I also posted this in wheels and tires but thought it might be seen more here.

When buying new tires is it worth finding a shop that uses a road force balancer or is it not that big of a deal?

I've read that it is more accurate and would like to hear from anyone who has had it done or knows something about it a little more in-depth. Thanks

 

I had road-force balancing done on my old '81 Fairmont 302/AOD.....can't say that the scheme was better in any way than conventional balancing.....sure cost a lot more though.

 

Roadforce measures the amount of physical stiffness the tire has. Imagine a bunch of coil springs in place of a tire. Most of the time, tires have a hard spot or a spot where the tire and rim don't match well. Roadforce measures this, measures the rim and tells you where to position the tire on the rim so the tire rides as smooth as possible. You can even setup a good roadforce balancer to tell you which tire to put on which rim and in what position for the best possible combination. If your truck rolls down the highway nice and smooth with no vibration, roadforce is not needed. If your truck vibrates and the tires are definitely balanced, roadforce MIGHT help.