From Heavy Duty Trucking magazine – The next time you’re driving alongside a truck at highway speed, have a look at the wheels. They should be running straight and true without any wobble or vibration. Lamentably, you probably won’t have to look terribly hard to see wheels shaking so badly you’ll wonder how they stay on the truck. This type of problem isn’t always obvious in the shop with the wheel sitting still, but it is painfully obvious with the wheel turning 500 rpm or so at highway speed.

A lot of premature tire wear, as well as driver complaints about ride and handling, begins at the wheel ends. Causes range from improper tire and wheel mounting to poor wheel balance, loose bearings, damaged or worn components and even out-of-round wheels. A little diligence in the tire shop can prevent or solve many of these problems.

Enjoy Jim Park’s excellent article, in full,  at http://truckinginfo.com/maintenance/news-detail.asp?news_id=74141&news_category_id=79