire they balanced them. Sounds like theirs some lazy management at yours.

No doubt. I have non hub centric wheels on my race car with dual bolt patterns no less. At 1600 or so horsepower, and goes 0 to 150 in about 4.7 seconds, I think a trailer will be just fine without them.