how much to mount and balance tires?

charmer006

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For those of you who have gone to a place to have 4 tires mounted and balanced...including taking the old ones off and also the disposal fee...how much did you pay...i recently took my car to the dodge dealership here in jacksonville and they charged me 443.00..i was shocked...is this the vipertax once again taking effect?
 

Oldwilsonian

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Haven't actually had to do this yet. Obviously from what you where charged you supplied the tires..

I own/operate a private auto repair shop here in Florida.

This service on a 'normal' car would run approx. $75.00

A Viper to dismount/mount, High-speed/static balance & valve stems $200.00 would seem to be fair.

But you have to remember the larger the shop/ operation the higher the overheads, $443.00 appears to be slightly excessive though,IMO.
 

BruceW

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Costco in San Diego charges $11.00 a tire, although not all Costco stores have the right equipment.
 

Steve 00RT/10

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The Tire Rack recommended Michelin dealer for this area charged me $10 per tire($40 total)this past spring to:
Dismount/mount, High-speed/static balance,new chrome valve stems, and disposal of the 4 old tires. I think it took 1-1.5 hrs. for everything. You're paying a lot more than a Viper tax. You've been robbed!

Steve
 

AviP

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Sorry but you've been ripped. $5/tire at Costco, free if you buy from them. You need to be a member.
 

VinR1

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most tire/wheel shops around here mount and balance tires for free if you purchase them there. Thats everything from 13s to 26s...
 

Steve-Indy

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A RESPECTED shop in Indy charges $18.00-$22.00 per tire to mount and balance Viper tires that are carried in (already off the car)...which, to me, is great pricing for flawless work.
 

Jerry Dobson

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The only way to correctly balance a Viper tire is to do a Dynamic balance and add Road Force test. This balance job will cost you $116 for four tires. Mounting is extra.

A Viper wheel is too wide to do a static balance. Look at the inside of your rim, you should have weights on the inside and outside lips. If you only have one side, your rim is static balanced.

Then you need to test the balance with about 800 pounds of force. This is road test force. You are looking for hard spots in the tire or out of balance condition that might be corrected by turning the tire on the rim.

Final test will be a run-out test. You are basically looking for a round tire...not egg shaped. Again, the tire may need to be turned on the rim to keep it round.

So just smacking a tire on a rim by Bubba at your local service center is no good. Most dealers can not handle the above mentioned methods of mounting and balance.
 

malcoll

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charmer.... there is a guy over on Sunbeam Road.... call JT he sent me to him.

The total cost to mount and balance was $30 per tire if I recall correctly.

I do not have weights on the outside of the wheel, it can be done correctly and only have weights on the inside unless you have a problem with a wheel.
 

Jack B

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Jerry is describing the Hunter GSP9700. It comes with and without the "Road Force" option. You will pay approximately $75 for the mount and balance per tire. If you have a tire that is bad under dynamic conditions you will not always know it with a typical high speed balancing machine. Static balancing is even worse and cannot work on a wheel with the offset and width of a Viper.

The major problem currently is that most shops have not had enough experience with this machine yet and they are afraid of the new technology . Hunter lists all the shops in the country with this machine. Note that the Road Force feature is an option and will be indicated on their site.
 

viperrmike

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Only one shop in town that i know of that can fit rears on it. Cost $60 for all 4. Very reasonable, they said would be cheaper if i bought the tires there. Still money ahead considering their cost. $400 plus is a rip off.
 

Bo knows

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Jerry & Jack are correct. The only way to do Viper or any other high speed tire properly is on the Hunter GSP 9700 with road force.I know a lot of you guys will say you've had your tires balanced by the conventional methods and they work fine but if you took those same tires and had them road forced you would say WOW ! I didn't know the car could be so smooth ! You will never know how good it can be until you try this!!

Bo knows
 

Achilles99

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Road force balance is amazing... I had a vibration with my bimmmer that could not be fixed until it was balanced this way.

Then again, I had my Viper tires balanced conventionally, and they are fine... so, I guess it all depends on your wheels and tires!
 
OP
OP
C

charmer006

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im going back to the dealer and ask them if it has been road force tested and what not...if not im gonna raise hell
 

3snakes

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go with the rd. force it well to have it done. car will feel very snooth. dont be cheap do all four.
 

Casey

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I just paid $50 for two tires--dismount/mount/balance--yesterday at Discount tire who is the only place near me that can do it correctly with the 335/30/18.
 

Dimitrios

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i paid $20 a wheel for removal of old ones, balance, stems and everything at alocal speed shop. also took it to good year store/shop and they charged me $30 a wheel for same service. you seriously been robbed. thats just not rite
 

Mike Adams

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Where they matched balanced ? Sorry Road force is only as good as the operator. We balance all the dealer problem cars. The local Nissan dealer had a Murano with a vibration issue and had the tires road force balanced they still shook. We Matched balance the wheels and tires and it was perfect. This takes about 2 hrs to do correctly depending on type of tires.

We charge $56. to mount 17" and lower tires $100 for larger and $135 for run flat tires with sensors in the rim. This is for 4 tires. To Match balance is $75/hr straigh time
 

Chuck 98 RT/10

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Sorry Road force is only as good as the operator. We balance all the dealer problem cars. The local Nissan dealer had a Murano with a vibration issue and had the tires road force balanced they still shook. We Matched balance the wheels and tires and it was perfect.

[/QUOTE]

Mike, do you use the Hunter GSP9700?
 

Ivory

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2 rear tires removed and new tires mounted/balanced. $60.00 at the local Dodge dealer here in Wi.
 

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