What is the purpose of wheel balancing for cars?
1 Answers
Wheel balancing primarily serves the following purposes: enhancing driving comfort, reducing fuel consumption, extending tire lifespan, ensuring straight-line stability of the vehicle, minimizing wear on chassis suspension components, and improving driving safety. Wheel balancing refers to the equilibrium between the wheels when the vehicle is in motion. Typically, wheel balancing involves the installation of balancing weights. A car's wheel is an assembly consisting of a tire and a rim. However, due to manufacturing imperfections, the mass distribution across this assembly cannot be perfectly uniform. When the car's wheels rotate at high speeds, this can lead to dynamic imbalance, causing symptoms such as wheel wobbling and steering wheel vibration during driving. To prevent or eliminate this phenomenon, it is necessary to correct the balance of the wheel's edges by adding counterweights while the wheel is in motion. This correction process is known as dynamic balancing, commonly referred to as installing balancing weights. The balancing weights are made of lead alloy and are measured in grams, such as 5g, 10g, 15g, etc. Although they are relatively lightweight, they generate significant centrifugal force when the wheel rotates at high speeds. Each balancing weight features a steel hook that can be clipped onto the edge of the wheel rim during installation.
