Balancing
A basic type of tire balancing that includes a one-dimensional balance around the center axis of rotation.
What is a Static Balance?
Actions taken by an automotive technician to inspect and/or repair or replace a vehicle’s tire assembly.
What is Tire Service?
The portion of a tire’s rubber body between both of its sidewalls that contacts the road surface. Its design determines the tire’s ability to channel away water and its traction characteristics.
What is the Tire Tread?
A pressure condition in a vehicle’s tire in which the tire’s air pressure is so far below the manufacturer’s specified pressure value as to cause damaging distortion of the tire body.
What is Underinflation?
An examination of a vehicle’s condition and the condition of a vehicle’s tires, suspension system, and steering system prior to an alignment.
What is a Pre-Alignment Inspection?
Added to the wheel during the balance process.
What are Wheel Weights?
A hole in a tire's tread or sidewall that is typically caused by a nail, screw, or other sharp object.
One of the two reinforced steel cable rings on the edge of the inner and outer tire sidewalls that secures the tire on the wheel rim.
What is the Bead?
A pressure condition in a vehicle’s tire in which the tire is filled with excessive air pressure over the manufacturer’s specified value.
What is Overinflation?
An alignment angle measuring the inward or outward tilt of the top of the tire, as viewed from the front of the vehicle.
What is Camber?
Modern balancing system that takes into account radial, lateral, fore-aft forces while applying a weight to the wheel.
What is a Road Force Balancer?
Tires installed on a vehicle that differ in size between the vehicle's front and rear axle.
What are Staggered Tires?
The portion of a tire’s rubber body between each bead and the tread that is engineered to provide lateral stability. Tire information is printed or cast into the sidewall.
What is the Tire Sidewall?
A federally mandated four-digit code cast into a tire’s sidewall rubber - usually placed in an oval relief.
What is the Date Code?
An alignment angle measuring the direction of the tire (inward or outward) compared to the vehicle’s centerline, as viewed from directly over the vehicle. The angle is controlled by the steering linkage and designed to point the tires straight down the road.
What is Toe?
An improved type of tire balancing that includes a multi-dimensional balance accounting for lateral and radial forces on a tire assembly.
What is Dynamic Balancing?
A shop machine used by technicians to remove and install tires on wheels.
What is a Tire Service Machine?
An alpha-numeric code on a tire’s sidewall that provides information about the tire, including its service class, tread width, aspect ratio, construction, wheel diameter, and speed and load ratings.
What is Tire Size?
Equal wear on the inside or outside of both tires.
What is wear caused by incorrect Toe angle?
A front-axle alignment angle measured between a straight line intersecting the lower ball joint and the upper mount of the front suspension and a perpendicular line to the ground intersecting the center of the tire, as viewed from the side of the wheel.
What is Caster?
A shop machine that spins a tire up to moderate driving speeds while measuring for weight imbalance of the tire assembly. The machine’s display indicates where to add weights to the wheel in order to offset imbalance of the tire assembly.
What is a Tire Balance Machine (Tire Balancer)?
The process of removing the tires from a vehicle and installing them on different corners to ensure even tread wear.
What is Tire Rotation?
State the height in millimeters of this tire:
P215/50R17 97T
What is 107.5 mm?
Wear on one side of one tire only
What is wear caused by incorrect Camber angle?
A measurement taken from the ground to the bottom of the vehicle’s fender at the center of the tire. Ride height measurement points can differ per vehicle manufacturer.
What is Vehicle Ride Height?