How Should I Go About Balancing My Wheels?
Check for wheel balancing regularly and schedule your wheel rotation and balancing at 15,000km intervals.
The wheel balancing procedure begins by removing any existing wheel weights from the rims and mounting your wheels on a static or dynamic road-force balancing machine. The technician will spin your tyres to identify the points which cause your wheels to wobble. Weights are fixed to the uneven sides of the wheel to help counteract heavy spots, which are the cause of the tyre’s imbalance.
Every time you fit a new tyre to your car, the wheel assembly must be balanced to ensure even weight distribution and rotation.
Wheels and tyres are never exactly the same weight all the way around – even a tyre’s stem hole (the self-contained valve that is used to inflate a tyre), subtracts a little bit of weight from one side of the tyre causing imbalance. At high speeds, even a tiny weight disparity can become a large imbalance in outward force, causing the wheel and tyre assembly to spin in a heavy and uneven motion.
Wheel balancing is crucial for safe driving and money-saving as it enables you to:
- Reduce the chances of accidents caused by skidding
- Ensure a smooth and comfortable drive
- Diminish tread wear which increases the life of your tyre and saves on maintenance costs
- Prevent costly wheel bearing and suspension damage to your car
- Improve fuel economy by promoting driving efficiency