In today’s tech-driven world, a wheel balancing machine ensures the stability of your vehicle tires so that they can run smoothly on roads without wobbling, vibrations, or wear and tear. Running an auto repair shop for heavy-duty vehicles and standard cars requires adapting strategies to modern-day problems. At its core, a wheel balancer is a precision tool designed to measure and correct any imbalance in a vehicle’s wheel assembly. In the world of wheel balancing, precision is key. A wheel balancer not only ensures a smooth and comfortable ride but also extends the lifespan of tires and other vehicle components.
At Coats Company, you can get precision wheel balancers that are efficient, durable, versatile, and reliable. From Direct Drive Series to Space Saving Wheel Balancers, you can find solutions to speed up work in your repair shop. But do you know how they work and how you use them to maintain optimal vehicle performance?
In this guide, we will answer all your questions about wheel balancers and how they work. Get your answers below.
What Are Wheel Balancers?
It is a machine that balances tire weight and wheel alignment to prevent troublesome vibrations. A wheel balancer is a crucial piece of equipment widely used in many auto repair shops and service centers. Wheel balancers are explicitly designed to identify weight imbalances. Whenever your vehicle’s wheel is out of balance, you can feel the vibration on your vehicle’s steering wheel, seat, and even on the floor. Besides creating a sense of discomfort, these vibrations can lead to premature wear of tires and affect fuel efficiency.
Tip: Your vehicle wheels should be balanced every 12,000 miles.
Wheel balancing and Wheel Alignment
Wheel balancing and wheel alignment are significant in balancing your vehicle’s wheels on the road, but both are distinct in purposes. Adjusting wheel angles per manufacturers’ specifications for proper tire orientation falls under wheel alignment, while the appropriate weight distribution to prevent vibrations and tearing adheres to the wheel balancing.
Although wheel balancers and wheel alignment are different machines and components that act differently in a vehicle’s performance, they always complement each other in their performance. With the perfect alignment of the wheels and balanced tires, a car can have a smoother, safer, and more efficient ride. It is, therefore, good practice to balance and align wheels frequently to increase the durability and reliability of automobile tires and suspension systems.
What Does Wheel Balancing Do?
Ideally, your vehicle’s tires need to be balanced after 10,000 to 12,000 miles for proactive performance and to improve the lifespan of the wheels. Besides saving your customers’ vehicle from irregular vibrations or wear and tear, wheel balancing safeguards the vehicle and offers plenty of benefits, such as:
- Balanced wheels: The proper balancing and stability of wheels ensures predictable vehicle behavior. Ultimately, it reduces the risk of accidents caused by vibration or uneven tires.
- Comfort: By using the proper balancer, the risk of excessive vibrations, fatigued driving experience, and continuous headaches during driving all get eliminated.
- Better Lifespan: With on-time balancing, the tire lifespan will improve. Moreover, it cuts the need for premature replacement as well.
- Improved Fuel Efficiency: Balanced wheels have less rolling resistance, which means they use less fuel, which translates to a lower operation cost.
- Low Maintenance Cost: Wheel imbalance transmits vibrations that can affect the positive dynamics of the object and all the connected components, including the suspension, bearings, and steering parts, resulting in higher maintenance costs.
How to Use a Wheel Balancer?
Balancing a wheel is a meticulous process, and acquiring a systematic approach ensures the comfort of all vehicles, whether heavy-duty trucks or standard cars. Let’s see how the balancer works
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Wheel preparation:
Before placing the wheel on the balancer, it’s important to clean the mounting surfaces and remove any foreign objects, such as stones or debris, that may be stuck in the tire tread. This ensures that the balancer can accurately measure the wheel’s weight and imbalances.
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Centering and Mounting of the Wheel:
Once the wheel is ready, the first step is securely mounting the wheel and tire assemblies on a balancer shaft. Choose the correct collet size. For a 20-inch truck wheel with a large hub center, use a snug-fitting collet and, if necessary, a hub-centric ring. Use a balancer wheel lift to prevent injuries and aid in centering the wheel uniformly on the balancer.
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Selecting the Proper Pin Plate
The second step is to choose the correct Pin Plate:
- 3 and 6 lug wheels require a 3 lug pin plate.
- 4 and 8 lug wheels require a 4 lug pin plate.
- 5 and 10 lug wheels require a 5 lug pin plate.
Secure the Wheel: Use the Coats hub nut to secure the wheel and tire to the balancer.
Then, the shaft is spun at high speeds to detect any imbalance in the tire. There are special sensors that detect any sort of deviation that arises due to irregular tire wear. When the wheel is firmly positioned, the next step of precise balance measurements begins.
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Measurements & Corrections :
The third step begins with measuring the tire.
- Enter Dimensions: Use the A&D arm to press against the wheel until it beeps.
- Identify Tape Weight Location: Rotate the laser to find the outboard tape weight location. Use the Laser Pointer: Align the laser on the A&D arm with the pointer and touch the inside of the wheel barrel until it beeps.
The wheel balancer calculates the exact amount and locations for taking action. The calculation is gathered during the spinning process. As soon as the measurements are completed, imbalances can be corrected to ensure the smooth working of the wheels. Fixing imbalances also minimizes and almost eliminates the vibrations to maintain the comfort of the vehicles.
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Applying Counterweights:
To rectify the detected imbalances, precise counterweights are strategically affixed to the wheel’s rim.
- Inboard Plane: Hang the required weight on the inboard plane when the green bar illuminates on the Wheel Balancer screen.
- Outboard Plane: Apply the weight at the center of the laser pointer.
These counterweights are meticulously positioned around the wheel’s circumference, opposite the areas where the initial imbalance was detected. The aim is to achieve an equilibrium in weight distribution that allows the wheel to rotate evenly without causing vibrations.
