Wheel balancing etc

obi604

Hello.

First off, sorry for the silly question. In regard to the below 3 things…….without getting over technical, are they essentially the same thing? Or slightly different

• wheel balancing
• wheel alignment
• wheel tracking

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058324722/wheel-balancing-etc

They are all different

Midnight_EG

Balancing is spreading the weight even across your wheel using little stick on weights

Alignment is pointing the car straight

Tracking is pointing the wheels straight

obi604

If my car is turning to the right when I take my hands off the wheel, what is the first things I would do - tracking?

I know it could be 100 other things, but just making a start on what it might be.

zg3409

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121425637#Comment_121425637

Check tyre pressures are all correct, check for uneven wear on tyres. Ideally measure thread depth using something accurate.

obi604

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121425665#Comment_121425665

thanks. Tyre pressure is fine and thread seems ok. If these are all fine, would next step be the ‘tracking’ ?

Padre_Pio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121425616#Comment_121425616

Surely aligning the wheels points the car straight. I thought it was two words to describe the same thing.

To the OP yes, incorrect alignment can cause the car to pull to one side. It's not expensive to get your wheels aligned (or tracked)

obi604

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121425715#Comment_121425715

Thanks.

so essentially, I ring up and say I want my wheels ‘tracked’

Padre_Pio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121425735#Comment_121425735

You would ring up and explain the problem. The garage would probably suggest tracking as a first course of action

standardg60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121425637#Comment_121425637

When was your last NCT? They check the tracking/alignment (both mean the same to me) so would come up in the test if out of kilter. They'll also spot any suspension or steering issue which may be causing it.

obi604

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121425990#Comment_121425990

last NCT was 9 months ago.

standardg60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121426156#Comment_121426156

What does the report say? If it's a fairly high positive that would explain a drift to the right but within tolerance, if it's minimal then something has changed in the meantime which would need to be sorted.

CiniO

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058324722/wheel-balancing-etc

IMO alighment and tracking is the same thing.

Balancing is totally different.

Generally balacing is something you do to the wheels. If you balance the wheels, and put them on a different car, they still will be balanced. It's to make sure they are equally weighted and won't cause vibration when rotating while driving. It should be done every time tyre is fitted to the rim.

Alignment/tracking is a thing done to your car suspension, to adjust the angles of your wheels. If you do wheel alignment, and put different set of wheels on your car, it still will be aligned. It should be done from time to time, and when suspecting that it's off.

Incorrect wheel balancing will most likely cause vibrations at certain speeds. Very often those vibration can be felt on your steering wheel when driving.

Incorrect alignment/tracking can cause many issues like uneven tyre wear, bad handling, tendency for the car to pull to one side, or even making car very unpredictable to handle (tendency for oversteering, understeering, or feel of playing left or right on uneven surface), etc.

That under consideration though, that if car is pulling to left or right, it doesn't necesserily need to be incorrect alighment. It well could be caused by tyres itself, and IMO it's the most frequent cause for pulling to one side. Tyres are never exactly even in size, and this tiny bit of difference can actually make a difference. Had it many times, and sometimes just simple rotating tyres between left/right/back/front helped.

pummice

For what its worth, I bought a new KIA car some years ago and from day 1 it was pulling to the left. Was never successful in getting it sorted by the dealer. However, it never failed the NCT.

Buffman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121427474#Comment_121427474

In general in Ireland all cars should pull to the left slightly because that's the direction the roads are cambered for drainage and to send uncontrolled vehicles off to the left rather than into oncoming traffic.

If you're constantly pulling right or having to use a lot of force to stop it going left, then there's an issue alright.

Del2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121426241#Comment_121426241

The NCT is a point in time. You could have a car pass the NCT and make it unroadworthy driving out of the centre. Pot holes, kerbs, tyres and numerous other things could of caused the car to start pulling in 9 months.