Team-BHP - Wheel Alignment & Balancing

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jaggu (Post 1670289)

Have you tried rotating the tires and see if the pull goes off? How many kms have the car done, was any suspension job done on it?

When i gave the car for a regular alignment, the guy swapped the front tyres. The ones on the left went to the right and vice versa. Car has clocked 50,000km so far. No suspension job done, but once on the way from Coorg, the car bottomed out on a hump real bad and we had to straighten out the rod as it was touching the chassi. One more interesting thing is that everytime i make a U-turn, the tyre on the left makes a single "tick" sound. Could that be the reason?

Guys,

Are wheel rotation, balancing, alignment three different things?.

I have alloys on my car and I remember my mechanic mention that one of the
above is not required for alloy wheels. Is it correct?. If so which is not required?.

It has been more than 5000 km since the last wheel balancing/alignment/rotation
was done. Now do I have to do all the three?. Please help.

Thank you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by drvhplyevraftr (Post 1680557)

I remember my mechanic mention that one of the above is not required for alloy wheels.

Change your mechanic. Yes they are 3 diff things. Alignment takes care of one-side tyre wear. Balancing fixes wobbling at speeds over 60 and uneven tyre wear and rotation is done to keep all four/five tyres at a similar tread level.

Quote:

Originally Posted by WasavaTyres (Post 1680605)

Thank you for your reply and clarification. I assume I will need all the three to be done then. How much approximately would each cost?.

Thank you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by drvhplyevraftr (Post 1680793)

Thank you for your reply and clarification. I assume I will need all the three to be done then. How much approximately would each cost?.

Thank you.

In chennai wheel alignment will cost somehwere between Rs.300 - Rs.350 with 2 more free alignment checkups.

Wheel balancing will cost Rs.100 per tyre. Tyre rotation will be free of cost when you do balancing and alignment.

Hope this helps.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar (Post 1680826)

My car's due for a front suspension overhaul, do i have to get the alignment done after i get the suspension work done ?

thanks

Yes ! If you're getting the work done at a A.SS then I presume they would do it themselves. If you're getting the work done outside take it straight to the tyre store / aligner.

Quote:

Originally Posted by naveenroy (Post 1682533)

Err, is there wheel balancing and alignment for bikes too? Any idea where in Bangalore this can be done

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008 (Post 1682539)

No alignment as such. Whatever is there is done only by visual inspection. Balancing is done. However, it is most often called Wheel Truing.

Wheel balancing is very much done by bike manufactures, for bikes with alloy wheels. AFAIK, the word "truing" is used for bikes with spoke wheels... which is done on a simple spindle and by visual inspection and hammering, etc (can never be so accurate). Balancing (for alloys) will require a machine. Though I don't require it at the moment, I have inquired at few tyre shops that have the machines, but all of them told me they won't/can't do it for bikes as the bike's wheels will not fit socket on their machines, which is ment for cars. I am yet to find a place that will do it... haven't tried seriously though. If anybody from Pune knows, do let me know, please.

As for alignment, the rear wheel does need "alignment". All you need to do is to ensure the ends of the rear axle are at the required position... this is ensured by using the scale near the axle. No alignment machine required, like in cars. All you will need are spanners. But even then I have found most mechs goof this up or just pretend that its not worth bothering about.

My Ritz came with JK Tornado tyres. Recently after 5000 kms the 5 tyre rotation has been done by MASS. But between 70-80 km/hr speed I can feel a little vibration in the steering as well as the acceletor pedal. Today I checked the balancing of all four tyres and all are perfect. Though during rotation in the machine I could see slight wavy patterns of rotation in both the front tyres. Can anybody help me out with some solution to get rid of vibration?

The wavy patterns could mean there is a slight jump in the tyres/wheels. It could also mean that the wheel wasnt clamped properly on the balancer's shaft.

However, for your specific problem, it seems to be a case of uneven wear or a slight jump in the tyre. Also, check your tyre pressures and make sure they are all ok.