Finding The Balance—We Sit Down With Coker Tire To Talk About Tire And Wheel Balancing

Coker Tire is the world’s largest supplier of tires and wheels for collector vehicles, so they know a thing or two about balancing tire-and-wheel combinations. The folks at Coker deal with bias ply and radial tires every day, and their latest promotion involves free mounting and balancing when you purchase a complete tire-and-wheel combo. What makes this deal so special? We went straight to the source:

PPN: First of all, we knew Coker offered tires, but your selection of wheels is outstanding!

COKER TIRE: We have certainly upped our game in the wheel business in the past few years. Whether you want steel wheels, wire wheels or aluminum wheels, we have a big selection in stock from trusted brands such as Specialty Wheel, Roadster Wire Wheel and Rocket Racing Wheels. Our tire-and-wheel combos allow our customers to match tires with wheels and get a complete package, ready to bolt onto their vehicle.

PPN: Is there a disadvantage to using original wheels?

COKER TIRE: Many of our customers use original wheels on their project cars, but it can sometimes create a problem when having the combination balanced. The wheels may have encountered damage at some point, causing them to be “out of round.”

PPN: What is the value of purchasing a tire-and-wheel combo from Coker Tire?

COKER TIRE: If we had to put a dollar value on it, our tire-and-wheel combos save customers around $100, because we handle the mounting and balancing for free. But there’s a lot more than dollar value to consider when it comes to a set of tires and wheels for a collector vehicle. The biggest value is knowing that your tires and wheels are balanced properly, so you can bolt them on and hit the road. Our mount and balance guys use the best equipment available, and they go the extra mile to get each combination balanced perfectly.

PPN: We’ve seen the term “lug centric” in your mount and balance information. What does that mean exactly?

COKER TIRE: That term means that the wheel is fastened to the balancing machine using an attachment that fits in the lug holes of the wheel. Most tire shops use a hub-centric attachment, which fits in the center hole of the wheel. Since the wheel mounts to the car using the lug holes, instead of the center hole, lug-centric balancing is much more accurate.

PPN: If a customer has a question about mounting and balancing, what is the best way to reach Coker Tire?

COKER TIRE: Feel free to give us a call toll free at 1-800-251-6336 and a tire expert will be available to assist you. Our phone lines are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST, and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon EST. You can also check out our website at www.cokertire.com to check our selection of tires and wheels.