Balancing Your Tyres

Have you noticed your steering wheel starting to wobble lately, when you reach a certain speed? It is often the first sign that your wheels may be out of balance. Out of balance wheels can result in premature wearing of suspension and steering components, rotating parts and tyres. What causes wheels to become out of balance? A small force, repeated rapidly and frequently, can cause serious damage. A car’s wheel, travelling at 60 mph, is making approximately four revolutions every second. Every one of those revolutions is producing a tiny shake, which is passed on to every part of the vehicle connected to it. This could be more than 14,000 little shakes an hour from just one wheel! Start adding the tiny shakes from the other wheels on the car. Multiply by hundreds of miles driven in a day. Then start factoring-in the holes, bumps, rocks and debris a car may face on the road. You can see the numbers grow. The vibrations described above are not felt when they are on the rear wheels, but are still contributing to mechanical wear-and-tear. This is why it has become a standard practice to balance every new tyre. Many vehicle owners get their wheels balanced at every rotation, not just every new set of tyres. Under average driving conditions, the experience of many thousands of motorists has shown that it is advisable to check tyre balance every time they are rotated (between 4 and 6,000 miles). Also, perform a balance after all repairs. If tyre balancing is only considered when there is a vibration, it may have already caused considerable stress to your vehicle. To keep your vehicle in order – Balance new tyres. – Check tyre balance whenever tyre rotation is performed- ideally at intervals of 4,000 to 6,000 miles. – Have any tyre that has been repaired, balanced. Keep your tyres in good order. Inspect them regularly to prevent wear and tear on your vehicle and to keep safe on the roads. For a tyre check, call into one of our Tyreland branches. We will be delighted to help you.