It’s always nice to feel like you’re in charge of what you’re doing, and this has never been more important than when you’re driving a car (or any vehicle for that matter). It is very important for a driver to feel like they have control over how their vehicle moves. And tyres, which are the parts of a car that touch the road, play a very important role in giving the driver that confidence MOT Leamington Spa,.
Here’s Why Your Car’s Wheels Aren’t Lined Up Right
Car care has always been about spending a little time and money now and then to avoid having to pay a lot more later. The same is true for making sure your tyres are in good shape. So, today we’re going to talk about the three most important parts of taking care of tyres: wheel alignment, wheel balancing, and tyre rotation.
Wheel Alignment
What Does Wheel Alignment Mean?
People often think that the alignment process involves making changes to the wheels. Wheel alignment is the process of adjusting the car’s suspension so that the tyres make contact with the road at the right angle.
What Makes Alignment Go Wrong
- Having a sudden impact on the road
- Running into a pothole at high speed
- Minor crashes or hitting a curb
- Quick turns
How do you know if the alignment of your car is off?
- If the steering feels unusually heavy on one side of your car and it’s hard to keep it going straight even when you’re driving slowly. Basically, your car keeps running to one side of the road by accident.
- If the steering wheel starts to make a lot of noise
- If you see dents in the tyres’ treads, you should replace them.
How do you fix misalignment?
Reflective Panels for Wheel Alignment
Misalignment is when the angle of your car’s tyres is different from the straight line they should be in. So, in order to fix it, the technician mostly cares about three things:
Caster angle is the angle between the axis of the steering and the vertical axis of the wheels that are being turned. This has to do with keeping the car stable and balanced while steering. To fix misalignment, the mechanic usually finds the right balance between a positive caster angle and a negative caster angle.
Camber angle: This is about adjusting the angle between the vertical axis of the wheel and the vertical axis of the car when viewed from the front.
Toe Angle: This is the angle that the tyres make with the vehicle’s longitudinal axis as they move outward or inward, as seen from above.
Once all three angles are back in sync, the wheels are in the right place.
Wheel Balancing
Steel Wheel Balancing
Wheel balancing is all about how the wheel and tyre fit together. It means to fix the difference in weight between the wheel and the tyre. Wheel alignment and balancing are always done together so that the weight and alignment stay in sync.
Keeping the weight of the wheel and tyre in balance is important for a smooth and stable drive, less wear on the tyres, and no vibrations. Unbalanced tyres make it much more likely that the wheels and suspension will get damaged.
How do you balance wheels?
- Step 1: Take off all four tyres and set them on a comseterised wheel balancer.
- Step 2: Each of the four wheels is checked for a weight imbalance by itself, and the comseter simulates all the specific problems.
- Step 3: Fix the weight difference by setting the counterweights on the rim exactly where the comseter tells you to.
- Step 4: If the wheels are still out of balance, they are checked again.
- P.S. : If you need to use more than 100 gms of counterweights for a single wheel, you might want to think about getting a new rim or tyre.
How often should you have your wheels aligned and balanced?
Wheel alignment and balancing should be thru every 6000–8000 km on average and when getting a new set of tyres.
Change the tyres
Change the tyres on an Audi Q5
Now, you should also have this done when you take your car in for alignment and balancing.
No matter if a car has front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, four-wheel drive, or all-wheel drive, the tyres never wear evenly on all four wheels. The pressure on the front two tyres is always higher because the car is constantly turning and stopping, and most of its weight is in the front.
So, if you want all four tyres to wear at the same rate, it’s best to switch tyres between the front, back, and spare wheels.
There are two ways to rotate a car’s tyres: four-wheel and five-wheel. Both have different designs for cars with front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, and all-wheel drive.
Rotation of Four Wheels
Front-Wheel Drive
The front wheels should be set on the rear hubs that match up with them. The hubs of the front wheels are then crossed with the hubs of the back wheels. For example, the front left wheel goes on the back left side, and the back left wheel goes on the front right side.
All-Wheel Drive and Rear-Wheel Drive
The back wheels should be set on the front hubs that go with them. The hubs of the front wheels are then crisscrossed with the hubs of the back wheels. This means that the left wheel of the back will go on the left side of the front, and the left wheel of the front will go on the right side of the back.
Rotation of Five Wheels
Front-Wheel Drive
The front wheels should be set on the hubs of the back wheels that match up with them. The back left wheel is then used as the spare wheel, and the spare wheel is set on the front right wheel’s place. The front left wheel is then replaced by the back right wheel, and the rotation is finished.
Rear-Wheel and All-Wheel drive
The front wheels are set on the hubs of the back wheels on opposite sides. The back left wheel is then set on the hub of the front left wheel, and the spare wheel is set on the hub of the front right wheel. The spare wheel is then replaced by the right rear wheel, and the rotation is finished.
Tyre rotation is very important if you want your tyres to last longer and work better Vehicle Servicing Leamington Spa.
To know more, do reach out to us.
