Is Wheel Balancing Necessary After a Wheel Alignment?
2 Answers
Wheel balancing is not necessarily required after a wheel alignment. However, if you replace or repair a tire, and the tire is removed from the wheel hub and then reinstalled, wheel balancing must be performed. Without wheel balancing, the vehicle may experience noticeable tire vibration at certain speeds. Wheel alignment involves adjusting the geometric angles of the tires, steering, suspension, and other components to ensure proper contact between the tires and the road. The installation of the vehicle's four wheels, steering mechanism, and front and rear axles should maintain specific relative positions, as specified by the manufacturer. Adjusting and restoring these positions is what wheel alignment entails. Wheel balancing, on the other hand, corrects the balance of the wheel (tire and hub assembly) to ensure concentric motion. Due to manufacturing variations, the mass distribution of a wheel is not perfectly uniform. At high speeds, this can lead to dynamic imbalance, causing wheel wobble and steering wheel vibration. To prevent or eliminate this phenomenon, weights are added to the wheel in dynamic conditions to balance the edges.
Wheel alignment adjusts the angles between the wheels and the car body to maintain proper direction, which is crucial for preventing uneven tire wear and improving handling. Dynamic balancing, on the other hand, focuses on the weight distribution of the tires and rims to ensure they rotate evenly, avoiding steering wheel vibrations or body shaking at high speeds. Although alignment and balancing are two different things, you don't necessarily need extra balancing after an alignment unless you feel the car is unstable or has abnormal vibrations. Having driven many cars, I've found that if the technician doesn't check the balance during alignment or if you've recently changed tires, vibration issues might not be resolved. It's best to check both whenever you replace tires or notice vibrations to avoid long-term tire wear or safety risks. Additionally, performing both during regular maintenance saves time and money, as imbalance can increase fuel consumption, which isn't worth the trade-off.
