he workshops and tire dealers are equipped for wheel balancing for cars, motorcycles and light transport: but what is tire balancing specifically ?
Let’s find out together in the article.
What is tire balancing
Wheel balancing is a technical process that tire specialists carry out every time they remove and refit the tire from the rim : the special equipment is able to measure the non-roundness of a wheel up to the precision of a tenth of a millimeter. But why is such accuracy needed?
The goal of the technicians is to eliminate the imbalance that derives from the tire / rim coupling : this allows to achieve maximum driving comfort and vehicle stability.
What are the types of tire imbalance?
Static and dynamic balance of car tires
Wheel imbalance can be of 2 types, i.e. static or dynamic :
- static– concerns the hopping of the wheel vertically and sends a vibration, especially on the bodywork and under the floor
- dynamic– relates to the wobbling of the wheel transversely and sends annoying vibrations to the steering wheel
What causes the imbalance ? Imperfections in the roundness of tires or rims, even for newly produced products, despite the very high technological level now achieved by the manufacturers.
Damage to the vehicle due to lack of balance
Creating something perfectly round is still impossible and if not well balanced the entire wheel system (rim + rubber) can produce annoying vibrations on the steering wheel, on the floor or on the chassis, especially at certain speeds.
The greater these imbalances, the greater the vibrations to the car; the faster you go, the more disturbed you will drive.
There are also erroneous driving behaviors that affect the wheel system imbalance:
- constantly taking deep holes;
- touch the sidewalks do not slow down on the bumps, especially squared;
- brake sharply, because you will flatten the tread in one place only.
Once an imbalance has been created, you will then need to take the car to the tire dealer for the balancing procedure.
How to balance car wheels
The balance of the wheel system is restored by applying counterweights to the rims both on the outside and inside, in order to obtain perfect dynamic balancing.
It is important to consider that the wider the wheel, the more essential a good dynamic balance is; furthermore, for aesthetic reasons, adhesive weights are applied behind the spokes on the alloy rims, in order to balance the wheel dynamics without showing the weights externally.
Because? Standard weights can ruin the paint, as well as being quite unsightly.
After the visit to the tire dealer, try the car: if the steering wheel vibrated before, or the tires were replaced, now everything must be back in place; otherwise, it is advisable to return immediately to the operator to report the anomaly, without traveling too far.
