How to Correct Out-of-Round Tires

by Katebo

tires on water image by JoLin from Fotolia.com

Tire technology has come a long way over the years. An out-of-round tire is considered a manufacturer's defect; if you spin it, you can see it hopping up and down. An out-of-round tire will have more rubber in one area of the tire. In the 1960s and earlier, it was very common to have a tire that was out of round. The manufacturing process has improved such that it is very rare for a tire to be out of round.

Step 1

Replace the tire if it is still under warranty. If you have a receipt for the out-of-round tire, it will be covered by the manufacturer for material defects. Every tire sold in the United States is required to have a warranty down to 2/32-inch of the tread remaining. The retailer will replace the tire on a prorated warranty. You can get a discount on the replacement tire based on how much of the tread is remaining.

Step 2

Call tire shops in your area and find one that has a tire shaving machine. These devices are very expensive, and very few tire shops have them today. You might have the best luck at a tire shop that works on racing tires.

Step 3

Take your out-of-round tire to the tire shop and have them shave the tire round on the tire shaving machine. Have them also re-balance the tire with a high-speed balancer. Once you shave rubber off of the tire, the balance will be off.