How to Identify Car Tyre Balancing Issues

By David Sholicar

Good tyres ensure a safe and comfortable ride. You need a good grip to ensure you can drive and stop safely, if the road is wet or greasy. You can normally feel if the car is not pulling correctly, which is why keeping a check on wheel alignment and balancing is so important.

Car Tyre Balancing

Good tyres ensure a safe and comfortable ride. You need a good grip to ensure you can drive and stop safely, if the road is wet or greasy. You can normally feel if the car is not pulling correctly, which is why keeping a check on wheel alignment and balancing is so important.

What is the difference between wheel alignment and wheel balancing?

Wheel alignment involves checking the angles of the wheels and adjusting them, if necessary, so that they are at the correct angle with the road and with each other. This will maximise the life of your tyres and ensure the vehicle runs straight and does not veer to the left or right. If you feel your car is pulling to one side, then you should check the alignment.

Not sure whether your vehicle requires a wheel alignment? Get a Free Alignment Check, courtesy of Protyre.

Free Alignment Check

Wheel balancing permits the tyres and wheels to spin without vibration. Your garage will check for any problem spots on the wheel and then balance it by placing a weight on the wheel, opposite to where the problem spot is. If you feel the seat, steering wheel or floorboards of your vehicle vibrate at certain speeds, then it is likely your wheels are out of balance.

Protyre offer Wheel Alignment and many other garage services to all of our customers. Click the button below to view our full range.

Garage Services

If you notice any of these problems with your car, it is best to consult your local Protyre garage sooner rather than later. Ignoring problems can mean the damage becomes greater or your safety is compromised. Protyre can also check wheel balancing and alignment during your annual service.

When should my car be serviced?

No matter how many miles your car does, it should have an annual inspection. If it is over three years old, it should also have a check-up, before the MOT. Otherwise, car servicing intervals are advisable every 12,000 miles or 12 months, whichever comes up first. Regular servicing will help to maintain the value of your vehicle and spot any problems before they become major issues, which will also save money.

Should your car fail its MOT, you can also get free MOT retests if you leave the vehicle to be repaired at the MOT test centre, and it has another partial retest within 10 days. If your vehicle's MOT certificate is still valid, you can take your vehicle to your local garage for the work to be done. For certain problems, free MOT retests are given if the vehicle is returned to the same test centre before the end of the next working day.

MOT CheckerBook MOT

Don't forget to book free checks at your local Protyre garage, to give you the peace of mind that your vehicle is safe to drive.

Free Vehicle Checks

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About the author

Article Author Photo
By David Sholicar
David is the National Retail Operations Manager for Protyre. One of David’s areas of responsibility and expertise is dealing with the DVSA and MOT’s for Protyre. As the Authorised Examiner Designate Manager ( AEDM ) David deals with applications for changes to the many Vehicle Testing Stations ( VTS’s) including managing the growth of the Number of MOT testing stations that Protyre operate, allocating MOT tester roles, and monitoring the MOT Test logs to ensure that Protyre MOT standards are maintained as the best in the industry.
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