Problems About Alloy Wheel Imbalance

Wheel balancing usually involves readjusting the weight of your car wheels. It's the process of making sure that the tires and wheels rotate with no vibrating sounds. It's useful for vehicles since it allows for smooth driving in your car, prevents your motor from working so hard, gives you complete control over your vehicle while driving and allows you to save lots of money in terms of repair. Unbalanced tires usually cause stress on shocks, bearings and many other parts of the wheel.

Wheel balancing involves supporting the wheel on a balancing machine that rotates it to detect the heavy part. To balance the alloy wheels, a lead weight is placed on the lighter side. This form of balancing is static balancing. Dynamic balancing on the other hand involves reading rotating tires as they move on the road. This method has precise results. There are different signs that your vehicle is not balanced correctly:

Vibrating sounds.

The vibrations usually occur when you drive at high speeds on your steering wheel, in the seat or on the floor of your car.Vibrations also occur when the lead balancing weight falls off, due to bent wheels, unaligned wheels, out of round tires, errors in wheel-to-axle mount, failure or wear to the brake component, drive train, suspension and wheel bearing. If the vibrations do not stop after balancing the weights, check the locking lugs.

There are different types of vibrations. If the imbalance is on the front wheels, the vibrations are felt on the steering wheel. If vibrations are on the seat, then the imbalance is on the back wheels.

Buzzing noise

Due to the vibrations from the car, a buzzing sound is produced. This sound increases when driving at high speeds.

Wear of tires

Imbalance usually causes unusual wear on alloy wheels. The tires have a pattern that's scalloped occurring along tire wedges. Normally tire wear pattern is across the tread.

Flat spots

Imbalance causes flat spots on the alloy tires. If your tire weights, used to balance tires, are missing then your tires are not balanced properly. To prevent this flat spots, rotate your alloy tires regularly. Whether your tires have the flat spots or not, rotating them ensures they last longer. If the tires are new but have the flat spots, the mechanic could 'true' it. This usually involves, cutting off the rubber and rounding the wheel again.

Brake problems.

If when you put on your brakes, your car tends to jerk to one side, then the alloy tires are not properly balanced. This could also be caused by pressure problems though.

If after balancing your alloy wheels the vibration does not stop, you could check out this other problems; wearing out of suspension parts and bearings on the wheel hub, an improper adjustment of the wheel hub or brake components having problems. If you balance all the four wheels, driving is much smoother. Your wheels having been balanced, your tires wear and tear evenly, your car performs better and you get the satisfaction driving smoothly brings.