Importance Of Wheel Balancing and Wheel Alignment In Safe Driving

Road safety authorities always give much importance and attention to aspects of vehicle maintenance like tire safety. As vehicle issues contribute to road accidents and crashes, it is important to pay attention to the components of the vehicle.

Wheel balancing and wheel alignment are aspects that are often neglected by vehicle owners. These aspects are confused most of the times and little to no attention is given to the importance of aligning and balancing wheels. However, both wheel balancing and wheel alignment contribute to the tire life and are important factors that ensure road safety.

You may do the car air conditioning service at regular intervals, but might not remember about aligning and balancing the wheels. There can be many auto repair shops in your area that claim to balance and align wheels. However, you need to find a shop that has skilled technicians and proper equipment to do the same.

Proper wheel balancing is required to allow the wheel to spin without any vibrations. This is done by checking for the presence of any heavy spots on tire wheel combination and compensating for the weight by installing a measured lead weight on the opposite side of the heavy spot.

Wheel alignment involves adjusting the angles of all the four wheels to make them parallel to each other and perpendicular to the ground. The purpose of wheel balancing and wheel alignment is to maximize tire life and to make the car track straight and true while driving along a level and straight road.

Dangers of Driving with Unbalanced Wheels
Some of the important dangers of driving a car with unbalanced wheels are as follows.

• Unbalanced wheels will result in a vibration that can negatively affect the handling and can make it uncomfortable to drive the car.
• Unbalanced wheels can place much stress on the wheel bearing and the components of the suspension.
• In extreme cases, steering components can be damaged and all the parts might fail prematurely.
• Increases need for extra energy and can cut down the mileage of the vehicle.

Note that if your car wheels are not properly aligned and balanced, it can lead to premature wearing and decrease in tire life. Moreover, ignoring the symptoms can prove to be expensive and even dangerous.