Wheel Alignment vs. Balance: What’s the Difference?
Wheel alignment is when you adjust how all of your tires are pointed in order to ensure that they are all pointing in the same direction. This is often done when there is a problem with how one of them is pointing so it can be corrected with the other 3. Balance shots are how cars shoot or how most older ones were serviced, where you would remove your wheel and stone balance weights on the end of springs which would cause it to roll down a track, and stopping when the wheel was perfectly balanced.
These would then be placed back on your wheel and the wheel would just simply spin with no wobble. This is how they used to do it, but now they have lasers that can actually see how unbalanced the wheel is and just put weights on spots of the wheel and technology has come a long way since then so there is really no reason not to get your wheels aligned if you want them pointing in the same direction.
This article discusses how often one should get their alignment checked. It says how wheel alignment is how we adjust how our tires are pointed in order to ensure that all of our tires are pointing in the same direction(still need to add this part). This is how they used to do it but now they have lasers that can actually see how unbalanced the wheel is and just put weights on spots of the wheel. This is how cars are shot nowadays so there is no reason not to get your wheels aligned if you want them pointing in the same direction(still need to add this part).
One of the most important aspects of keeping your car healthy is how you take care of it. Since alignment is one of those things that can be easily ignored, it’s something that many car owners neglect especially if they are not sure how often they should schedule their alignment to keep their ride running on the road smoothly.
Here are some things you need to know about how often should you get an alignment.
When should I get my first alignment?
For front wheel drive cars or FWD cars, new tires are usually already aligned at the factory by the manufacturer based on how smooth and straight their production line runs. This, however, does not mean that these new tires out-of-the-factory are ready for use on public roads. It is recommended that car owners get their alignment checked right after they purchase new tires. This way, they can already address alignment problems before it’s too late and the problem gets worse.
For rear wheel drive or RWD cars , your best chance of getting the factory set up correctly is to bring your vehicle in for an alignment check on how often do you need an alignment request when you make your first tire change at a quality tire store like Discount Tire Company . After this, once every 3-5 years should be enough to keep your tires in good condition.
Don’t forget about how often should you get an alignment for four-wheel drive vehicles. If all wheels are driven or steered by axles with constant velocity joints, then the vehicle needs an alignment check after 60,000 miles or if there is a problem with how the vehicle drives. If the four-wheel drive system doesn’t have constant velocity joints for all axles and instead uses a transfer case to send power to two differentials, then your car probably does not need an alignment check unless it’s damaged in some way.
