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If wheels are not balanced, the result could be uncomfortable driving,
and premature Correctly balanced wheels help to eliminate vibration and avoid premature
wear caused by an imbalance in the rotating wheel and tyre assembly.
Vibrations happen because of the structure of a wheel assembly. Two slightly
imperfect units are joined to form one complete assembly, and there is usually uneven weight
distribution - heavy spots cause the wheel to wobble from side to side.
This means that wheels need to be balanced using small weights that smooth
out weight distribution and stop the vibration.
The first sign that your wheels may be out of balance is when your steering
wheel starts to wobble above a certain speed. The light weight of modern cars means that
they don't dampen down the vibrations caused by spinning wheels in the way that older,
heavier vehicles could.
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Dynamic Imbalance: Occurs when there is unequal weight on one or both sides of the tyre/wheel assembly's lateral centerline, thus creating a side-to-side wobble or wheel shimmy.
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A driver may not always sense an imbalance at the steering wheel. It
could be present with but dampened by the vehicle weight. This is why balancing is
equally important for both front and rear wheels.
Wheels are balanced on a wheel balancing machine. The machine rotates
the tyre and wheel assembly and automatically calculates the weight and location of
the balance counter weight.
As a result of wheel balancing, you should notice a smoother
ride and better wear from your tyres, again saving you time and money.
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Static imbalance: Occurs when there is a heavy or light spot in the tyre so that the tyre won't roll evenly and the tyre and wheel undergoes an up-and-down motion.
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