They sound similar and often get muddled, but wheel alignment and wheel balancing are two completely different jobs that fix two completely different problems. Here's how to tell them apart.
A tyre and wheel are never perfectly even in weight. Wheel balancing spins the assembly on a machine to find the heavy spots, then adds small counterweights to the rim so it rotates smoothly. Get it wrong and you feel it as a vibration through the steering wheel, seat or floor, usually at 50-60 mph and above. Balancing is done every time a new tyre is fitted.
Wheel alignment - often called tracking - is about the angles your wheels sit at (toe, camber and caster). Over time, or after a hard knock, those angles drift out of the manufacturer's spec so the wheels no longer point exactly where they should. Alignment resets them on a dedicated rig. It's a different job to balancing, fixing a different set of symptoms.
We do mobile wheel balancing at your door as standard with every tyre we fit. Full four-wheel alignment, however, needs a fixed workshop rig and can't be done on the driveway - so it's not something we (or most mobile fitters) offer on-site. If your car needs its tracking adjusting, a local garage with an alignment machine is the place to go. We'll always tell you honestly which one you actually need.
“People come to us convinced they need alignment when it's actually a balancing issue, and the other way round. We balance every wheel we fit as standard - and if we spot signs your tracking's out, we'll be straight with you and point you to someone with the rig for it.”
Balancing evens out the weight around the wheel to stop vibration. Alignment adjusts the angles the wheels sit at, to stop pulling and uneven tyre wear. They're separate jobs.
Vibration through the steering or seat means balancing. Pulling to one side, an off-centre steering wheel, or uneven edge wear means alignment.
We provide mobile wheel balancing with every fitting. Full four-wheel alignment needs a workshop rig, so for that we'll point you to a local garage.
Yes - every new tyre should be balanced when it's fitted, which we do as standard.
Have it checked after hitting a kerb or pothole, or if you notice pulling or uneven tyre wear.
Call now for a fast, no-obligation quote - or drop your details in and we'll come back to you.
07772 078 648We'll call you back as soon as we can. For anything urgent, call 07772 078 648.