Tire Rotation and Tire Balancing in Northern VA
Tire Balancing
Tire balancing is important to extend the life of your tires and increase the basic safety of your car. Our staff at Hogan & Sons Tire and Auto is here to help with all of your tire balancing and tire service needs in Virginia and surrounding areas.
Computerized tire balancing is checked on a machine which can detect even ¼ of an ounce of difference in weight around the wheel. Why worry about that small of a weight difference on an object which weighs so much? That tiny amount of weight travels very fast around the axle while you are driving: hundreds of times a minute. This causes enough momentum to create serious vibration and when multiplied times 4 wheels, the wobble really adds up.
Hogan & Sons Tire and Auto Tire Balancing
When do tires need to be balanced: Tire balancing takes place any time you replace the tires on your vehicle. Since tires wear depending on driving practices and road problems, uneven wear will start to become noticeable after the first 1,000-2,000 miles of use. Tires must be checked for balance every 4,000-6,000 miles. Our mechanics at Hogan & Sons Tire and Auto can help determine whether your tires need to be rotated and balanced based on wear or mileage.
IMPORTANT: It is not advised to replace just one tire as this can cause major problems to the alignment, balance, and handling of the automobile.
How to tell if your tires require balancing:
- Steering wheel vibrations while driving
- Uneven tire tread wear
- Ride that becomes less smooth over the life of your tires
- Pulling to one side
The advantages of tire balancing:
- Smoother driving experience
- Improved fuel efficiency
- More even tire wear
- Extended life of tires and drive train parts
Hogan & Sons Tire and Auto Tire Balancing in Virginia
Stop at Hogan & Sons Tire and Auto today to have your vehicle evaluated for potential tire balancing problems! Our tire experts are here to assist you in the Virginia and surrounding areas. Hogan & Sons Tire and Auto is your number one source for new tires, tire installation, and tire services in Virginia.
Tire Rotation
At Hogan & Sons Tire and Auto we know preventative maintenance is important to get the most out of your vehicle. Tire rotations are recommended every 3,000 – 6,000 miles, or with every oil change. Did you know that regular tire rotation helps eliminate premature tire wear and could save you hundreds of dollars on new tires? At Hogan & Sons Tire and Auto in Virginia, our trained mechanics can rotate your tires.
What tire rotation does: The weight of a vehicle is not distributed evenly to all four corners. If you left all four tires as they are on your vehicle, some tires would wear out faster than others. At Hogan & Sons Tire and Auto we know that Tire rotation is an important part of making your tires last longer. The process of rotating your tires is to move them from one side of the vehicle to the other, moving them from front to back or a combination of both, depending on your vehicle and what was done before.
Why tire rotation service is important: Uneven tire wear could bring about poor performance, unsatisfactory gas efficiency, reduce the life of the new tire and can easily cause safety problems.
Proper Tire Rotation in Virginia Prolongs New Tire Life
Several aspects could trigger uneven tire wear:
- Energetic driving routines, stop and go urban area traffic, road construction, etc. Uneven terrain and pot holes
- Under inflated tires
- Worn Shocks
- Unaligned wheels
- Worn components
- Not rotating your tires
What Hogan & Sons Tire and Auto does during tire rotation:
- Tires are rotated in alternating patterns
- Inspect general quality and protection of tires
- Check tire tread
- Check for correct inflation
- Tighten lug nuts
Hogan & Sons Tire and Auto offers quality tire rotations in Virginia
To find out when your tires need to be rotated, read your automobile’s owner’s manual or ask one of our technicians at Hogan & Sons Tire and Auto in Virginia today. Call Hogan & Sons Tire and Auto now to set up your next tire rotation in Virginia. Hogan & Sons Tire and Auto is your number one source for new tires, tire rotation, and tire services in Virginia and surrounding areas.
Frequently Asked Questions
When you take your car or truck to a tire shop for tire balancing service, a technician will mount your tires to a specialized machine called a wheel balancer. With this machine, they will determine how much each tire weighs and whether or not your tires’ weights are equal. If your car’s tires are not properly balanced, the technician working on it will apply small weights to any of tires that need extra weight with bonding cement.
Tire rotation is often confused with tire balancing, but these terms refer to two entirely different types of tire service. Unlike tire balancing, tire rotation involves regularly changing the position of each tire on your vehicle in order to change each tire’s wear pattern. These changes follow predetermined patterns designed to maximize the lifespan of your tires.
If your car’s tires are unbalanced, you could experience no shortage of issues as a direct result. A failure to set up tire balancing appointments on a schedule that fits your vehicle’s needs could lead to everything from severe tire wear to excess steering wheel vibration, or even suspension damage. And getting your tires balanced once isn’t enough since the weights attached to your tires may eventually fall off.
