Whenever you get a new set of tires or wheels, you want to have an expert to install and balance them – except you are an expert and have your own mount and balancing equipment.
What Do "Mount" and "Balance" Mean?
The mounting is self-explanatory-just, the act of installing the tire on the wheel and then installing the wheel on the axle.
The balance is a bit complicated. When the center of gravity is the same as the rotation axis, the wheels are in a balanced state. In other words, when the masses of the wheels and tires are evenly distributed on the axle, the tires will not vibrate when they rotate. An easy way to understand the concept of balanced tires is to think about the washing machine during the spin cycle. If the clothes are evenly distributed in the washing machine, there is no problem. But when things get unbalanced, it's an entirely different experience-you certainly don't want this to happen on your tires!
So how does balance work?
Spin balance
Your installer uses special equipment to analyze tires and wheels and find out heavy objects that may cause vibration during rotation. Put the tire and wheel assembly on the balancing machine and perform a series of diagnostic tests. The device recognizes the unbalanced position of the tire and wheel assembly. Then the technician corrects the unbalance by applying a small weight to the rim at a specific part to make the weight distribution uniform.
Road Force balance
While spin balancing spins the tire assembly in the air to find imbalances, a Road Force balancer simulates the road's force on a tire by pressing a large roller against the tire as it spins. The machine then measures the deviation from the ideal roundness so that the technician can balance the tire. The road force balance may be able to detect tire problems not found by the spin balance.
How an unbalanced wheel can make you uneven
If the wheels and tires are out of balance, it may affect the driving of the vehicle. If the vibration you experience starts at a 40-45 mph speed and worsens as the speed increases, then your tires may be out of balance.
Most of us are sensitive to vibrations when driving, and even small vibrations can be very annoying. Not only that-repeated vibrations can cause tires and wheel bearings, shock absorbers, and other suspension components to wear faster.
If the wheels and/or tires are not completely rounded, vibration can also occur. If there is a high point on the wheel and another high point on the tire and they happen to be aligned with each other, the high end will be more obvious. A trained technician can usually solve this problem by slightly rotating the tire on the wheel, so there is no longer a need to match high points.
Balance life
If you want to change to a new set of tires or just think you may need to balance the wheels, contact us. We will help you find the best fit for the service and product for you and your vehicle.
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