WHELL BALANCING & ALIGNMENT

   Are you a car owner or do you just steal your parent’s car once in a while, is your car bouncing on high speed, ever thought of wheel balancing and alignment? Here are some few tips that will guide you as long as you drive a car.

   Wheel alignment and Wheel Balancing are totally two different things, but many people often get them confused. 

   Wheel alignment consists of adjusting the angles of the wheels so that they are perpendicular to the ground and parallel to each other. The purpose of these adjustments is maximum tire life and a vehicle that tracks straight and true when driving along a straight and level road. 

   Wheel Balancing, on the other hand allows the tires and wheels to spin without causing any vibrations.  This is accomplished by checking for any heavy spots on the wheel-tire combination and compensating for it by placing a measured lead weight on the opposite site of the wheel from where the heavy spot is.

The symptoms of a wheel that is out of balance are:

• Vibration in the steering wheel at certain highway speeds.
• Vibration in the seat or floorboard at certain highway speeds.
• Scalloped or cupped wear pattern on the tires.

The symptoms of a car that is out of alignment are:

• Uneven or rapid tire wear
• Pulling or drifting away from a straight line
• Wandering on a straight level road
• Spokes of the steering wheel off to one side while driving on a straight and level road.

HOW DOES IT WORK

   Before your wheels are balanced, the mechanic check if the tire have appropriate air if not, he fills it up then takes it to the wheel balancing machine where he places the tire into a rod which he tightens so he can measure the tire inches for confirmation. The then feeds the machine with “wheels information” by spinning the wheel. While this is going on, the machine replies by instructing the mechanic to fix the appropriate weight on the tire in order to get 0.0.

   For your wheels to be aligned correctly, the alignment tools are fixed on the wheels while the car steering is position on a straight manner. If there is a slight problem, the tool will detect it thereby giving the mechanic a go ahead to correct the fault. 

  An average mechanic cost for aligning your car cost 500naira while Wheel Balancing cost 2,500naira per tire.

  If your car is not properly aligned or your wheels not properly balanced, it can lead to wearing off tires, wheel damages, and even accident which might lead to loss of life. It is advisable you visit your mechanic at least once every month to ensure safety. Ride on yo!!!