Wheel Balancing and the Performance of Your Car

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Wheel Balancing and the Performance of Your Car
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Table of Content

• Performance of Your Car.
• Difference between Wheel Balancing and Wheel
  Alignment.
• How Wheel Balancing and Alignment Improves the
  Performance of Your Car.
• Wheel Balancing Process.
• Wheel Alignment Process.
• Tire Shop Scams to Avoid.

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Performance of Your Car

• Your car tires are literally the foundation of
  your car. They play a big part in the
  performance, handling, safety and look of your
  car. Wheel balancing is one of those inescapable
  tire repair terms that every driver comes across
  every so often. So, what exactly is wheel
  balancing?
• If you have ever felt strange vibrations on your
  steering wheel while cruising along the highway
  or unusual shaking on the car seats or floorboard
  when your car picks up speed, its likely that
  your car wheels are out of balance. Wheel
  balancing, also known as tire balancing, is a
  tire repair process that involves equalizing and
  balancing uneven weights of the combined wheel
  and tire assembly in such a way that the wheel
  spins smoothly even at high speeds. The process
  involves adding small counterweights at certain
  points on the wheel to remove weight
  inconsistencies on the wheel.

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Difference between Wheel Balancing and Wheel
Alignment

• Very often, you will hear many people using the
  term wheel balancing and wheel alignment
  interchangeably as if they refer to the same
  thing. The two, however, refer to very different
  aspects of the tire repair process. Wheel
  balancing is the process of adding small
  balancing weights to the rim to allow the wheel
  to spin without any vibrations. On the other
  hand, wheel alignment is the process of adjusting
  the angles of the wheels so that they are
  parallel to each other and perpendicular to the
  ground.
• Symptoms that your car wheels might be out of
  alignment include
• Rapid or uneven wire on your tires
• Your car wanders on a straight level road
• The car pulls or drifts away from a straight line
  when you let go off the wheel
• You notice that the spokes of your wheels are off
  to one side when driving on a straight and level
  road

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• Wheels will generally become misaligned over time
  due to adverse road and driving conditions
  including hitting potholes, curbs or speed bumps.
  Wheel alignment is done by adjusting the tie rods
  and control arms so as to ensure correct
  alignment. Your car wheels should be aligned to
  their optimum positions according to the
  manufacturers recommendations by adjusting the
  toe, camber and sometimes the caster angles.
• Toe is term used to describe whether the front of
  the tires are closer or further apart than the
  rear part of the tires camber describes the
  inward or outward tilt of the tires while
  caster refers to the angle between the steering
  pivot axis and the vertical that is usually
  adjusted by moving the suspension struts.

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How Wheel Balancing and Alignment Improves the
Performance of Your Car

• Wheel balancing and alignment are part of the
  routine maintenance procedures that need to be
  done periodically on all vehicles. As long as
  your car is in use, its inevitable that the
  wheels will become imbalanced at some point.
  Indeed, even the best tires are never exactly the
  same weight all around. Your tires will have
  slight weight imbalances or slight deviations in
  roundness (radial and lateral runout) at certain
  places. For instance, the valve stem hole
  subtracts a small amount of weight from that part
  of the wheel. Meanwhile, day-to-day tread wear
  causes cumulative changes in the weight
  distribution of the wheel assembly. In fact, your
  tires are no longer the same after the first mile
  of driving after leaving the factory.
• At high speeds, even small weight imbalances can
  translate to considerable imbalances in
  centrifugal forces that cause your wheel to spin
  in a heavy and uneven motion. This results in
  perceptible vibrations and uneven wear and damage
  on your wheels. That is why its imperative to
  have your wheels balanced periodically. Leading
  tire manufacturers recommend having your wheels
  balanced every 3,000-6,000 miles (5,000-10,000Km)
  of driving. Wheel balancing is also recommended
  after rotating your tires. Rotating your tires
  can prolong their lifespan and avoid a premature
  visit to your tire shop.

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• However, depending on your style of driving and
  road surfaces/conditions, you might find that you
  need the procedure done much sooner. If you are
  experiencing any or a combination of these
  symptoms, your wheels need balancing
• Your steering wheel vibrates at highway speeds
• Your seats or floorboard vibrate at highway speed
• Your tires display scalloped/cupped wear patterns
• Unnecessarily delaying tire repair procedures
  like wheel alignment and balancing can lead to an
  undesirable spiral effect of negative
  consequences. Here are the main benefits of wheel
  alignment and balancing especially in relation to
  your car performance
• 1. Better fuel efficiency
• When your wheels are no properly aligned or
  balanced, your car has uneven traction which
  causes the engine to work harder thus consuming
  more fuel. TMC's S.11 Energy Conservation Study
  Group has published an updated RP1111 that
  outlines the relationship between truck/trailer
  components and fuel economy. The report says that
  properly balanced tires can save as much as 2.2
  SAE J1326/RP 1102 Type II fuel.

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• 2. Better control
• Misaligned and imbalanced wheels compromise your
  ability to steer the vehicle. Wheel alignment and
  balancing can significantly improve vehicle
  handling especially on wet roads and when
  cornering. Unevenly worn tires are a recipe of
  disaster especially when they cause the car to
  pull to the right or to the left when braking.
• 3. Improve driving comfort
• Depending on the degree of wheel imbalance, your
  car can vibrate quite violently especially in
  modern lightweight vehicles which do not dampen
  vibrations caused by spinning wheels very well.
  Wheel balancing allows for a smooth and enjoyable
  ride for both the driver and passengers.
• 4. Save money on other repairs
• Purchasing a high quality set of new tires for
  your car is by no means a cheap undertaking.
  Unbalanced and misaligned wheels wear out much
  faster and need replacement sooner. But thats
  only part of the problem. Unbalanced wheels also
  place a severe strain on other vehicle components
  including the suspension system, wheel bearings
  and other drive-train components leading to early
  wear and additional replacement costs.

