Car alignment and balancing are two crucial processes for the safety and efficiency of a vehicle. Although many car owners may not realize it, keeping these two aspects up to date is essential to ensuring safe and comfortable driving.
In this article, we will explain the importance of car alignment and balancing and how these processes can affect your vehicle’s performance.
What is car alignment?
Car alignment refers to adjusting the angles of your wheels to ensure that they are perpendicular to the ground and parallel to each other. This process is performed to ensure that your wheels are pointing in the same direction, which helps prevent uneven tire wear and poor vehicle performance.
Why is car alignment important?
Car alignment is important for a number of reasons, including:
• Safety: A misaligned car can be difficult to control, especially in adverse driving conditions such as rain or snow. Proper wheel alignment helps ensure that the car responds properly to the driver’s maneuvers, which can help prevent accidents.
• Fuel economy: A misaligned car may require more effort to move, which can increase fuel consumption. With proper alignment, a car can be more fuel efficient, which can help save money in the long run.
• Tire life: A misaligned car can cause uneven tire wear, which can lead to a shorter tire life and therefore higher costs in the long run.
What is car balancing?
Car balancing refers to the even distribution of weight around the axle of the wheels. This is done by adding lead weights or removing rubber mass from the inside of the wheel. This process helps ensure that the wheel rotates smoothly and without vibration, which can improve the comfort of the driver and passengers and extend the life of the tires.
Why is car balancing important?
Car balancing is important for a number of reasons, including:
• Comfort: An unbalanced car can cause noticeable vibrations in the steering wheel, driver’s seat, or other parts of the car. Proper wheel balancing can help ensure a smooth, comfortable ride.
• Tire life: An unbalanced car can cause uneven tire wear, which can lead to shorter tire life and therefore higher costs in the long run.
• Safety: An unbalanced car can cause steering problems, such as loss of control at high speeds. Proper wheel balancing can help prevent these problems and keep your car safe to drive.
Car alignment and balancing are important procedures that must be performed regularly to ensure the safety and good performance of the vehicle. It is recommended that these procedures be performed every 10,000 km driven or every six months, whichever comes first. In addition, it is also important to perform the alignment and balancing whenever there is any impact on the wheels or suspension of the car, or when you notice any vibration in the steering while driving. Therefore, do not neglect the maintenance of your vehicle.