- 30-01-2025
Wheel Alignment Vs Wheel Balancing: What Is the Difference?
Your car requires regular maintenance to ensure its longevity and improved performance. Wheel alignment and wheel balancing are two essential vehicle maintenance tasks but are often confusing. While they sound similar and are often performed together, they serve distinct purposes and handle different problems in your vehicle. Understanding these differences is critical for safe driving and for extending the lifespan of your tyres and suspension system. In this blog, we will dive into the topics of wheel alignment and wheel balancing and see why they are necessary for the health of your car.
What Is Wheel Alignment?
Wheel alignment, also referred to as car alignment or tyre alignment, involves adjusting the suspension system of your car mechanically as per the recommended specifications of the manufacturer. These adjustments are necessary to ensure that your car tyres make optimal contact with the road, providing a smoother ride and reducing unnecessary wear and tear on the tyres.
Important Angles in Wheel Alignment
A car technician specifically looks for the following three key angles that need to be checked in wheel alignment service:
Caster
It aligns the wheel in the direction of travel as it is the angle of the steering axis when looked at from the side of the vehicle. It affects the control of the steering. A positive caster bends the steering axis toward the driver, while a negative caster bends the steering axis towards the front of the vehicle.
Camber
It is the inward or outward tilt of the tyre when viewed from the front of the vehicle. It ensures proper tyre-road contact and affects how evenly the tyres wear, so incorrect camber can cause uneven tyre wear on one side.
Toe
It is the degree to which tyres turn inward or outward when viewed from above. It is essential for ensuring proper handling, tyre wear, and car stability. Thus, any misalignment causes steering issues like car wandering, car pull and uneven tyre wear.
Importance of Wheel Alignment
When your tyres are correctly aligned, you can enjoy a safer and smoother ride while saving money on new tyres, fuel and unnecessary repairs. Here are the following important factors why wheel alignment service is required for your car:
Proper wheel alignment prolongs tyre lifespan without needing premature tyre replacement. A well-aligned tyre improves fuel efficiency and reduces resistance. It means better fuel economy and lower running costs.
A proper tyre alignment guarantees better traction, vehicle stability, and steering control. This improves high-speed driving and braking.
Ignoring alignment concerns can lead to more huge problems, such as damaged suspension or steering components. Therefore, regular wheel alignment services help you avoid costly repairs.
When to Get a Tyre Alignment?
One of the most obvious indications that your automobile requires tyre alignment is, when it is constantly pulling to the left or the right side. However, the following are some of the signs of misalignment problems.
- Everyday Wear and Tear
Gradually, new tyres wear down unevenly due to poor road conditions and inappropriate inflation. It causes uneven weight distribution on wheel-tyre assembly, creating varied wear and tear patterns indicating the need for car alignment. - Loss of Wheel Weights
During the tyre alignment service, wheel weights are added; they can fall off due to road hazards, potholes, impacts, corrosion, or adhesive failure, causing wheel imbalances. - Minor Collisions
Accumulated road dirt, potholes, mud, or debris, road breakers, minor collisions can throw the tyre alignment off. - Suspension or Steering Issues
Worn-out suspension or steering issues can create tyre imbalances, as they lower the road-tyre grip. This issue requires a car alignment procedure.
What Is Wheel Balancing?
Wheel balancing is the mechanical process of distributing small weights along the wheel to counteract any imbalances. It ensures that the mass of the tyre and wheel is evenly distributed. It prevents vibrations and wobbling of a car at varied speeds. Thus, wheel balancing is necessary for a better driving experience.
What is the Process of Wheel Balancing?
Wheel balancing is important for car owners because uneven tyre wear causes uncomfortable rides and poses safety risks for the passengers. The process of tyre balancing involves removing wheels and placing them onto a wheel balancing machine that spins them and calculates where the weights need to be placed to counteract any imbalance.
Importance of Wheel Balancing
Wheel balancing is essential for safe, stable and smooth drives, and for even tyre wear. It allows the tyres to spin without any shaking. Getting the wheels balanced is mandatory for your car because it offers you the following benefits:
The importance of wheel balancing is significant when driving on the diverse terrain in the UAE, because it offers exceptional challenges, such as hot weather, sandy roads, and frequent highway travel. Ensuring the wheels of your car are aligned and balanced is essential for a smooth ride and extended tyre life. Wheel balancing ensures that the weight distribution on each tyre is even to reduce vibrations and deliver a smooth and more comfortable ride.
It prevents uneven tyre wear, prolonging the lifespan of your tyres and saving you money in the long run.
It reduces rolling resistance by ensuring proper tyre-road contact and facilitating a smooth and efficient tyre rotation without any wobble.
Tyre balancing enhances steering and car control, ensuring maximum safety. It prolongs the life of suspension and steering components by putting less stress on them.
Wheel Alignment vs. Wheel Balancing
The terms wheel alignment and balancing are often confused with each other, but they are related and serve different purposes for your vehicle. Wheel alignment deals with adjusting the angles of the tyres, preventing any bounce at higher speeds, while wheel balancing is concerned with fixing the weight imbalances in the tyre-wheel assembly so that wheels rotate close to a perfect circle. Wheel alignment and balancing services are equally significant for your vehicle to provide a safer, smoother and more comfortable ride, even at high speeds.
Wheel Alignment and Balancing Cost in UAE
The cost for wheel alignment and balancing in the UAE typically ranges from AED 100 to AED 300, depending on the service provider and type of vehicle (2-wheeler, 4-wheeler) and the complexity of the alignment. Whereas tyre balancing service is often more affordable, costing around AED 50 to AED 150 per set of tyres. Combining both services can save you money and ensure the optimal performance of your car. Regular wheel alignment is important for vehicle safety, optimal handling, and extending tyre life. Investing in professional car alignment services ensures that your vehicle operates efficiently and safely on the road. You can contact Auto Fix- the most trusted and renowned wheel alignment and balancing services in the UAE.
There are the following wheel alignment services that you can choose:
- Standard Wheel Alignment
It is recommended for sedans and compact cars and the cost generally ranges from AED 80 to AED 150. - SUVs and Larger Vehicles
Aligning larger vehicles requires extensive time, labour and techniques, requiring a bit higher costs, typically between AED 150 and AED 300, due to the increased complexity. - Comprehensive Alignment Services
These car alignment services are a one-stop solution as they offer packages that include additional services like wheel balancing and suspension checks, with prices ranging from AED 150 to AED 250 (approx).
When to Get a Wheel Balancing?
It is a great idea to get regular wheel balancing for UAE’s diverse terrain on every new tyre installation or when you experience any abnormal wobbling or vibrations in your vehicle. However, it is recommended to get your wheels balanced every 10,000 kilometres or during regular tyre rotations. If you are looking for wheel balancing services, you can opt for Auto Fix service centres across the UAE. Auto Fix offers wheel balancing and wheel alignment services at authorised tyre shops near you at an affordable cost.
Conclusion
Wheel alignment and tyre balancing are integral parts of your vehicle's maintenance that should not be neglected. The frequency of wheel and tyre alignment depends on various factors, such as road conditions, driving habits, signs of misalignment, tyre wear and tear, and impacts. However, you can trust Auto Fix, a multi-brand car service centre for regular car maintenance, and wheel and tyre balancing procedures to improve tyre lifespan and maximise safety to enjoy the overall driving experience. So, the next time you hit the UAE roads, do not forget that a well-aligned and balanced wheel not only delivers a safe and comfortable trip but is also cost-effective.