What is the difference between rotating, balancing, and aligning tires and when should I have each done?
A tire rotation is changing the tires location on the vehicle – moving it from the front to the rear axle or vice-versa. Tire rotations should be done every 5-6,000 miles according to RMA guidelines or whenever recommended by the vehicle manufacturer. Tire balancing is the process of evening out the weight distribution of the tire and wheel assembly to eliminate imbalance, resulting in a vibration. Tires are balanced when installed new but the balance changes as the tire wears so it is a good idea to have the balance re-done every 12-15k miles. A wheel alignment consists of adjustments made to the suspension and steering components on your vehicle to ensure the tires have the correct orientation towards the road. This site is good primer on alignments: http://www.familycar.com/Alignment.htm The alignment should be checked at least once a year or every 10k miles.
