Difference between wheel Alignment and wheel balancing

  • It's easy to understand why so many people confuse wheel alignment and wheel balancing.
  • They're both necessary for a smooth ride and to extend the service life of tires, but they're not the same process.
  • When performing a wheel alignment, we use sensitive computerized equipment to adjust the angles of the wheels.
  • So they're perfectly parallel to each other and perpendicular to the ground.
  • The end result is a vehicle that rolls down the road easier and uses fuel more efficiently. Proper wheel alignment also will help suspension parts last longer.
  • Aligning the wheels includes measuring and, if necessary, correcting three types of angles:camber,caster and toe
  • While in wheel balancing Imperfections, blemishes in the rubber, and damage to a tire or rim can throw a wheel "out of balance."
  • That means that one section of the tire or rim is heavier. When that's the case, the tire can wobble or even hop as it rolls down the road.
  • That effect often can be heard, as well as felt in the steering wheel.
  • To balance a tire, we use computerized equipment that identifies where wheel weights should be applied to the rim. Those weights are used to counter-balance.

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