Wheel alignment and wheel balancing are jobs that require a professional. To be done on anything more than a trial and error basis, correcting alignment and balance problems require expensive, frequently calibrated equipment. But a little knowledge about the basics of alignment and balance will help you converse with qualified technicians about any issues your vehicle may have. Here are some things you need to know about wheel alignment and balancing.

Wheel alignment and Wheel Balancing are always intertwined by most people, but they are far different from each other. In a nutshell Wheel alignment on a car refers to the actual vertical and horizontal placement of the wheels in relation to the body and the axles of the vehicle. On the other hand, wheel balancing allows the tyres and wheels to spin without causing any vibrations. This is accomplished by checking for any heavy spots on the wheel-tyre combination and compensating for it by placing a measured lead weight on the opposite site of the wheel from where the heavy spot is.
The symptoms of a car that is out of alignment are:

• Uneven or even rapid tyre wear
• Your vehicle may start pulling or drifting away from a straight line
• your vehcile may start to wandering on a straight level road
• Spokes of the steering wheel off to one side while driving on a straight and level road.

The symptoms of a wheel that is out of balance are:

• Vibration in the steering wheel at certain highway speeds.
• Vibration in the seat or floorboard at certain highway speeds.
• Scalloped or cupped wear pattern on the tyres

How wheels can become unaligned:

• Hitting a curb or running over a pit.
• Driving through rough roads, like gravel roads.
• Driving mistakes, such as brushing a curb.

Benefits of proper alignment:

• Your tyres will end up having have a longer life.
• Proper wheel alignment results in safe, predictable vehicle control as well as a much more smooth and comfortable ride that's completely free of pulling and annoying vibration.
• Your fuel economy increases as your rolling resistance decreases.

When to Balance tyres:
tyre balance should be treated as just as important as tyre rotation and vehicle alignment when it comes to regular car maintenance. The tyre information world website recommends checking your tyre balance each time you have your tyres rotated, which should be every 6,000 to 8,000 kilometres.
Unbalanced tyre Effects:

• tyre balancing affects the wear of a vehicle's tyre. tyres that are not balanced properly can wear excessively or unevenly.

The Dangers and Pitfalls of unbalanced wheels:

• Constant vibration caused by unbalanced tyres can affect the entyre vehicle, like the suspension system. The increase in tyre wear caused by unbalanced tyres can lead to a loss in traction and even a tyre blowout.

How balancing wheels work:

The technician first mounts each tyre on a wheel. Each wheel is then placed on a balancing machine that rotates each wheel to determine the heaviest part of the tyre. The technician or mechanoc then adds a lead weightto the wheel's outer surface on the opposite side of the heaviest part of the tyre. This process distributes the mass of the tyre evenly, meaning you have a better balanced tyre.