Balancing is very important; if the wheels on your car are not balanced properly, it could cause a plethora of problems like-
- Uncomfortable vibrations: The drive isn’t smooth and nor is the handling.
- Wear on the suspension & steering: The suspension is required to compensate for the disproportionate balancing of the tyres.
- Wear on the tyres: If unbalanced, the tyres wear on one side, depending on the fitting.
These problems could cause cost in the long run, and the hassle of having other parts fixed. The time spent on wheel balancing is worth it. New tyres might seem costly, but they could save you money in repairs, and ensure your safety. Same is the case with Cheap Tyres. Plus, majority garages have the wheel balancing machines which correctly fit the tyres inclusive of the cost.
You can judge when the wheels are not balanced correctly, because the steering wheel wobbles at speed and does not hold normally.
A wheel balancing machine turns the tyre and wheel while calculating location and weight. Of course, there are different kinds of balancing wheels machines.
Some are fully calibrated by humans, so the machine is programmed to perform what it is told. Some sophisticated machines balance and measure the wheel automatically without human interference. It can be debated which is. Human error is likely, but if a machine is programmed incorrectly in the first place this could cause more trouble.
You can debate that if a person was to check the tyre, then they will notice if something is wrong, rather than relying on the machine.
My advice is to call the garage first and check what all wheel balancing choices they have. The bigger garages will have the sophisticated machines, but surely more costly. Your safety is more important though.