Wheel Balancing
HUNTER WHEEL BALANCING
HERE AT KMC PRO WHEEL SHOP WE OFFER ONLY THE BEST WHEN IT COMES TO WHEEL BALANCING
KMC is fitted with Hunter wheel balancing equipment so you’re guaranteed the most precise and accurate Wheel Balancing available when you come to us.
Wheel balancing ensures that the weight of the wheel and tyre is even around the axle, and is achieved by placing tiny offsetting weights at specific points around the wheel.
If you notice uneven tyre wear or tyre ‘wobble’ at 40 – 50mph, it is likely that your wheels need re-balancing.
DO YOU NEED YOUR WHEELS BALANCED ? WHAT ARE THE SIGNS?
An important aspect of tyre maintenance is ensuring the wheels are balanced. Wheel balancing involves adding weights to the rims to ensure the weight is distributed evenly across the wheels, but why does this matter?
Correctly balanced wheels provide a smooth ride for motorists and are important for ensuring safety on the road. There are several ways that wheels can lose their balance, but do you know the tell-tale signs? Here we look at what the symptoms of unbalanced wheels are:
One of the most common signs of unbalanced wheels is a vibration in the steering wheel when driving. Of course there are other reasons why your car may shake, but typically if your steering wheel shakes when you reach speeds of 50 – 55 MPH getting worse at around 60 – 65 MPH later disappearing at speeds higher, then you have unbalanced wheels.
Tyres are the only part of a vehicle which are in contact with the road. It is important that the weight of the vehicle is evenly distributed across the entire width of each tyre. If a wheel is not correctly balanced, then one side of a wheel will carry more of the vehicles weight leading to the wheel rotating unevenly forcing a vibration to be felt throughout the car.
Perhaps one of the easiest ways to identify unbalanced wheels is by looking for signs of uneven or excessive tread wear.
Uneven tread wear will be displayed as one area of the tyres tread having already worn out. In balanced tyres we would expect to see the treads wearing evenly throughout the circumference and across the width of the tyre. If only one section of the tyres tread is worn whilst the remainder of the treads look to be in good condition still, this is indicative of unbalanced wheels.
If you stand in front of your car a few feet away and look at the front tyres you would expect to see the full diameter of the tyre in contact with the road. If one side appears slightly higher than the other, then the wheel is not balanced correctly. As the tyres rotate at speed the uneven motion will cause the vibration to be felt and the tyre tread to wear out quickly.
Tyres that wear unevenly compromise the structural integrity of the tyre which could lead to a blowout. This is because the tyre is wearing thin in one place weakening the rubber.
As discussed above, an uneven rotation of the wheels can be felt through the steering wheel as a vibration. This can be problematic as it can impact your ability to steer in a particular direction if needed.
In the same way that incorrect tyre pressures can reduce fuel economy, so can unbalanced wheels. Wheels that rotate unevenly require more power from your car, more power in turn leads to an increase in the use of fuel.