Optimising performance: Understanding wheel rotation, alignment, and balancing

A car is a complex machine made of several parts, all of which need to work in sync to keep it running. One such crucial part of cars is the wheels, which tend to face issues every now and then. If you are a car owner, then you must learn and understand certain aspects related to car wheels, such as wheel rotation, alignment and balancing. You can learn about these, along with the information on wheel balancing and alignment costs on this page.

What is meant by wheel alignment in cars?

Wheel alignment in cars refers to whether all four of its wheels are correctly aligned or not. Improper wheel alignment can lead to serious issues, including negative effects on suspension, faster tyre wear and tear, and improper handling experience while driving.

What are the signs of improper wheel alignment?

There are certain signs that can notify a car owner or driver about improper wheel alignment. Some of the common signs are:

1. Steering wheel vibration: While some car steering wheels may vibrate a bit, excessive steering wheel vibration when driving at higher speeds can be a telltale sign of improper wheel alignment.

2. Car pulling to one side: Another sign of improper wheel alignment is the car pulling to one side.

3. Irregular car tyre wear and tear: If you notice irregular wear and tear on your car tyres, it can be a sign of improper wheel alignment.

What is meant by wheel balancing?

Unlike wheel alignment, wheel balancing refers to the alignment between the weights of different wheels and tyres of a four-wheeler. If one tyre and wheel weigh differently than the others, it can lead to improper wheel balancing issues. It can impact the quality of driving and cause damage to your car’s suspensions.

How to correct wheel alignment and balance?

Both improper wheel alignment and balance can be fixed by taking your car for repair at a workshop. Here’s how these issues can be fixed:

1. Correcting improper wheel alignment: The technician will work on the caster angle, toe angle and camber angle and adjust them accordingly to fix issues with car wheel alignment.

2. Correcting improper wheel balance: The technician will take off all the tyres, and place them one by one on a computerised wheel balancer, which will check the weight of each tyre and analyse the anomalies. It will then show where counterweights need to be placed on the wheel to correct wheel balance.

In general, the wheel balancing and alignment cost can range anywhere between INR 1,000-1,500.

What is wheel rotation?

Wheel rotation in a car refers to the periodical changing of position of each tyre on your vehicle. This leads to better performance and tyre life and can be done by 4-wheel rotation or 5-wheel rotation methods.

Conclusion

Now that you know about what wheel alignment, balance and rotation are, you can have a better time and experience as a car owner, especially during maintenance. The overall wheel balancing and alignment cost is pretty cheap, so make sure to keep them in check every now and then.