Tire Balance Wheel Alignment

One ounce of imbalance on a front tire is enough to cause a noticeable vibration in the steering wheel at about 60 mph.

Tire balance wheel alignment.

Wheel alignment and balancing is an essential part of automobile maintenance. Operating a vehicle is a. Surprisingly wheel alignment has very little to do with your wheels and more to do with your car s suspension system. Tire balance wheel alignment weights are applied to planes on the tire rim inside and out.

Improperly balanced wheels will be adjusted to the proper balance. It is similar to wheel alignment but there is a slight difference. Shaking or vibrating at 60 70 mph. When your tires or rims have imperfections or damage to them it causes those particular tires to become out of balance.

Sign it s time for one. To balance a wheel the technician will mount it on a balancing machine which spins the wheel to locate the heavier part. Wheel alignment is sometimes referred to as front end alignment or tire alignment during this service your technician will adjust the. A tire is out of balance when one section of the tire is heavier than the others.

You should have your wheels balanced whenever a tire is replaced when a balance weight is moved or removed and whenever you purchase new tires. Of course at the first sign of vibration or irregular tread wear your car should be thoroughly checked for wheel balance and alignment and for worn or broken mechanical parts. Adjusting angle of wheels including caster angle between upper and lower ball joints and camber the angle between the tire and the axle. The machine spins the tire and wheel assembly to measure the imbalance so that a technician can precisely install the correct tire weights to achieve a properly balanced wheel and tire assembly.

Not only is correct wheel alignment and balancing important for safe driving but also it will extend the life of your vehicle s chains sprockets and belts. Wheel alignment is the term for how your wheels sit when mounted to your car and wheel balancing is what s done to perfectly balance the weight of a tire and wheel assembly so that it travels evenly. Tire balancing is typically performed when tires are rotated on the vehicle which is usually every 5 6 000 miles or 6 months.