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Wheel Balancing Process

• Maintaining wheel balance is absolutely necessary
  to prolong the life of your tires and related
  components as well as ensure a smooth and safe
  ride. To diagnose and repair wheel imbalances,
  the repair technician uses a modern and highly
  accurate calibrated spin balancer that tests both
  static and dynamic aspects of balance.
• Advanced repair shops apply a technique known as
  road force balancing which, in addition to
  traditional spin balancing for vibrations and
  strange tire wear, also checks the wheels and
  tires for other conditions that might lead to
  vibrations. Most balancers achieve this by
  pressing a large roller against a slowly spinning
  wheel then reading out radial runout (deviation
  from perfect roundness) and tire pressure. This
  process is able to detect other wheel conditions
  such as belt separation (a situation where the
  tires steel belt delaminates from the
  surrounding rubber layers) and other match
  mounting issues. Road force balancers are able to
  do a precise job of marking the points to be
  matched. Consequently, less weight is required to
  balance the resulting assembly which is also able
  to spin straighter.

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• The next step involves fixing select weights at
  various spots on the rim to balance it. Lead
  weights with soft flanges and various
  denominations are knocked onto the edge of the
  wheel using a plastic hammer. This technique,
  however, does not work very well on alloy wheels
  as they do on steel wheels since they tend to
  break the expensive aluminum clearcoat. For alloy
  wheels, Tape-A-weights are preferable. These are
  strips of flat lead squares with a powerful
  adhesive each weighing about a quarter of an
  ounce. The weights are cut to size with clippers
  and stuck out of sight behind the spokes inside
  the barrel. Although the adhesive is strong
  enough and helps the weights to stay put in most
  ordinary driving conditions, duct tape is used by
  racing techies due to the excessive heat
  generated during a race that can melt the
  adhesive.

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Wheel Alignment Process

• The process of wheel alignment essentially
  involves squaring the wheels and axles together
  to ensure they move in the same direction. The
  cars manufacturer recommends the ideal
  suspension anglestoe, camber, thrust and
  casterthat influence tire movement and position.
  
• The exact type of alignment that your car needs
  mainly depends on the suspension and drive type.
  A four-wheel alignment is done on all-wheel drive
  vehicles or front-wheel drive vehicles with
  independent/suspended rear suspension systems.
  This type of alignment ensures that both front
  and rear axles are parallel, rectangle and
  perpendicular to each other. Four-wheel alignment
  machines incorporate a series of high-definition
  image sensors that measure multiple alignment
  angles on the wheels and compare the position and
  orientation of the wheel manufacturer data.
• Meanwhile, front-end alignments whereby only the
  front axle is adjusted are done on other types of
  vehicles that are not all-wheel or front-wheel
  drives.
• Once the alignment is complete, the repair shop
  will provide a printout that shows the images of
  the suspension before and after the alignment.

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Tire Shop Scams to Avoid

• They say good mechanics are worth their weight in
  oil. Unfortunately, not all automobile repair
  shops or tire shops are honest. Some unscrupulous
  ones will cut corners just to make a quick buck
  while others will charge for services but fail to
  include them in the repair procedure.
• Tires are a highly competitive market, and some
  dishonest dealers will offer low prices to make a
  sale while scamming you on the other hand to
  recoup their losses. Do not, therefore, choose a
  tire shop on the basis of price alone. Common
  tricks of the trade include
• Reusing parts such as valve stems instead of
  replacing them or performing basic wheel
  balancing instead of dynamic balancing
• The Rubber Manufacturers Association
  specifically states that an approved repair
  consists of a combination of plug and patch. Tire
  plugs used in isolation are not approved repairs.
  A crooked tire shop might charge you for a proper
  tire repair only to simply jam a plug into the
  tire

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• The mechanics might fail to rebalance your wheels
  after repairs. A chalk mark on the tire next to
  the valve stem is frequently a dead giveaway
• The tire shop might upsell you by forcing you to
  buy new tires when your current ones can be
  easily repaired
• The shop might lie about the state of your car
  and end up providing expensive and unnecessary
  repairs
• The dealership might fail to inform you about
  applicable rebates on your new tires
• Auto repair insurance scams range from claiming
  excessive supplies to claiming parts that go into
  someone elses vehicle
• Auto repair warranty scams usually take the form
  of falsified extended warranty claims especially
  when there is no one to verify that the claimed
  repairs actually took place

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• To avoid playing the fool to these shady
  businesses, you should always keep a close eye on
  the services that you receive. If possible,
  request a visual confirmation of any services or
  repairs rendered and compare it to the previous
  condition of the part. Carefully read online
  reviews before choosing a tire shop. Are they
  honest, timely and convenient? A good and
  reputable tire repair shop can not only save you
  a lot of money in the long run but also ensure
  the continued safety and peace of mind of you and
  your family.
• And when it comes to reputable tire repair shops,
  Autobahn leads the pack. Autobahn Tires pride
  itself to offer wheel balancing, tire balancing
  and rotation, tire repair, and other services
  that will put your car in top shape. With over 20
  years of experience in the industry, the company
  can also help you select high-quality tire brands
  for a variety of car makes/models, including
  Audi, BMW, and Mercedes among others. Whats
  more, Autobahn Tires cares about the safety and
  look of your vehicle and therefore offers a wide
  range of quality car accessories including step
  bars, automotive lighting, truck bed liners,
  customized floor mats, and truck bed rails among
  others.

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The End

• Find out more at -
• https//autobahntires.ca/shop/tires/
• https//autobahntires.ca/shop/wheels/
• https//autobahntires.ca/services/tire-repair/