[johnmyster]

Bull. Balancing accounts for nothing except for uneven weight distribution of the tire wheel combination. Balance has nothing to do with how a tire, deforms, twists, squashes, and otherwise interacts with the pavement.

A tire's behavior while in contact with the road, and thus under forced deformation, may not entirely be as simple as we imagine for a perfectly balanced, perfectly round tire. As a simple example, the part of the tire where cords overlap (commonly seen as radial lines in the sidewall of cheap tires) indicates a part of the tire that is stiffer. Even if perfectly round and perfectly balanced, such tires may "roll" as if that stiff spot were a "high" spot on the tire. IE, they don't roll round, but they are round. That is why certan manufacturers test their production for balance and rolling dynamics while spinning them under load against a rotating drum.

This very deformation of the tire as it rotates into and out of the contact patch is the reason that tires with diagonally laid layers will tend to have a desire to walk one direction or another under load. While radials have far less diagonal character compared to bias-ply counterparts, there are still diagonal features, such as joints in belts and cords banded at low angles.

Tire rolling dynamics are far more of a complicated subject than anybody has business getting into on this forum. Certain people, and certain people I know in the business make honest livings employing technology to explore the subject in manufacturing enviornments. Certain companies hold patents on large sections of the territory. Ever notice what tires come stock on a Honda? Cadillac? Yup, they pay extra to get those, and they have to, because certain companies put extra time and money into monitoring these things. Certain auto manufacturers are now demading that their OE tire suppliers give them tires that DO NOT REQUIRE wheel weights. However...

I was simply trying to suggest that just because your car tends to go to the right when you let go of the wheel does not necessarily mean that you need to run to the alignment shop. It may actually be designed into the equation. Certain patterns of "uneven" tire wear are actually quite normal, which is why we will always be told to rotate our tires. Every corner of the car will tend to wear differently. If you can do it every oil change, you're off to a great start. Once you can see uneven wear, it's too late.

Of course, maybe none of this applies on ecomodder. Since everyone runs infinite air pressure, infinitesimal contact patches take loaded behavior out of the question. Oh, but wait, even if the air doesn't flex, the rubber still will.

My truck calls for zero toe.