Road force balancing isn’t new. But two decades ago, many technicians didn’t want to dedicate the time to do it on every tire that needed balancing.

Technicians increasingly reach for adhesive weights when balancing flangeless alloy rims and ever-bigger wheels. What does that mean for a shop’s inventory of clip-on wheel weights?

Don’t assume your technicians know everything they need to about properly mounting and balancing ultra-high performance tires. The UHP tire and wheel package is too expensive to take for granted.

Equipment suppliers agree that the biggest obstacle to properly balancing any type of wheel is not centering it correctly on the balancer. A variety of adapters are available to help technicians center a wheel. Modern Tire Dealer asked suppliers which adapters are essential, which are optional, and why.

Saying technology has changed over the last decade might be one of the greatest understatements that I’ve ever made. In 2005, tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) were primarily reserved for high-end luxury and sports cars. Anti-lock braking systems (ABS) and electronic stability control (ESC) were options. And people who thought the Blackberry was a smartphone were surprised when the first video was uploaded to a new video hosting service called YouTube.