Wheel alignment and rebalancing
Wheel Alignment
Incorrect alignment can result in rapid irregular tyre wear and can even affect the handling and safety of the vehicle.
Wheel alignment can be affected by driving against a kerb, hitting a pothole in the road or by excessive wear to steering or suspension components. Alignment of wheels and tyres to the specification required by your vehicle is an important way to guarantee a smooth ride and to get the most out of your tyres.
The direction and angle at which tyres are set are both important. Wheel alignment or 'tracking' involves checking the direction and angle against vehicle manufacturers' specifications. These are often described as toe in, toe out, positive camber or negative camber.
"Toe" refers to whether the front of the tyres are closer or further apart than the rear of the tyres. Different types of vehicles need different toe settings to allow for the way that wheels pull either towards each other or apart. "Camber" is the inward or outward tilt of a tyre. The camber is set by the vehicle manufacturer, and can be affected by potholes in the road and may need to be adjusted periodically.
It's worth keeping an eye out for unusual wear on your tyres, such as premature wear on the inside or outside shoulder, which could be caused by an incorrect camber setting.
Here are examples of the different types of incorrect wheel alignment that can have a negative effect on your driving:
Wheel Balancing
Wheels that are not balanced or are out of balance generally produce a vibration that is uncomfortable to drive in and results in premature wearing of suspension and steering components, rotating parts and tyres. Correctly balanced wheels help to eliminate vibration and avoid premature wear caused by an imbalance in the rotating wheel and tyre assembly.
The first sign that your wheels may be out of balance is when your steering wheel starts to wobble above a certain speed. The light weight of modern cars means that they don't dampen down the vibrations caused by spinning wheels in the way that older, heavier vehicles could. A driver may not always sense an imbalance at the steering wheel. It could be present with but dampened by the vehicle weight. This is why balancing is equally important for both front and rear wheels.
Wheels are balanced on a wheel balancing machine. The machine rotates the tyre and wheel assembly and automatically calculates the weight and location of the balance counter weight. As a result of wheel balancing, you should notice a smoother ride and better wear from your tyres, again saving you time and money.
