Wheel Alignment

The Importance Of Keeping Your Wheels Balanced

Under normal circumstances, you should be able to drive along roads smoothly and comfortably. On the other hand, if you experience abnormal vibrations in steering or have a really bumpy ride, you need to get your tyres and wheels checked out. If your tyres are in good condition, then you probably have a problem with wheel balancing or wheel alignment.

You should visit your service centre as soon as possible to have the problem corrected quickly to save on costly repairs. Outside of being a very uncomfortable ride, imbalanced or misaligned wheels will damage other components, reduce your fuel efficiency and cause your tyres to wear out very quickly.

Causes Of Wheel Imbalance Or Alignment Issues

The problem might be obvious when you are driving at a moderate speed on standard roads, but when you get on a motorway and start driving around 50 mph or higher, you will experience a bumpy ride or your steering will start wobbling. If your steering wheel starts wobbling, you have an issue with your front tyres. If passengers in the back seat are experiencing vibrations, then your problem is with your rear tyres.

The problem could be hidden if you have a heavy vehicle or carrying a heavy load in comparison to a lighter vehicle. The problem could also be disguised by a vehicle with a good quality suspension. It’s really important that you regularly have your wheel balancing and alignment checked every time you bring your vehicle in for a service. Make sure you have your tyres rotated when needed and make sure they are changed out when required by the manufacturer.

Issues Caused By Imbalanced Wheels

Bad Wheel Alignment

Your tyres will wear out unevenly and their life span will be much shorter. Your riding experience will become worse as time goes by.

Your suspension and steering components will wear out faster and be under a great deal of strain.

On top of that, your rotating components will wear out very quickly and your overall safety will be seriously compromised.

 

The Advantages Of Keeping Your Wheels Balanced

You will experience a smooth, comfortable ride.

Your car’s operations such as corning, handling and your grip will be at their best which will ensure more safety.

You will save on fuel and not be compromised.

Your tyres will wear out as predicted by the manufacturer, not ahead of time, reducing their normal cycle of life.

How Wheels Are Balanced

Cars Country Road

Keep in mind, imbalanced wheels will be much heavier on one side than the other. The wheels will not rotate uniformly or evenly and start wobbling. The wobbling will increase the faster you drive. When you drive with imbalanced wheels, you will eventually damage your suspension which will cost a lot for repairs.

When you bring your vehicle in, the service centre uses a special machine. The machine will rotate the wheel and when a problem in balancing is detected, it calculates the correction that is needed. The mechanic will apply the right counterweight on the lighter side to balance the wheel. If the mechanic discovers balancing is not the problem, they will check for wheel alignment issues.

There are several circumstances that can cause misalignment such as driving too fast on poorly maintained roads, driving over potholes, driving too fast over speed breakers or miscalculate and hit the pavement. Wheel balancing and alignment issues will arise by similar incidences. Only a qualified expert will be able to diagnose the problem in order to fix it. This is why it’s really important when you bring your car in for maintenance, you have your wheels and tyres thoroughly checked out.

Tyre patterns will show when you are having problems. Usually, a tyre on a misaligned wheel will wear out on just one shoulder. Misalignment causes the tyre to wear out much faster than the other tyres. Also, imbalanced wheels tend to wear out in patterns that are rounded or cupped. What might be defined as scalloped patterns or marks and, some times run along the entire circumference of the tyre and balding appears on the tyre between the centre of the tread and outer edge.

You should check your tyres regularly to see if patterns are forming but, further investigating and diagnosing any abnormal wear and tear should be conducted only by an expert. If you are experiencing problems in ride quality, have noticed unusual tyre noises or wear to a tyre, take your car to a certified mechanic as soon as possible.

If you have any queries about the wheel alignment of your vehicle or think the alignment is incorrect, contact Lowton Motor Company on 01925 320468 or get in touch through our online booking form below to get your wheel alignment in our Birchwood branch booked as soon as possible!

Wheel Alignment

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