Tire Balance and Alignment - Relative But Not The Same |
|---|
|
Steven Magill
16 January 2013
Both tire balance and tire alignment is vital elements for the safe operation of a vehicle. Their maintenance is also equally essential to the integrity of the tire. A balanced and aligned set of tires will critical to a vehicle's steering operation. Otherwise, they will not only be a problem to the vehicle's running behavior, they will also cause the fast deterioration of the tires themselves.
However, balance and alignment are actually two distinct operational conditions of tires in a vehicle's mechanical system. While they are obviously relative, they serve different purposes and thus have distinct signs when they are not met.
Balance
Tire balance is actually wheel balance since it is actually the wheel that is directly attached to the mechanical system of the vehicle. However, the tire has to be mounted on its when to determine balance. Technically, a balanced tire is one where mass of the tire, when mounted on its wheel and the vehicle's axle, is uniformly distributed around the axle, which is its center of rotation. An alarming of sign of an out-of-balance tire is when the driver of passenger feels vibration while the vehicle is running on a smooth flat road. The driver in particular will notice a wobble in the steering maneuver at certain speeds. For alloy wheels, this could be a sign alloy wheel refurbishment is necessary.
Balance can be achieved mainly in two ways: static and dynamic balancing. Static balance is measured by a static balancing machine where tires placed in vertical axis on a non-rotating spindle tool. The spot of the tire with the greatest mass will be acted upon by gravity deflecting the tooling downwards. The magnitude of imbalance is determined by the amount of deflection. Its corresponding angle indicates the angular location of the imbalance.
Dynamic balance on the other hand is the forces generated by asymmetric mass distribution when the tire is rotated, particularly in high speed. The tire and wheel are mounted on a balancing machine assembly which upon fitting will be accelerated to a speed of 300rpm or more. Sensors will then measure the forces of imbalance while the rotation is on.
In both cases, the mechanic will attach small pieces of lead on the predetermined spots of the wheel rim as revealed during the test. These lead pieces will in effect correct the tire's balance disparity. Lately however, environmental concerns have caused the gradual shift of use from lead to zinc.
Alignment
Just like tire balance, tire alignment is also relative to the position of the wheels, especially the two front ones. The purpose of maintaining alignment is to minimize tire wear and to make sure that vehicle travels in a straight path with the two opposite wheels geometrically parallel to each other.in trajectory. They should not be angled inward or outward there would be serious consequences on the maneuverability and tire condition.
To implement proper alignment, a professional mechanic would refer to the manufacturer's specification of that specific car. Factors like recent alloy wheel repair may also be considered. He will then adjust the tire positioning according to three criteria: camber, toe and caster. Camber refers to the angle at which the car tires lean away from the center of the car while toe is the angle where the front of the tire is pointed inward from straightforward and caster is the angle that the center of the steering axis is pointing forward. Mechanics will then position the vehicle and use specific tools to achieve these criteria according to specifications and, in the case of sporting vehicles, according to the driving requirements of the driver on board.
There shall henceforth be no more confusion between tire balance and alignment. They are distinct properties of one a functioning system.
Tire Balance and Alignment - Relative But Not The Same
Both tire balance and tire alignment is vital elements for the safe operation of a vehicle. Their maintenance is also equally essential to the integrity of the tire. A balanced and aligned set of tires will critical to a vehicle's steering operation. Otherwise, they will not only be a problem to the vehicle's running behavior, they will also cause the fast deterioration of the tires themselves.
However, balance and alignment are actually two distinct operational conditions of tires in a vehicle's mechanical system. While they are obviously relative, they serve different purposes and thus have distinct signs when they are not met.
Balance
Tire balance is actually wheel balance since it is actually the wheel that is directly attached to the mechanical system of the vehicle. However, the tire has to be mounted on its when to determine balance. Technically, a balanced tire is one where mass of the tire, when mounted on its wheel and the vehicle's axle, is uniformly distributed around the axle, which is its center of rotation. An alarming of sign of an out-of-balance tire is when the driver of passenger feels vibration while the vehicle is running on a smooth flat road. The driver in particular will notice a wobble in the steering maneuver at certain speeds. For alloy wheels, this could be a sign alloy wheel refurbishment is necessary.
Balance can be achieved mainly in two ways: static and dynamic balancing. Static balance is measured by a static balancing machine where tires placed in vertical axis on a non-rotating spindle tool. The spot of the tire with the greatest mass will be acted upon by gravity deflecting the tooling downwards. The magnitude of imbalance is determined by the amount of deflection. Its corresponding angle indicates the angular location of the imbalance.
Dynamic balance on the other hand is the forces generated by asymmetric mass distribution when the tire is rotated, particularly in high speed. The tire and wheel are mounted on a balancing machine assembly which upon fitting will be accelerated to a speed of 300rpm or more. Sensors will then measure the forces of imbalance while the rotation is on.
In both cases, the mechanic will attach small pieces of lead on the predetermined spots of the wheel rim as revealed during the test. These lead pieces will in effect correct the tire's balance disparity. Lately however, environmental concerns have caused the gradual shift of use from lead to zinc.
Alignment
Just like tire balance, tire alignment is also relative to the position of the wheels, especially the two front ones. The purpose of maintaining alignment is to minimize tire wear and to make sure that vehicle travels in a straight path with the two opposite wheels geometrically parallel to each other.in trajectory. They should not be angled inward or outward there would be serious consequences on the maneuverability and tire condition.
To implement proper alignment, a professional mechanic would refer to the manufacturer's specification of that specific car. Factors like recent alloy when repair may also be considered. He will then adjust the tire positioning according to three criteria: camber, toe and caster. Camber refers to the angle at which the car tires lean away from the center of the car while toe is the angle where the front of the tire is pointed inward from straightforward and caster is the angle that the center of the steering axis is pointing forward. Mechanics will then position the vehicle and use specific tools to achieve these criteria according to specifications and, in the case of sporting vehicles, according to the driving requirements of the driver on board.
There shall henceforth be no more confusion between tire balance and alignment. They are distinct properties of one a functioning system.