Wheel Balancing And Alignment – What's The Difference?

Wheel balancing and alignment are often terms used interchangeably with each other. Despite both playing a vital role in your wheels' performance and the overall health of your car, though, they operate in two separate ways.

It's important to understand wheel balancing and wheel alignment as individual functions, even as a layman. Doing so will give you a better understanding of how your car operates, help you pick out when something's amiss, and better follow your mechanic's recommendations if either needs adjusting.

In simple terms, balancing addresses the distribution of weight around the wheel. Meanwhile, alignment looks at the position of the wheels in relation to the road and each other. What does that mean in practice, though? Let's take a closer look:

What Is Wheel Balancing?

Wheel balancing ensures that weight is distributed equally around the wheel and that the tyre rotates evenly. This involves adding small balancing weights to the rim, which counter any weight inconsistencies.

To help visualise it, imagine a set of balancing scales; when you add a heavy weight to one side, the scales will tip. If you then add a number of smaller, less heavy items to the other side, the scales will gradually tilt until they level out. Add too many weights to either side, and the scales will tip again.

Wheel balancing functions in the same way. If an imbalance towards one side of the wheel is identified, wheel weights are added to the opposite side to even out the distribution.

Do Wheels Have To Be Balanced?

Balanced wheels last longer, provide a smoother ride, and won't damage the rest of the car. Incorrectly balanced wheels produce a vibration that is felt throughout the entire vehicle.

You'll first notice this as heavy vibrations in the steering wheel when travelling above a certain speed. That causes profound discomfort as a driver or passenger over time. However, the rest of your car will feel it too, which can lead to:

• Premature wear on your tyres
• Damage to the suspension
• Less responsive steering
• Warping to the frame in severe, long-term cases

How To Fix Unbalanced Wheels

Wheels can be balanced at all Autofusion centres. In practice, a mechanic will mount the tyre and wheel assembly on a machine, which then spins the wheel to calculate even the slightest variance in weight distribution.

The balancing machine then highlights the exact position where a counter weight should be applied and which sizes to use to correctly balance the wheel.

Wheel Alignment

Wheel alignment involves checking the direction and angle of the wheels to ensure they remain parallel to one another. If they are not, this can lead to:

• Uneven tyre wear
• The car pulling to the left or right
• Unreliable braking
• Roll resistance in tyres, thus burning more fuel to propel the car
• Damaged or warped axles

Wheels generally become misaligned over time due to road conditions. Hitting a pothole, a curb, or even a speed bump can jar your vehicle and cause the wheels to become misaligned.

What Determines Wheel Alignment?

The correct alignment is determined based on the placement of the "toe", the "camber", and sometimes the "caster" angle.

• "Toe" refers to the front of the tyres and if they're closer or further apart than the rear of the tyres
• "Camber" describes the inward or outward tilt of the tyre
• "Caster" refers to the angle between the vertical and steering pivot axis. This can be adjusted by moving the suspension struts.

It's recommended that you have your car's alignment checked every year. Doing so can save you money long-term, as you'll be changing your tyres less frequently and spending less on fuel.

How To Fix Misaligned Wheels

Wheels can be adjusted using special alignment gear, which measures either:

• The front wheels (2-wheel alignment, also known as tracking)
• All four wheels in relation to one another (4-wheel alignment)

Generally, 4-wheel alignment has added benefits, such as:

• Resetting the steering wheel to a straight position
• Ensuring optimum performance
• Improving drive comfort

Hunter Hawkeye 4-wheel alignment machines are available in most Autofusion centres, which use a series of high-definition imaging sensors to measure 14 primary alignment angles on your wheels. The position and orientation of your wheels are compared against our vehicle manufacturer data, so your car's adjustment is precisely tailored.

After this, adjustments can be made to the tie rods and control arms to perfect the alignment. This works to specifically cancel out pull or drift to one side.

With an expert mechanic's help, you can ensure your car is properly balanced and aligned, so its lifespan is improved and your drive comfort is ensured.