i enjoyed reading this discussion.

i am surprised your benz dealer performs balancing - generally they sub that out. and mark up the job considerably. when the service manager at intercontinental motors was a long time dealing with me, he would recommend that i just go directly to his sub for any tires or balancing.

and i have always found good balancing to be a toughie. my mechanic will not mount or unmount tires, he subs that out, but he always does the balancing. he has no confidence in most tire sales shops.

he also has an interesting rule in his shop, every time a car comes in, the wheels and tires are checked for balance before the car goes back out.

lastly, it has been my experience that new tires may need re-balancing within the first 500-1000 miles. and almost always after a panic stop[the tires rotate on the wheels].

balance. an important concept. in golf. in life. and in tires.

a votre sante