What are Wheel Alignment, Balancing and Rotation?

Posted on: Mar 9, 2022 | | Written by:

What are Wheel Alignment, Balancing and Rotation?

Your car is a system of interconnected parts. If one part turns out not to be working alright, it will be just a matter of time before the problem would start appearing in other parts of the car too. One of such important parts is the wheels. They are the limbs of the car. Things can quickly get out of hand in case of incorrect wheel alignment. The alignment of the wheels becomes an important factor when it comes to tyre health and affects your suspension. Hence, to ensure passenger safety and reduce the cost of car maintenance, your car must be in optimum working condition. Regular servicing also ensures that the premiums you pay for your comprehensive car insurance are also low.

What are wheel alignment, balancing and rotation?

Wheel alignment, balancing and rotation are three elementary things that ensure that your tyre works in the best condition. These techniques make sure that your tires go a long way with minimum wear and tear, be it for your brand new car or old one.

A. Wheel Alignment:

Wheel alignment refers to the act of adjusting the wheels in a proper alignment so that they run on the road smoothly. The adjustment is made in the vehicle’s suspension- the system that connects the vehicle to its wheels.

Proper alignment plays an important role in the dynamics of the vehicle in motion. Alignment makes sure that the geometry of the Camber, Toe, and Caster are in proper angles with each other. Improper alignment will cause irregular wear and tear on the tyres and can also be felt at the steering wheel.

If your vehicle took a hit recently, or you noticed abnormal wear on your tyre, or you are facing issues in handling the steering wheel or you have changed the steering wheel, make sure to get your wheel alignment checked.

B. Wheel Balancing:

The wheels are the only link between your vehicle and the road and to keep them safe from irregular wear and tear, balancing is crucial. When the wheel rotates, improper balance causes it to wobble, which can be felt at the steering wheel. The formal term for the wobble is ‘shimmy’. Shimmy can cause severe effects on suspension ball joints. And the wear and tear of the ball joint cause a rattling sound. At higher speed and vibration, uneven balancing causes severe wear and tear impact and impact ball joints.

Wheel balancing is done by adding counterweights or clipping the wheels on the unbalanced side of the wheel.

C. Tyre Rotation:

Wheels need to be regularly rotated to ensure there is uniform tread along with a comparatively longer and better tread life. In most cases, front tyres are subject to a much higher level of pressure than the wheels at the rear due to the fact that most vehicles in the modern era have a configuration for front-wheel-drive which adds a constant weight of the gearbox and the engine. Also, vehicles with all-wheel-drive as well as rear-wheel-drive configuration tend to wear out the front tyre more than the rear ones mainly because of steering and brake concerns.

This often results in diverging degrees of the pressure that is exerted. To lower this excessive wearing of the front tyres, periodic rotation of wheels is recommended.

There are two ways of rotating one’s tyres-

a. 4 Wheel Rotation Method

b. 5 Wheel Rotation Method

Why should you get your wheels aligned, balanced and rotated regularly?

Wheels are an important part of your vehicle connecting the rest of the roads as you drive on and ensuring a smooth drive. That is one of the crucial reasons why you should pay attention to the condition of tyres and make sure that they are always giving their best performance.

If the wheels are not aligned, balanced, and rotated regularly, it can lead to excessive wear of the tyres and require an expensive repairing service. You can easily avoid that high expense with regular maintenance and keep the premiums low on your comprehensive car insurance.

How good wheel-health can affect the Car Insurance Premium?

Most car insurance plans do not cover wheel balancing, alignment and rotation. However, you may have the option of purchasing a Tyre Cover Add-On. Comprehensive car insurance provides you with cover from any risk. And when you make modifications it might either increase the risk or secure the car. Depending on that, the car insurance premium might increase or decrease. For example, if you upgrade your wheels with broad wheels or alloy wheels, it might increase the chance of theft due to which the insurance premium goes up.

Nevertheless, tyre rotation, wheel alignment, and balancing keep your tires in good health. Good wheel health can not only keep your car in a good condition but also increase insurance coverage. Regular maintenance of the wheels will ensure that the premium that you are paying is lower owing to the good condition of the wheels.

Conclusion

Motor experts believe that the recent trends of lightweight suspension systems and lower profile tyres have made wheel alignment and balancing more prone to an imbalance in comparison to the older heavier cars. Improper wheel balancing and alignment will negatively impact the performance of your car.

Besides being a safety hazard, it will also affect the tyre tread and stability and markedly reduce the vehicle’s fuel efficiency, which would heavily impact the overall performance of the car.

Vibrating steering wheel, uneven tyre wear, or pull are all signs of improper wheel alignment. Your car might become a risk factor on the road. If you notice any of these factors, visit your nearest motor repairing garage and get your vehicle checked. Accident or damage caused to the car due to negligence is mostly excluded from the coverage of comprehensive car insurance. Keep performing a safety check from time to time to ensure that your car is as safe to drive as you think.

Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purpose only. For more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.

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