Often, people lament the state of our roads and attribute the damage to tyres and other vehicle suspension problems. As much as this is true, there are other factors that can lead to same. Considering the economic situation, it has become imperative to save as much as feasible.
Proper and regular wheel alignment can save a fortune for vehicle owners. Wheel alignment and tyre balancing are one of the most common auto repair services offered by an average tyre service centre.
One of the reasons for this is that it is a vital part of maintaining your vehicle and the importance of wheel alignment and tyre balancing in relation to the life of the tyres on your vehicle cannot be underestimated. Whether your wheels have been aligned correctly and your tyres correctly balanced, directly impacts on how often you will have to change the tyres on your vehicle.
As all motorists are aware, purchasing a quality set of tyres can be of a relatively high cost so it is beneficial to take every measure possible to ensure that a set of tyres last as long as possible. This means it is important that when you purchase a new set of tyres and fit them to your vehicle, you should endeavour to have a wheel alignment done to ensure that excessive tyre wear does not occur. This will prevent premature wear on your tyres and save you from having to change your tyres unnecessarily.
Some motorists do not understand the importance of wheel alignment and tyre balancing and how this can affect tyre life, as well as possibly influencing other mechanical factors. This could precipitate a mishap.
The importance of wheel alignment
It is very important that motorists get their wheels aligned to maximise the lifespan of their tyres as much as possible. Tyres that have not been aligned properly are more prone to excessive tyre wear and will result in having to change your tyres a lot more frequently, resulting in you having to pay out costs that are unnecessary. Motorists will be able to tell if their wheels have not been aligned correctly when the vehicle will not move straight when the steering wheel is not being held. If this occurs, you should find a tyre service centre that can align your wheels as this could lead to some problems for your vehicle such as suspension, vibrations when you are driving.
When your tyres are not aligned, it can also put your safety at risk. Improper alignment of the vehicle’s wheels will also result in poor cornering and handling of your vehicle and this will make it less safe for the driver and its passengers, especially in wet conditions. Also, drivers will have to make more of an effort driving the vehicle when the tyres are not aligned as the vehicle will tend to steer to one side which will mean that the driver will have to constantly correct it when driving. This means it will always require an increase in concentration and effort in order to drive safely and especially with long journeys, can result in the driver becoming tired quicker and become unsafe for everyone.
Wheel balancing
You will need tyre balancing as soon as you purchase new tyres for your vehicle. This process is performed in order to ensure that all the tyres are balanced with the wheel weights to ensure the smooth running of each of the tyres. When there is an imbalance in your tyres, the steering wheel will rock back and forth as you drive, especially when you drive at a certain speed. When you notice this happening, you should contact a service centre to fix the problem straight away as it can be very dangerous to drive with imbalanced tyres.
You will be able to tell that your tyres are not balanced when certain tyres are wearing at a faster rate than others. This means that your tyres are imbalanced, and you will need to correct this as soon as possible. It is important that all your tyres are balanced because if they are not, you will start to feel vibrations when travelling at certain speed and this is very dangerous for the driver and its passengers. These vibrations also result in stress being created in the lower ball joints, axles and other essential parts of the vehicle. This increased stress on these parts will lead to them wearing faster and will mean you will have to replace these parts a lot sooner than you would have had to with balanced tyres.
Unbalanced tyres will also result in an increase in the tyre wear. This is because to compensate for the added stress on the tyres that the imbalance has created, the tyres start to wear from the edges, whereas with balanced tyres, they will wear from the middle. When this occurs, it will mean that you will have to change your tyres as they will no longer provide you with the necessary grip to drive safely.
So when you notice that either your wheels are not aligned correctly or there is an imbalance with your tyres, ensure that you find a service centre that you can trust to address the issue as it will result in an increase in excessive tyre wear and more particularly put yours and others safety at risk.
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