What's Wheel Balancing? And why is it important to know that your wheel is balanced properly? Find out now by reading below!
Wheel balancing is important every time tires are mounted on wheels. This eliminates wheel & tire vibration problems. Wheel balance is controlled by the minimum radial and lateral run-out of the wheel rim, combined with a tire and tube assembly, mounted true on the rim and checked after fitting.
Wheel balancing provides a smoother ride by minimizing tire bounce. This helps improve traction, steering control and extends the life of the tires. But no matter how carefully wheels and tires are balanced, they will eventually lose their balance. As the tread wears, the distribution of weight around the circumference of a tire changes altering the balance of the tire and wheel assembly. Eventually the tire may have to be rebalanced because even only 1/4 ounce of imbalance can produce a noticeable vibration.
Out of balance wheels are a common cause of uneven tread wear. The whole wheel unit - tire, rim and drum or disc - must be in balance, both statically and dynamically for best performance results.
Dynamic unbalance can only be detected when the wheel assembly is rotating. Static unbalance may be detected when the assembly is rotating and/or stationary.
Static unbalance is usually felt as a vertical shake or fast vibration at speeds over 70km/hr. The whole vehicle or parts of its structure can be affected. Commons causes of static unbalance are heavy or light tread joins, or a flat spot worn by locked wheel skidding.
With static unbalance the 'heavy' spot will cause a freely-mounted wheel and tyre assembly to rotate so that the heavy spot stops at the lowest position. When an assembly with static out-of-balance rotates on a vehicle it tries to make the vehicle axle move up and down in time with the heavy spot. A static unbalance is simply corrected by placing correction weights on the rim flange diametrically opposite the heavy spot.
Static Unbalance is usually felt as a vertical shake or fast vibration at speeds over 70 km/h. The whole vehicle or parts of its structure can be affected. Common causes of static unbalance are heavy or light tread joins, or a flat spot worn by locked wheel skidding.