Meanwhile, ignoring tire rotation can cause its own set of problems. The primary benefit of this process is that it allows your tires to wear at an even rate, helping to extend their lifespan and make them less susceptible to blowouts. On the other hand, not prioritizing tire rotation could increase your risk of needing tire repair or replacement years before your tires should need these services.
Technically, yes—but you should know that this isn’t a simple job by any means. For starters, you’ll have to own a wheel balancer or at least have access to one. You’ll also need to know how to use this specialized piece of automotive equipment. And though it may be tempting to try balancing your tires without a wheel balancer, doing so could make your tires less balanced than they already are.
Instead, we encourage drivers in Northern Virginia to take their vehicles to a reputable tire shop when they need tire balancing work done. The technicians at Hogan & Sons are highly qualified to handle this task—if you’re ready for tire balancing or tire rotation, set up an appointment online today!
If you’ve just started learning about the importance of tire balancing, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with some telltale signs that your vehicle needs this service. A visual inspection won’t indicate how well-balanced your tires are. Instead, take note of these warning signs:
Bouncing While Driving
When you’re traveling on a bumpy road, some amount of bouncing is normal—but that’s not the case when you’re driving on a freshly paved highway. If your car feels bouncier than you’d expect based on where you’re driving, your tire balance could be to blame.
Unusual Loud Noises
All sorts of automotive problems can cause unpleasant noises, and unbalanced tires are one of them. Listen up for strange noises that sound like they’re coming from below your car, especially if they’re ear-splittingly loud.
Vehicle Vibrations
Vibrations in your car aren’t just a sign you need tire balancing—they can even help you determine which tires need to be balanced. Vehicles requiring front tire balancing often have vibrating steering wheels; on the other hand, if your seats are vibrating, the back tires may be the culprit.
In some cases, tire balancing is needed due to reckless driving. If you’ve been driving at full speed and hit a pothole or curb, the resulting impact could easily throw your tires out of whack. At the other extreme, tire balancing can result from not driving at all—tires on cars that have been parked for a while may develop flat and/or weak spots due to a lack of use.
However, everyday driving can lead to unbalanced tires, too. Even if you drive normally, traveling on bumpy roads could be enough to affect your tire balance. And some causes of tire imbalance are entirely out of your control, including improper tire installation and minor tire defects.
In general, your vehicle’s tires should be rotated every 3,000 to 5,000 miles and balanced every 5,000 to 6,000 miles. Since there’s some overlap between these two guidelines, you may want to have your tire shop take care of both services simultaneously. For even more efficiency, request tire balancing and rotation services along with your next oil change!
That depends on the type of spare tire your vehicle has. If it comes with a full-size spare tire, you should rotate it following the same pattern as your other four tires. However, you should not rotate temporary spare tires.
There are three basic tire rotation patterns, which you can modify to meet your vehicle’s needs. These patterns are:
Forward Cross
This pattern involves moving your front axle tires to their corresponding rear positions. Meanwhile, the rear tires move diagonally; that is to say, the left rear tire becomes the right front tire and vice versa. If you have a front-wheel drive vehicle, there’s a good chance that you’ll use this tire rotation pattern.
X-Pattern
As its name suggests, the X-Pattern involves moving all four of your tires diagonally, switching both their sides and their axles. This pattern is another one that is often used for front-wheel drive vehicles.
Rearward Cross
You can use the Rearward Cross on vehicles with front-wheel, rear-wheel, or all-wheel drive. It’s basically the opposite of the Forward Cross—in this pattern, the rear tires move straight ahead to the front axle while the front tires move backward and diagonally.
The precise tire pattern that’s right for you can vary based on many factors: Directional tires, high-performance tires, and differently sized tires can all necessitate some adjustments to these patterns. Because of that, it’s wise to take your car to a tire shop when it’s time for tire rotation.
Hogan & Sons is proud to operate seven shops across Northern Virginia. No matter where you live in this area, any of our shops can offer the tire balancing and rotation services you need. To learn more about the Virginia locations we’re active in, take a look at our locations page!
The technicians at Hogan & Sons can provide quick tire balancing and tire rotation services at low prices. Instead of dealing with these inconvenient tasks yourself, rely on us to take care of them for you!
We can instantly identify which tire rotation pattern is best for your vehicle, and we can finish the job before you know it, thanks to our highly specialized tire equipment. We’ll also keep a close eye out for any other issues your tires may be experiencing, and we can handle whatever tire repair work you need to avoid these problems.
At Hogan & Sons, we provide our customers with a full slate of tire and auto repair services. These services include tire installation, flat tire repair, oil changes, wheel alignments, preventative maintenance, and more. Additionally, we’re proud to be Northern Virginia’s top destination for tire sales—including Goodyear tires.