Raleigh drivers know the importance of staying on top of vehicle maintenance, however, life gets busy and it’s easy to forget necessary car services, like keeping wheels aligned and balanced. Typically, tires see a gradual wear and tear over time, so it’s easy to miss just how bumpy and uneven your driving experience is. With the team at Hendrick Chevrolet Buick GMC Southpoint, learn more about wheel alignment and balancing. When it’s time to get service, easily schedule your service online.
When it comes to wheel alignment and balancing, Cary drivers will need a wheel balance more often. Wheels naturally lose their balance over time. This unbalance leads to the steering wheel shaking or vibrating, and can cause safety issues as drivers are on the road. Continuing to drive on unbalanced wheels leads to the tires developing varying levels of wear, as part of the tire becomes heavier than the other.
Not only does balancing the wheels help extend tire life, it also minimizes the potential for tire bounce, and improves traction and control for a smoother ride on Durham streets. Drivers should stop into their Buick, Chevrolet, GMC service center every 5,000-6,000 miles, or approximately every 6 months for wheel balancing.
When comparing wheel balancing vs. wheel alignment, Chapel Hill drivers will find that alignments are only needed on a case by case basis. Also known as a front end alignment, a wheel alignment is performed to ensure the tires are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the road.
Unaligned wheels can lead to the tire tread becoming excessively uneven, and further wear and tear to the tires. Unalignment can even lead to further safety concerns by causing steering issues. It’s important for drivers to check their wheel alignment if an issue is detected as improper alignment can cause vehicle pulling and unwanted drifting when driving.
When wheels are unbalanced, technicians bring back balance by clamping weights on the inside of each wheel to equally distribute weight around the wheel. To identify when the vibrations and imbalances are occurring, the tires are attached to a machine that rotates the tires, then the weights are clamped around the rims until the wheel begins spinning smoothly again.
If we compare symptoms of wheel balancing vs. wheel alignment, they both result in excessive and disruptive vibration. However, if the vehicle also pulls to the left or right, that means there’s uneven wear that needs to be corrected with an alignment. Often caused by driving on uneven roads, catching the curb, or other factors, mechanics perform a wheel alignment by measuring the camber, toe, and caster of each tire. Those measurements help them change the way the tire tilts to the outside, inside, front, and back, giving drivers a safer, smoother ride.
To stay safe on Chapel Hill roads, drivers should schedule their wheel alignment or wheel balancing when there are signs of uneven riding. Contact the team at Hendrick Chevrolet Buick GMC Southpoint to learn more about wheel and tire care, and take a look at our other service tips and tricks so you’re ready for any challenge on the road.
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