Picture this – you are driving along the highway and there is not a vehicle in sight. You channel your inner Schumacher and want to race your way to the next stop. As you speed up, however, your steering wheel wobbles and you struggle to hold it steady. The steering wheel and the seat start vibrating and you decide to slow down. It is, in case you have not figured out already, the result of your wheels being out of balance. This is also where a wheel balancer comes into the picture.
What Is It?
Wheel balancing, also known as tyre balancing, is a process wherein the weight of the tyre and the wheel assembly is balanced evenly. It is done using a wheel balancer and it ensures that the weight of the wheel is evenly distributed while it rotates and turns. A perfectly balanced wheel makes sure that the vehicle runs smoothly even at very high speeds.
What are the Signs of an Unbalanced Wheel?
If the steering wheel starts wobbling whenever you try to drive at high speeds, it could be a sign of your wheels being out of balance. Sometimes, the driver’s seat also tends to vibrate, making it uncomfortable for you to hold the wheel steady. Uneven tyre wear is also another important sign of unbalanced wheels.
What Happens When the Wheels are Unbalanced?
Firstly, you cannot drive at high speeds as both the steering wheel and the seat are likely to wobble and vibrate badly. Secondly, and most importantly, if the wheels are out of balance, it could lead to premature wearing of not just the tyres, but the suspension and steering components as well.
The most important thing to be remembered here is that there is no such thing is a small or large imbalance in wheels. Even the tiniest of imbalances in weight could be magnified due to outward force when you drive at high speeds and can cause the tyre and wheel assembly to spin unevenly.
How Does Wheel Balancing Work?
The wheel to be balanced is fitted on a wheel balancer and spun at a high speed. The balancer detects and tells if there is any imbalance and if so, the exact location. It also determines the precise amount of weight that needs to be added to balance the wheels. Once it is determined, small strips of weights are added to balance the wheels.
Back when steel wheels were predominantly in use, bang-on weights were hammered on to balance the wheels. Now, as alloy wheels are in vogue, adhesive backed weights are stuck to the spokes to balance the wheels.
The most common type of balancing equipment used today, not just in Australia but in many other parts of the world as well, is the dynamic balancer, which is also known as the spin balancer or the computer balancer. The equipment is fully computerized and the whole process of detecting imbalances and determining the weights needed does not take more than a few seconds.
The best part about a computerized wheel balancer is that it takes guess work completely out of the equation. The machine gives the answers to the only two questions you ever need to ask when it comes to wheel balancing – where is the imbalance and how much weight is required to balance it out? Once you know the answer to these questions, the actual process of balancing the wheels becomes a lot easier.
The wheel balancing machines available on the market today are highly advanced and make the process of wheel balancing and weight placement considerably easier. The balancers are ruggedly built – generally with high-quality steel – and are embedded with the latest of technologies to detect wheel imbalances. At the same time, you do not have to be a computer expert to be able to operate these machines. They are very user-friendly and can be operated easily with minimal training.
Wheel Balancing in Australia
There are a number of tyre and auto service shops in Australia that are known for their expertise in wheel balancing and alignment. Armed with the latest wheel balancer machines and highly trained staff, they can get the job done in a fast and efficient manner. Many of these shops also offer generous guarantee packages on the products they supply and install and also on their workmanship.
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