30 Jan The Tire Balancing Act: Car Maintenance Do’s and Don’ts
When it comes to car maintenance, early detection and preventative care can be key to preventing costly repairs. For example, do follow the factory-suggested timelines for service. Don’t ignore minor issues or changes to your driving comfort, stability, or steering. Be sure to add tire balancing to your car maintenance routine to prevent vehicle safety concerns arising from unbalanced wheels. Let’s look more closely into the details.
What Is Tire Balancing
Tires must distribute the vehicle’s weight evenly across their circumference while they rotate for stability. Tire balancing ensures the tire spins smoothly without bouncing, vibrating, or wobbling. The precision of tire balancing is crucial since even minor imbalances can lead to unbalanced wheels, negatively impacting ride quality and vehicle safety. (Also, please note that tire balancing differs from wheel alignment.)
What Causes Unbalanced Wheels?
Many reasons can cause unbalanced wheels. Some common reasons include:
- Driving Style
- Improper Installation
- Manufacturer Flaws (tire or rim)
- Normal Wear and Tear
- Poor Road Conditions
- Tire Damage
- Undiagnosed Suspension Issue
- Wheel Damage
- Worn Steering Components
How Is Tire Balancing Done?
Your technician mounts your wheel and tire to a special machine that measures the tiny movements while spinning. The machine calculates these motions into the corrective actions needed to create balance. In most cases, the technician can add or adjust existing weights to the rim to balance the tire. However, there are times when the tire and wheel have heavy spots in the same location. In these circumstances, the tire has to be remounted in a different position to correct the weight of the unbalanced wheel.
Vehicle Safety
Balanced tires contribute to your safety, vehicle performance, and ride comfort. Tire balancing improves handling, increases the longevity of your tires, and improves vehicle safety. Unbalanced wheels create uneven tread wear and impaired steering due to distracting vibrations felt in the steering wheel.
Do Schedule Routine Maintenance
Routine maintenance on your vehicle’s tires is one of the wisest investments you can make to extend their lifespan. Read your owner’s manual for your vehicle’s factory-recommended service intervals.
Don’t Wait For Problems
It is important to remember that tires require balancing whenever someone mounts them to a rim. If you experience wheel vibrations, uneven tread wear, or need tire repairs, ask your service technician to check for unbalanced wheels. Don’t wait for minor issues to develop into major problems before scheduling an inspection. Your service technician can quickly spot mechanical failures, worn components, and other signs before they turn into expensive repairs.
Warning Signs Of Unbalanced Wheels
You don’t need to be super familiar with automobiles or know how they work to spot these warning signs of unbalanced wheels:
- Accelerated Tire Tread Wear
- Humming or Thumping Noise While Driving
- Poor Fuel Economy
- Rough Ride
- Steering Wheel Vibrations
- Vehicle Instability (while steering or stopping)
Car Maintenance in Plymouth Meeting, PA
Plymouth Auto & Tire works on all vehicle makes and models. We are recognized for superior service on light-duty Honda, Toyota, and Ford trucks by NAPA, AAA, and the local BBB. We love to provide valuable information to our customers on how and why you should schedule routine car maintenance. Maintaining your vehicle safety protects your car from expensive repairs and replacements. Our ASE-certified staff are here to provide quality service at an affordable price.
Schedule Tire Balancing
Call us at (610) 825-6558 to discuss your car maintenance or vehicle safety concerns. We can schedule a tire balancing appointment if you suspect wheel imbalance, or do an inspection to uncover the cause of your problems. To schedule your appointment on our website click here.