An Up-Close Look at Wheel Balancers - Tire Review Magazine

An Up-Close Look at Wheel Balancers

Rememberwhen tire dealers and customers used to call modern day tire balancers“spin balancers?” Can you recall the time when a tire was placed on aflimsy little spindle and watched like a hawk until it found itsrightful level, then you marked the tire and pounded in the weights?Well, all that is ancient history now.

With so much technologybuilt into a tire/wheel balancer, a better moniker might be a high techmeasuring system. Literally, the tire/wheel balancer has been through atechnological revolution that would scare the pants off a 1960smechanic. The improvements in tire/wheel balancers are so dramatic thatthey are immediately apparent to both the owners of balancers and theircustomers.

One company says its system is so accurate that itminimizes correction weight usage and attendant costs by 33% or more,simply by reducing the time it takes to balance most assemblies.

Alongthe way, tire/wheel balancer manufacturers have added the ability todetermine distance and diameter measurements with very fast read-outtimes. They also make balancing alloy wheels with hidden tack-onweights a much easier task than it used to be, and can even provide atire/wheel assembly with a “road test” while it’s still mounted on thebalancer.

Armed with a host of computers and soft touchappendages that won’t damage an expensive wheel, today’s balancersfeature digital multicolor computer displays, 8- to 20-second balancingcycles, built-in lift systems and the ability to eliminate pullcomplaints.
Straight-ahead steering ability for all vehicles plusroutine tire rotations all but assure that tire dealers will notexperience problems or comebacks – two more advantages.

This isaccomplished on the tire/wheel balancer by identifying the differencebetween individual forces of the front tire and determining thedirection in which the vehicle may drift. Until now, steering driftcould only be verified through road tests and solving pull-relatedproblems through trial and error.

Now that road tests can beconducted on a balancer, all lateral information gathered by themachine is applied to a set of tires, providing the operator withmultiple placement choices. The tires are tagged and positioned on thevehicle to provide the least amount of vehicle pull and to obtain thebest straight-ahead steering stability.

For as long as anyonecan remember, motorists have asked for good tire wear, straight-aheadtracking, a smooth ride and a straight steering wheel. All of this haslargely been delivered over time, but never so quickly, so accuratelyand so efficiently as today.

You May Also Like

Step by Step: How to Properly Change an EV Tire

Tire changing is a straightforward procedure for most technicians, but the transition from ICE vehicles to EVs will introduce some changes.

EV on Lift

As electric vehicles (EVs) rapidly transform the automotive landscape, routine tasks like tire changes will take on new complexity, requiring updated equipment and increased technician training. Tire changing is a straightforward procedure for most technicians, but the transition from ICE vehicles to EVs will introduce some changes, particularly when it comes to addressing the added weight of EVs.

Price Check: Tire Replacements Across the US

Compare your tire replacement pricing, including mounting, balancing and TPMS service, to national averages.

Avoid wheel damage installing tires
Eight Great Practices for Creating a Winning Team Culture

In your quest to be the absolute best tire/auto service business you can possibly be, you can have a beautiful facility, state-of-the-art equipment and all the amenities to enrich your customer’s experience, but if don’t have a great, “Winning Team” culture, then you still don’t have a truly great company. Related Articles – What Your

winning-team-culture
What Your Credit Score Can do to Your Business

If you want to explain your business in the future, one thing you need to prioritize is your credit score. Having bad business credit can negatively impact your shop in many ways – from causing difficulties securing financing to getting approved for a lease. Related Articles – Rising Gas Prices Make Tire Distributors Rethink Pricing,

Credit Score Business
Ferrante: What I’ve Learned From Listening to 100,000 Sales Calls

Back in 2014, I authored an article titled, “Are Your Tire/Auto Service Salespeople ‘Winging It’ on the Phone?” At the time the article was published, my Pinnacle Performance Training team and I had evaluated approximately 25,000 sales calls between tire/auto service sales staff and prospective customers. In May of this year, we reached a milestone

Goodwill-Calls-consistant-marketing

Other Posts

Mounting & Demounting a Tire the Correct Way

In both rim clamp and pedestal tire changers, specific techniques are followed to ensure correct dismounting and mounting of tires.

Reverse-wheel-adapter
Why Updating Your TPMS Tools Regularly Matters

To maintain the accuracy and reliability of newly programmed TPMS sensors, it’s important to keep your TPMS programming tool up to date.

TPMS Stock
Check TPMS, Save on Fuel for Your Next Road Trip

Discover the benefits of TPMS for enhancing safety, fuel efficiency and peace of mind during long road trips.

TPMS-relearn
Troubleshooting Porsche TPMS

Tips for diagnosing Porsche TPMS systems and performing relearns.

Porsche TPMS