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Rechecking Balances:
Following the application of counterweights, the wheel undergoes another spin cycle to verify the effectiveness of the balancing procedure.
- Run a Check Spin: After applying corrective weights, perform a check spin.
- Verify Balance: Ensure the display shows zero weight needed on both the inboard and outboard planes.
This rechecking phase is critical to ensure that all detected imbalances have been successfully addressed and that the wheel now rotates smoothly and uniformly. Neglecting to recheck the balance: Please verify the wheel’s balance after the initial correction to ensure an accurate and effective balancing process. The balancer’s sensors meticulously check the wheel’s dynamics to confirm that any residual vibrations have been eliminated, thereby validating the accuracy of the balancing adjustment.
How to Find Wheel Balancer for Shop?
The market has so many tire balancer options that finding a reliable one for your auto repair shop can be tiresome. It seems like your car has reached the interstate levels, but you don’t know what to do. To make it less time-consuming and flexible for you, we have shortlisted some tips on choosing a wheel balancer that is a perfect fit for your shop.
- Assess the workload and types of vehicles coming inside and outside your auto repair shop, and check the scheduled work in your shop so that wheel balancer installation does not interrupt your workflow.
- Vehicle Types: When choosing a wheel balancer, it’s also important to consider the specific needs of the vehicles you service. Some vehicles may require a higher level of precision than others, depending on factors such as the size and weight of the wheels, the type of tires used, and the vehicle’s intended use (e.g., high-performance, off-road, or commercial applications).
- What are your preferences? A traditional cone or a diagnostic wheel balancer automatically inputs data.
- Decide the budget and then go for the balancers with longer lifespans. Your shop’s budget must be considered when making this important decision.
- Dig deep into the balancing accuracy, weight capacity, speed, and efficiency of the balance to complete your tasks on time. Make sure that it’s not just OK, but ZERO meaning all static and dynamic forces are eliminated ensuring precision and accuracy.
- Check the warranty converge and technical support provided by the manufacturer. Coats Service Network ensures all repairs with a 30-day labor and 6-month parts warranty to reflect our commitment to customer satisfaction and confidence in our work.
As soon you find a suitable balancer for your shop, schedule the installation by a Coats Certified Technician, and don’t forget to train all your technicians on proper use and maintenance. Training should be provided by the technician during the time of installation.
Types of Wheel Balancer At The Coats Company
We offer three primary categories with various sub-categories aligned based on weight to fulfill the needs of your auto repair shops. The primary wheel balancers are
- Heavy Duty: These wheel balancers are robusted and built with dual calibration software for running two independent sets. A unique 575-wheel lift offers automatic data entry of resistance, data entry, and diameter. With 6450 2D ( 1ph and 3ph) to 6450 3D ( 1ph and 3ph), it’s a perfect machine for handling heavy-weight vehicles.
- Direct Drive: Our direct drives series balancers are built to last. Coats is known for its reliability and efficiency and offers these wheel balancers in three revolutionary models: 1300, 1500, and 1600. They solve almost 91% of related issues with high efficacy.
- Space Saving: Our 1185 and 885 wheel balancers are built to fit in your small spaces to avoid any mess during work. These are the most cost-effective solutions for people with space and budget constraints.
Besides shipping nationwide, we have high-end wheel balancers to meet the needs of today’s ever-changing world. So that any vehicle that appears for the wheel balancing service will exit with a safe and smooth ride. At Coats, you will not only get wheel balancers but a promise of reliability, efficiency, and vibration-free free drives for your customers’ vehicles
FAQs
What Does a Wheel Balancer Do?
The process of wheel balancing involves spinning the wheel at a high speed and using sensors to detect any weight disparities within the assembly. As the wheel rotates, the balancer’s sensors measure the amount of vibration and the location of the imbalance. This information is then used to calculate the exact amount and placement of the additional weights needed to counteract the imbalance. The technician then adds or subtracts weights on the rim until the wheel is perfectly balanced, ensuring a smooth and stable ride. The key to the wheel balancer’s effectiveness lies in its ability to precisely measure and correct even the smallest imbalances
What Are the Benefits of a Wheel Balancer?
Smooth driving, no wear and tear on the tires, no vibrations, and stability of the tires while running on the roads are the benefits that come with the wheel balancer.
Is Balancing Tires Necessary?
One of the primary benefits of regular wheel balancing is the extended lifespan of tires. When a wheel is out of balance, it can cause uneven wear on the tire tread, leading to premature replacement. By keeping wheels balanced, you can maximize the usable life of tires, saving your customers money and reducing the environmental impact of tire disposal. In addition to tire wear, an imbalanced wheel can also place additional stress on other vehicle components, such as the suspension system, steering components, and even the engine. Over time, this stress can lead to increased wear and tear, resulting in more frequent and costly repairs. By maintaining proper wheel balance, you can help reduce the strain on these critical systems, ensuring a longer lifespan for your customers’ vehicles.
How Do I Know If My Wheels Need Balancing?
Poor fuel economy and a lot of vibrations are the significant signs that your wheels need balancing. An imbalanced wheel can cause the vehicle to pull or drift, making it more difficult for the driver to maintain control, especially at higher speeds. This can be particularly dangerous in emergencies or when navigating challenging road conditions. By keeping wheels balanced, drivers can improve the overall stability and handling of the vehicle, enhancing overall safety. If your wheel is out of balance your wheels need to be balanced by a professional technician in an auto repair shop.
How do I know if my wheel is properly balanced?
After performing a check spin, all static forces should be balanced. If dynamic forces remain, additional weights can be hung in dynamic mode.
How often should I balance my wheels?
It is advisable to balance truck wheels whenever new tires are installed, after any significant impact, or if there is noticeable vibration while driving.
