All about wheels: balancing vs alignment

Toyota Wheels and tires are the only pieces of your Orlando Toyota that make contact with the ground and, therefore, need special care. If you find your vehicle riding a little rough or bumpy, it could be caused by an alignment or a balancing issue with your Toyota wheels. Balancing and alignment is easy to get mixed up and that’s why Toyota of Orlando is here to set the record (and your wheels) straight.

What’s the difference?

Although both keep your Toyota wheels working normally, balancing and aligning perform different functions and require different procedures. Here are a few key facts to know about wheel balancing and alignment, straight from our auto service department!

Wheel balancing

As your tires age and wear down, sections of them may wear down faster, get chipped, or lose more tread than others. This is where Orlando Toyota wheel balancing comes in. Using a machine that measures weight over a certain number of tire revolutions, weights are attached to the wheel itself in certain areas. This is done to counteract excess weight in other spots on the tire. Weights can either be stuck with adhesive to the inside of the Toyota wheel itself or hammered onto the outside of it. If your balancing is off, this can cause your tires to wobble and hop when driving at higher speeds.

Wheel alignment

While balancing issues are remedied by applying weights, alignment issues aren’t so easily solved. Wheel alignment is done to keep your wheels and tires parallel to each other and perpendicular to the ground to keep your vehicle riding easily and efficiently. Before we go any further, here are a few terms that you’ll want to know regarding maintenance issues that can occur with your Toyota wheel alignment:

·       Camber: This is the angle of the Toyota wheel when viewed from the front of the vehicle. Essentially, this is the top of the wheel pointing away or towards the center of your Orlando Toyota. Positive camber means your tires are pointing outward and negative camber means they’re pointing inward.

·       Caster: An alignment issue can also be caused by a caster misalignment. This is referring to the angle your Orlando Toyota’s steering pivot (a part of your suspension system) is facing. A negative caster means that your steering pivot is facing more toward your headlights and positive castor means its facing toward your windshield.

·       Toe: This term has to do with the direction your wheels are pointing in relation to the road and to each other. If your Toyota wheels are toe out, that means they’re pointing away from each other and toe in means they’re pointing towards each other.

For your Orlando Toyota wheels to be in perfect alignment, all of the angle types need to be at zero degrees or pointing straight. Maintenance issues like these can cause uncomfortable driving and degrade your fuel efficiency.

Balance and align your wheels at Toyota of Orlando

Ignoring these maintenance issues can put a damper on your driving and lead to even worse issues in the future. At Toyota of Orlando, our expert auto service team can get your Toyota wheels back to normal, so you can get back on the road! Call us at (407) 298 – 0001 to schedule your service appointment.