Is it necessary to balance the wheels when changing tires, winter to summer, summer to winter

The balancing procedure must be carried out after mounting new tires. This is due to the remote location of the tire relative to the axis of rotation of the disk. During installation, the lightest point on the tire is combined with the heaviest point on the disk (in the valve area).

Excess vibrations while driving cause increased wear of the elements of the chassis of the car. Often harmful vibrations are caused by imbalance of the wheels. The problem may arise due to disk damage, the transition to new tires, and other factors. To avoid premature malfunctions of the walker and steering mechanism, it is important for beginners to know when to balance the wheels when changing winter tires to summer tires and what frequency this procedure should be.

Why do wheel balancing?

An unbalanced wheel balance activates centrifugal forces harmful to the vehicle, causing vibrations. Vibrations extend to the suspension and other important elements of the chassis of the machine and the body.

The weight imbalance itself leads to vibrations, because the center of gravity is disturbed and the wheel begins to vibrate. There is a beating of the steering wheel, the driver feels discomfort and feels as if he is driving an old rickety cart.

Gradually, the vibrations begin to act unevenly in all directions and increase the load on the chassis parts. The outcome of prolonged exposure to such vibrations is increased wear of the walker, especially wheel bearings. Therefore, in order to reduce the risk of breakdowns, it is recommended to perform permanent wheel balancing.

Balancing machine

Eliminate the problem on a special machine. In the process, weights are attached to the outside and inside of the rim to evenly distribute the weight across the entire wheel. First, the heaviest point is determined, and then weights are attached opposite this section of the rim.

How often is the procedure needed?

Is it worth doing wheel balancing every season or not, and how often should wheels be balanced in general?

Recommended balancing frequency

Often the behavior of the car indicates the need to balance the wheel. For example, deterioration in driving comfort or a clear drop in performance. There are cases when the procedure should be carried out without obvious signs of imbalance.

There are rules of a certain frequency: it is recommended to check and adjust the balance every 5000 km.

You should also increase the frequency of the procedure if the main area of ​​\u1000b\u1500buse of the car is off-road, with a large number of pits and potholes. In this case, the tires will have to be balanced every XNUMX-XNUMX km.

Is balancing necessary when changing wheels on rims?

Be sure to do balancing when changing wheels for summer or winter models, after bumps, drifts, falling into a pit, exposure to aggressive weather conditions. Not always imbalance is caused by a newly installed tire.

Disk warp

The problem can be caused by the curvature of the disc, due to factory defects or impact. In this case, the service should ask the tire fitters to carefully check the disk for deformations. If the curvature is small, you can try to save the wheel by minimizing the imbalance to 10 grams. This indicator is considered normal and does not adversely affect the behavior of the car.

Is the procedure carried out every season

According to the recommendations of automakers, every season you need to do wheel balancing when changing winter tires to summer tires and vice versa. Mileage also plays a role: every 5 thousand kilometers you need to visit a tire service.

If during the season the tires ran the corresponding mileage, even in the absence of fluctuations and vibrations, balancing is performed without fail. With less mileage, the procedure is definitely not needed.

On the other hand, it is worth doing wheel balancing every season when switching to new tires. But still, the mileage covered plays a key role, and whether the disks received a strong blow or not.

Should new tires be balanced?

The balancing procedure must be carried out after mounting new tires. This is due to the remote location of the tire relative to the axis of rotation of the disk. During installation, the lightest point on the tire is combined with the heaviest point on the disk (in the valve area).

Performing wheel balancing

The imbalance after mounting a new tire can reach up to 50-60 grams, and to balance to zero, you will need to stick a large number of weights on the outer and inner parts of the disk. This is not always acceptable in terms of aesthetics, since a large number of weights spoil the appearance of the wheel. Therefore, before balancing, it is advisable to make an optimization: rotate the tire on the disk so that both mass points coincide.

See also: Steering rack damper - purpose and installation rules

The process is quite laborious, but at the end it will be possible to halve the imbalance (up to 20-25 grams) and, in fact, minimize the number of attached weights.

You should always ask for optimization in a tire service. If the employees refuse, it is better to turn to another workshop.

Do rear wheels need to be balanced?

Balancing the rear wheels is just as important as balancing the front wheels. Of course, on the front disc, the driver feels the imbalance more strongly. If the weight docking is broken on the rear wheel, similar vibrations occur, which are physically noticeable only at high speeds (over 120 km / h). Rear vibrations are tantamount to harming the suspension and gradually killing the wheel bearing.

Should the wheels be balanced every season