Anyone who owns a car is familiar with the terms wheel balancing and wheel alignment. While these terms are generally used together, they mean two different things. Wheel balancing refers to the process of distributing the total weight of the wheel assembly and the tire equally between two complementary wheels. Wheel alignment, on the other hand, refers to perfectly aligning the wheels so that they are

• Parallel to each other and
• Perpendicular to the ground individually.

When to get the Wheel Aligned?

Irrespective of whether people buy new cars or used cars online, it is very important to check if the wheels of the car are properly aligned. Three indications which are a clear sign of improper wheel alignment are:

• The car gets pulled towards one side of the road instead of going straight if the wheels are not properly aligned. Hence while driving, it is very important to leave the steering wheel and then check if the car is going straight.
• When travelling on a straight smooth road, at a steady pace, the car starts to wander and wobble. Care must be taken to ensure that the rod ahead is absolutely flat without any sloping.
• The treads of the types of an improperly aligned wheel shows uneven wear and tear. This is perhaps the easiest and surest way to check if the wheels are properly aligned.

How to know if the Wheels are Balanced?

It is equally important to ensure that the wheels of a car are properly balanced especially when purchasing used cars online. This can be checked and confirmed from the below given signs:

• Travelling a high speeds gives rise to a vibration in the steering wheel which can be easily felt.
• Moving at a high speed will also cause the dashboard or the floor of a car to shake slightly but surely.
• The tyres show uneven patterns of wear and tear.

Importance of Wheel Balancing and Alignment

Wheel balancing and alignment are very important for

• Proper maintenance of the car tyres so that they do not need to be frequently changed and they have a prolonged life,
• The safety of the people present in the car and
• To have a safe tension free ride.

Hence in there is ever any doubt in the minds of car drivers and owners with regards to wheel balancing and alignment, they should take the car immediately to the car mechanic and get the problem sorted out.