Wheel Alignment and Tire Balancing: Why are they important?

Copyright (c) 2014 Crawfordville Auto and Tire

Tire balancing and wheel alignment are some of the most common auto repair services offered by technicians. When you buy new car tires, you may consider performing a wheel alignment. Having an alignment done can save you a lot of costs in the long run.

The importance of wheel alignment

Having a wheel alignment done will help to significantly increase the life of your new tires. During the wheel alignment, the steering and suspension of your vehicle is going to be adjusted in order to ensure that the tires don't wear out overtime. Alignment is also important because it ensures the car handles corners smoothly.

Wheel alignment is needed overtime because as you drive, your car's steering and suspension systems are pushed causing the ball & socket joints, bushings and other mechanical links to wear out. This makes the alignment deflect from the factory specifications. If nothing is done to improve the alignment, your car will have poor cornering and handling which also makes the tires wear out.

There are basically 3 types of wheel alignment angles: camber, toe and caster. The camber angle measures whether the top of the tire is tilting outward or inward due to worn ball joints or severely worn out wheel bearings. The toe angle affects the car's tires and steering wheel. If the angle is in or out too far, your tires will begin to wear out quickly and the steering wheel will look crooked. The caster angle is what is responsible for the steering wheel returning to its original position when you make a turn.

Importance of tire balancing

You'll need tire balancing as soon as you buy the new tires. This process is performed to ensure that all the tires balance with wheel weights to facilitate smooth rolling of the tire. When there's an imbalance, the steering wheel will rock back and forth as you drive especially when you reach a certain speed.

When you take your car to the auto technician for tire balancing, they'll mount it on a rim and then use a machine that is designed to spin the tires and check the location of imbalance and how severe it is. Once the problem is fixed, the technician will spin the tires again using the machine to ensure the tires are properly balanced.

Tire imbalance can occur when the rubber that is used in making it wears off overtime. That is why it is important to check your tires for imbalance every 6 months and ensure they are rebalanced. Tire imbalance can cause severe accidents especially when the car is driven at fast speeds.

Tire balancing and wheel alignment can be done together. These services will help you to avoid budgeting for new tires soon. Even though they can be pretty expensive, they'll prevent serious accidents and increase the service life of your car. Just ensure you visit a well known auto repair shop and find a technician who is skilled and equipped to offer these services.


----------------------------------------------------
At Crawfordville Auto Care, we recommend factory maintenance once every 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first during which we advise you on any minor or major engine repair work. We also carry out systematic fuel system cleaning to help you get the best of your mileage. http://crawfordvilleauto.com