Wheels and Tires – Page 14

You're not alone. Many drivers are unsure what the difference between alignment and balance is. Before we go into detail, briefly. An alignment ensures the wheels on the same axle are precisely in sync with the other. A tire balance ensures that the weight of the tire is distributed evenly. Let's look into this in more depth: the telltale signs that indicate which procedure is needed and the consequences of not getting the problem fixed. What Do They Do? Wheel Alignment An alignment will recenter your wheels so your vehicle will sit properly on the tires. Often driving over a pothole will upset the balance. Three wheel alignments are needed to make your car sit correctly on the road. ToeCamberCaster If the toe is out, the car pulls to one side - sometimes severely. Toe relates to the tire's position compared to the other on the same axle. Camber is the angle of the wheel. If you look at both tires from the front, they should sit on all the treads. Bad camber results in the car being more on the inner or the outer tire. Caster is difficult to establish by looking but relates to the tire's position within the wheel well. A wheel that is only a few mm further back than the other wheel on the same axle can cause rubbing when turning. Tire Balancing Balancing is about the tires themselves. The goal is for all your tires to be the same weight all over to not drag lower in one spot. During wheel balancing, the mechanic will go through and add weight to the unbalanced spots in your tires. It's worth inspecting your wheels to see if the rim has lost a weight. Often they fall off, and it's easy to tell because the area around where the weight was is dirtier or faded. What Are The Signs Your Wheels Need Realigning? Car Pulling Your car pulling to one side or another is a sure sign that your wheels are unaligned. If your wheels aren't working together, they will pull your vehicle slightly off the center. Squealing Tires Squealing noises. Tires are a sign that you need to have the wheels aligned. Your wheels are hitting the road at the wrong angle or rubbing against the wheel well. Poor Gas Mileage If you notice that your gas mileage is not as good as it typically is, your misaligned wheels may be the culprit. Generally, though, the drop off in MPG is very small. Misaligned wheels work against each other and pull your car in slightly different directions instead of straight. This increases your car's workload resulting in poor gas mileage. What Are The Signs Your Tires Need Rebalancing? Uneven Or Rapid Tire Wear Rapid tire wear or tires that aren't wearing evenly often show that your tires need rebalancing. If one side of your tires is heavier, it'll lead to extra wear on the tires and eventually to your vehicle blowing a tire completely. Vibrating Steering Wheel When Accelerating If your steering wheel is vibrating when accelerating, you should check to see if unbalanced tires are your problem. Unbalanced tires can lead to your steering wheel shaking as you speed up because your tires are no longer rolling the way they are designed to. What Parts Can Wear Out If Not Done? Your tires are the main concern and would be the first things that would need to be replaced if you continue to drive your vehicle while misaligned or unbalanced. A new set of tires can cost you $200 on the lower end and upwards of $1000 on the high end. Even $200 can be a substantial setback, and no one wants to throw around unnecessary money, so keeping up with wheel alignments and balancing is the way to go. It can also be unsafe to ignore alignment or balancing issues because it can lead to your vehicle blowing a tire. Any other parts of your vehicle that your tires are now rubbing against will also eventually need replacing, as it will lead to them wearing out more rapidly. Suspension problems can arise, too, as more stress is being placed on one side of your car than the other. Shocks and struts on the affected tire or wheel will cause it to wear out quicker. A steering wheel shake comes from the tires, shocks or struts, and the steering linkage. These parts will fail sooner if the tire or wheel problem is not fixed. How Do You Tell If You Need Alignment Or Balancing? It can be hard to tell if your issues are caused by the need for a wheel alignment or unbalanced wheels. As with most vehicle issues, the easiest route is to take your car to a trusted mechanic and have them tell you which one needs to be addressed. If your vehicle pulls to one side of the road while you drive or your steering wheel is prone to tilting off-center, a wheel alignment is most likely what you need. Many visitors also read this article: Do Rear Tires Need To Be Balanced? [COMPLETE ANSWER] Should You Balance Your Tires Before An Alignment? Balancing your tires and having them realigned are different processes for different issues, so in general, balancing your tires before an alignment is not necessary. Unless your tires are unbalanced, then there is no need to have them balanced before every alignment. While your car is at the service shop for an alignment, you can ask them to check to see if your tires also need to be balanced. Generally, if your car isn't pulling to one side, the tires look that they are sitting on all the tread - exhibited by one area of the tire wearing quicker than the rest - and they aren't rubbing as you turn; your alignment is fine. In Conclusion Wheel alignment and tire balancing are different adjustments.Tire balancing is always done when new tires are fitted.Wheel alignment is done when a car pulls to one side, wears tires unevenly, or rubs when turning.Tire balancing will not interrupt the wheel alignment. However, an alignment can - rarely - affect an existing tire balance. Many mechanics will check tire balance after a wheel alignment. Many visitors also read these related articles: New Tires Balanced But Still Vibrating – Check These Out How Long Do New Tires Take To Put On? [ANSWERED]