KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Wheel alignment saves uneven wear and tear, extends tyre life and saves replacement costs
- It reduces rolling resistance, helping you save on fuel
- It should be checked after every 10,000-15,000 km
Your car's wheels are the foundation of it, they are the only point of contact between your car and the road. Despite being such a critical part, the wheel alignment and balancing are often overlooked by most of the owners. They only notice when usually something goes wrong like uneven tyre wear, steering wheel pulling on one side and vibrations at high speeds. So, in this article, we've got you covered regarding what wheel alignment and balancing mean, why they are essential, and how it works. However, before moving ahead make sure to join the 91Wheels WhatsApp community to never miss out on any automotive updates.
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What is Wheel Alignment And Balancing?
Wheel alignment is a process of adjusting the angles of your car's wheel to the manufacturer's recommended specifications. It ensures that all wheels are aligned at the same point, preventing uneven tear and handling. On the other hand, wheel balancing usually deals with the direction, it ensures that weight on the tyre is evenly distributed. Even a small imbalance can cause vibrations and uneven wear and tear.
Key Aspects of Wheel Alignment
- Camber: The inward or outward tilt of the wheels, when viewed from the front, while too much inward or outward tilt refers to the negative and positive camber. This usually happens due to worn bearings, ball joints or other wheel suspension.
- Toe: Unlike the camber, in the Toe, tyres turn inward or outward when you look from above. Toe-in means the front tyres are closer to each other than the rear tyres, while toe-out is the opposite.
- Caster: The caster is the angles of your steering axis which helps in balancing, stability and cornering. A properly aligned caster ensures good response from the steering and straight-line stability. If you have a positive caster, the steering axis will tilt toward the driver. Negative caster, on the other hand, means the steering axis tilts toward the front of your vehicle.
Why Regular Wheel Alignment and Balancing is Crucial?
So, we Indians tend to ignore maintenance until the doomsday arrives. Similar is the case with wheel alignment and balancing, we tend to assume that these are only necessary when we start facing issues but regular maintenance can save us costly repairs. Here are a few points why it is essential:-
- Prevents Uneven tyre Wear: Misaligned tyres exert unequal pressure on the tyre surface, causing one side to wear out faster than the other. This will end up replacing your tyres more frequently than usual, which will be harsher on your pockets.
- Improves Fuel Efficiency: Misaligned wheels create more resistance, forcing the engine to work harder, and burn more fuel. Properly aligned tyres can save thousands on fuel.
- Enhances Stability and Safety: Usually, misalignment of wheels pulls your car in one direction, making it a bit harder to control at high speeds.
- Reduce Stress on Steering and Suspension: When you drive with misaligned wheels, they put extra stress on suspension and steering, which can lead to premature wear and tear of any expensive part. So, by keeping the wheels aligned you're protecting your car's suspension.
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Verdict
Regular wheel alignment and balancing are not just about a smoother ride, they are essential for safety, fuel efficiency, and long-term cost savings. Many car owners overlook these crucial maintenance checks until problems arise, but timely servicing can prevent expensive repairs. Make it a habit to check alignment and balancing every 10,000-15,000 km or if you experience vibrations, uneven tyre wear, or steering pull.
