What Is Tire Truing?

‍What Is Tire Truing?

Tire truing is a process of shaving down tires to improve the comfort, balance, and safety of your tire on the road. If you are noticing vibrations or discomfort when driving, this may be a sign that it is time to consider truing your tires.

This process shaves the tire so that it becomes more perfectly rounded at the edges. All of the sharper points in the tire are eliminated from the shaving process and the rounded edges can drive much smoother on the pavement.

Tire truing is the process in which a tire is shaped back into its original form. This is done with a device called a “truing stand” and the tool of choice, which for this process is a metal file.

The metal file has four different surfaces to get the perfect shape of the tire. The first surface scrapes off any debris from the outer edge of the tire. The second surface removes small slivers from around the circumference of the tire, while simultaneously smoothing out any irregularities on its inner edge.

However, more commonly used is an expensive machine by many local repair shops that do not even require the removal of the tire from your vehicle. This machine simplifies the process and allows the repair to be such a low cost for drivers.  

Benefits Of Tire Truing

One of the most overlooked aspects of car care maintenance is keeping your tires balanced at optimum levels. One of the best ways to make this happen if you see issues occurring is through tire truing.

There are three primary benefits that come with tire truing including more road comfort, longer mileage, and quieter driving.

Comfortable Driving

Tire truing is a simple task that can have a significant effect on your vehicle's performance. A shaved tire provides the necessary adjustments to your tires so they are properly aligned and balanced on the road.

When tires are out of balance, the vehicle's weight will be unevenly distributed across the tires. This can cause vibrations that will make it difficult to drive on the road.

Tire truing is a necessary step to maintain the life of your tires, improve road safety, and provide more comfortable driving. Your tires will create a better grip on the road to ensure more driving comfort. By shaving your tire, the previous points and uneven edges are gone and will not hinder you anymore.

Extended Mileage

If you have ever consulted an expert on tire truing before, they would have mentioned how important it can be to maintain the tread depth on your tires. It is best practice to remain safe when driving and get the most mileage possible from your tires.

This is where tire truing can help. Rather than replacing a tire, you can take it to a local mechanic shop and have them shave down the tire to the desired depth along with rebalancing and realigning the tire.

By creating more even treads through shaving, you can extend the overall tread life and mileage capabilities on your tires and keep them riding for longer.  

Quieter On Pavement

Tires are quieter on the pavement after shaving them. It is a process of removing rubber from the outside of a tire and the inside of the tire to create a smoother and thinner surface for improved traction.

Driving on the road with noisy, vibrating tires is not only a nuisance to the driver but is also unhealthy for your vehicle either. By shaving down your tire treads, you are allowing the tire to take on a new balanced shape to create better road contact.

The improved driving experience between your tire and the pavement will eliminate road noise, road vibrations, and overall discomfort.

When Should I True My Tires?

Tires that are not properly maintained can cause a lot of trouble. This makes it crucial to know when it's time to true your tires. It is necessary to understand when the need for tire truing arises and how much pressure needs to be applied.

The best time to true your tires is when you start to notice more discomfort or noise on the road. Ask a local repair shop to take a look and see what the issue is. If you have 3 healthy tires but one that needs replacement, this would be the optimal time to consider tire shaving.

Many times if you need to replace one tire, you need to replace them all. This can get costly and be a waste for perfectly good tires. Instead, you can ask your repair shop to shave down this tire and extend its tread life for a bit longer.

How Much Should You Shave Off Your Tires?  

Tire truing is the process of comparing the diameters and circumferences of tires to ensure that they are mounted and inflated properly. Tire truing machines are used to ensure accuracy when cutting off excess rubber from the tire, but they can be expensive and time-consuming.

Some drivers think that they should shave off more than just an inch or two, for example, if their tire has a major imbalance. However, the truth is that there is no set standard for shaving off your tires because each driver’s needs are different. It’s best to consult with an expert who can tell you how much you should shave off your tires before doing so on your own.

The typical strategy by most drivers is to shave about 4/32” to 6/32” of total tire tread depth. Depending on the age of the tire, it should equate to around 50% of the tread depth of your tires. However, those looking for racing performance will go even lower than this for better track grip.

How Much Does Tire Truing Cost?

Tires are one of the most important parts of your vehicle. They provide stability and grip. Without them, you cannot drive safely.

However, tires are also notorious for their high prices. The average person needs four tires for their car, which means they will need to spend at least $300-$500 on new tires every few years.

This is why so many people wonder how much does tire truing cost? The answer to this question all depends on what type of tire you have and where you live. The average pricing ranges between $20-$40 per tire at a traditional repair shop.

With tire truing, you get your tires balanced and rotated along with the shaving process. Tire balancing is the process of adjusting the tire pressure of a vehicle so that all four tires create equal ground contact. The goal is to reduce vibrations during driving that can be caused by out-of-balance tires, which can wear down vehicle parts like struts and shocks.

This process makes plenty of sense for most drivers, especially if you are not looking to spend money on a costly tire upgrade right now or have 3 healthy tires and only need a single tire repaired.