dumb question

i need to rotate my tires but im not sure if they need to be re balanced since they are being moved to different positions?

It's always a good idea to check the tire balance peridoically...especially if it hasn't been done before.

You will know if your tires are out of balance. Your iwll get abnormal vibration in the steering wheel - typically from when you don't feel the back tires out of balance and they are moved to the front.

i need to rotate my tires but im not sure if they need to be re balanced since they are being moved to different positions?
My son is in an "Auto-Tech" school and they have rotated quite a few tires as "busy work."

They ALWAYS balance them again as part of the procedure.

Take Care,

rebalancing the tires is usualy not nessary on modern tires, but look at the tire tread. if you have uneven wear, especialy when comparing the inside tread wear to the outside, you might want to get them rebalanced since lose of rubber on one portion of the tire can cause an inbalance.

if you really want to get anal about it find a speed shop that will balance them on the car. that's the only true way to get them balanced for their position on the car.

I would only re-balance them if one of two conditions exist.
1. you can feel a wobble or vibration that increases with speed
2. the tires have a lot of miles on them since they were last balanced.

Keep in mind that many tire tech's are the low man on the totem pole at most shops, so the chances of them screwing it up and causing a vibration are high. Other than routine maintenance, I'm a firm believer in the old rule "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!"