Why wheel balancing is necessary?
If the tyre balance is maintained, it provides smooth ride because balancing is a key component in tyre wear. Wheel balancing minimizes the tyre vibration and bounce. So as a result it perks up traction, steering control and increase the life of tyres.
Doesn’t matter if you have a brand new set of tyres which are fitted to your car, after weeks and months of wear, they eventually lose their balance. As soon as the tread wears, it happens that the allotment of weight around the circumference of a tyre tend to change which results in altering the balance of the tyre and wheel assemblage. And tyres are slightly out of balance with one-another, at this point tyres need to be rebalanced (as 1/4 ounce of imbalance can produce a detectable vibration). Wheels and tyres which are out of balance create vibrations which become gradually worse when the vehicle’s speed is increased. The vibration normally starts at 40 to 50 mph and as the speed increases, it becomes gradually intense. But usually, it depends on the size and weight of the tyres and wheels, and also on the size and weight of the vehicle, as well as the sensitivity of the steering along with suspension, and the amount of imbalance.
Wheel balancing machines classify the point to fit a counterweight in order to smooth out the vibrations that mostly take place when joining a wheel and tyre unit together. Therefore because of wheel balancing, what you will get? Off course a smoother ride and better wear from your tyres, it will also save your time and money. Most people’s knowledge of balancing is confined only to car wheels and tyres that must be balanced before fitting to cars.
CHECK WHEEL BALANCE
If vibration problem occur when you increase the speed of your car then checking balance of your car tyres becomes crucial, it is advisable to take your vehicle to repair / tyre shop where it will be determined whether the vibration is due to balancing of wheels or some other factors like, they can also check the steering and suspension, for any other problems, that cause a vibration or shake. Very often the wheel / tyre assemblies on a vehicle are in balance but still the vibration is felt.
Here are some of the other causes of vibration:
- Bent wheel
- Tyre out of round (radial or lateral run out)
- Wheel-to-axle mounting error
- Inconsistent tyre sidewall stiffness (force variation)
- Brake component wear or failure
- Drive train or engine component wear or failure
- Suspension wear or failure
- Wheel bearing wear or failure
- Wheel alignment is out
In case if the problem lies with the tyres, the solution is to rebalance them in order to eradicate vibration. To balance tyres and wheels correctly, accurately calibrated wheel balancer is required to fix the problem. Calibrated wheel balancer, if it is accurate and up to date can achieve both static (at rest) and dynamic (in motion) balance. Bubble wheel balancers which are quite old fashioned now can achieve static balance, but spin balancer helps to get dynamic wheel balance. Spin balancers are important for contemporary larger, wider heavier tyres and rim packages, as well they are equally indispensable for run-flat tyres that have usually thicker and stiffer sidewalls.Todays wheel balancers are able to pick up vibrations at much lower speeds (only 100 rpm, or 10 to 15 mph), they have graphical displays which make the information easy to read and easy to understand as well as data entry for wheel’s width and diameter also saves time. You should have your wheels balanced any time whenever your tyres are repaired or rotated.
Types of imbalance
A tyre or rim which gets Imperfections, blemishes in the rubber can throw a wheel “out of balance.” Which makes the one section of the tyre or rim heavier than the other sections. Due to this heaviness, the tyre can wobble or even jump as it rolls down to the road. Wheel balancers are used to identify where wheel weights should be applied to the rim. Those weights are used to balance any heavy spots.
Below is a picture which will help you to know what this means, there is a heavy spot on your wheel. A heavy spot prevents tyres from rotating in a tightly focused circular motion. Vibrations, poor handling, lower gas mileage, and uneven tyre wear is mainly caused due to Weight differences of less than an ounce. The balancing system directs a technician to put a counterweight on the rim’s outer exterior to offset the unevenness. When the balancing system tests for almost perfect weight distribution, the assembly is in balance and it will not vibrate.
There are three types of imbalances:
Static Imbalance – this Occurs when there is a heavy or light spot in the tyre that prevents the tyre from rolling consistently and this causes the tyre and wheel to experience an up-and-down motion. This creates a hop or vertical vibration. This imbalance is corrected only in one axial plane.
Couple Imbalance – is where the mass axis intersects the running axis. This type of imbalance is usually corrected in two planes.
Dynamic Imbalance – this Occurs when there is unequal weight on one or both sides of the tyre/wheel assembly’s lateral centerline, this creates a side-to-side wobble. This imbalance is corrected in two planes.
As a conclusion, it is highly recommended to keep track of your vehicle health and have regular/routine checkups of your vehicle. It will save you money, save your car and most important thing this provides safety for you and your family.
