Wheel balance is checked on a wheel alignment & balancing machine that can sense as little as 1/4 ounce (i.e. 7 grams) difference in weight around the wheel. Some might say, why worry about such an insignificant mass on a wheel that weighs many kilos? Well, that tiny amount of weight is traveling very fast around the axle: hundreds of times a minute which creates enough momentum to cause vibrations. And when you multiply by 4 wheels, the wobble really adds up. Experts at service centers follow some standard procedures that we have mentioned below:
- Tire and wheel removal
- Mounting each wheel on a state-of-the-art balancing machine
- Spinning each wheel to make sure the weight of the wheel and tire are balanced evenly around the axle
- Detecting and locating any imbalance both static and dynamic (i.e. wheels checked, both at rest and motion)
- Attaching a lead weight on the opposite side of the tire to compensate for weight differences
- Remounting tires and wheels
How long does it take to get a wheel alignment done?
Most of the front and rear wheel alignment can be achieved in about 30 minutes to an hours time. Even though at the service center, you may hear engineering jargon like castor, camber, and toe but wheel alignment actually is a pretty straightforward operation. Your car will be driven onto a platform that allows the wheels to spin while the rotation and orientation of each wheel are assessed by a computer. Specifications will be checked electronically for the year, make, and model of your car. If these specs are off, an adjustment will be made to each appropriate wheel until they match up properly. Your vehicle will likely be test-driven both before and after the alignment.
How often you should get wheel alignment and balance done?
Wheel alignment and balancing should be done after every 6000-8000kms on an average and while getting a new set of tyres.
Now, this is something that you should also get done while your car is in for alignment and balancing. Tyre wear is never uniform on all four wheels whether it is a Front-wheel drive, Rear-wheel drive, Four-wheel drive or All-wheel drive car. The front two tyres always take a greater beating as they are subjected to more pressure due to constant steering and braking and also due to the offset of most of the weight to the front of the car.
Hence in order to have uniform wear of all four tyres, it is advisable to interchange tyres between the front, rear, and spare wheel. There is a Four-wheel and Five-wheel rotation methods for doing a tyre rotation. Both have different patterns for Front-Wheel, Rear-Wheel, and All-Wheel drive cars.
Four-Wheel Rotation
- Front-Wheel Drive
The front wheels are to be installed on their corresponding rear hubs. The rear wheels then, in turn, are crisscrossed with the front hubs i.e the Front-left wheel goes onto the Rear-left side and the Rear-left wheel will go on the Front-right side.
- Rear-Wheel and All-Wheel Drive
The rear wheels are to be installed on the corresponding front hubs. The front wheels then, in turn, are crisscrossed with the rear hubs i.e the rear left wheel will be installed on the front left side and the front left wheel will be installed on the rear-right side.
Five-Wheel Rotation
- Front-Wheel Drive
The front wheels are to be installed on their corresponding rear wheel hubs. The rear left wheel is then used as the spare wheel while the spare wheel is to be installed in place of the front right wheel. The rear right wheel then goes in place of the front left wheel and hence the rotation is completed.
- Rear-Wheel and All-Wheel drive
The front wheels are crisscrossed and installed on the opposite rear wheel hubs. The rear left wheel then gets installed on the front left wheel hub while the spare wheel gets installed on the front right wheel hub. The rear right wheel then goes in the place of the spare wheel and hence the rotation is completed.
Tyre rotation is very crucial for ensuring the long life and better performance of the tyres. Wheel Alignment and Wheel Balancing, Tyre Rotation, and Periodic Tyre Replacement are crucial services that require professional help. You get expert mechanics and technicians, industry-grade workshops and equipment. 100% genuine OEM and OES spare parts specific to your car.
