'Wheel balancing', 'wheel alignment', or any other variations of the two terms are some of the most commonly used phrases associated with car servicing and maintenance. What exactly do they mean, though?

While both result in a smoother drive, they entail different services being conducted on your vehicle. Wheel balancing, or tyre balancing, is done to rectify any imbalance in your tyre assembly's weight. On the other hand, wheel alignment, or tyre alignment, is carried out to fix your tyres' angles, so they come in contact with the road properly.

What does tyre balancing do?

As mentioned earlier, tyre balancing is done to rectify the uneven weight distribution in the tyres. Imbalanced tyres can cause problems such as vibrations, excessive tyre wear, and potentially damage the suspension.

A tyre balancing service at ServiceMyCar entails getting your car tyres mounted onto a wheel balancing machine. The machine will spin the tyres thoroughly to check the wheel assembly and measure the level of imbalance in your tyres.

This process helps our resident tyre technician accurately install proper tyre weights to get the correct measurement and balance your wheels and tyre assembly.

What are the major signs that indicate you require wheel balancing?

There are a few factors that could indicate a wheel balancing service on the horizon.

• Closely inspect all four tyres of the car. If there's uneven wearing on any of the tyres, it could signal the requirement of wheel balancing.

• If you notice any vibration or trembling in your steering wheel, floorboard, or even your seat, it's a hint that your wheels may be imbalanced.

• The part of your car that trembles will further indicate what set of tyres are imbalanced. If the front side of your car trembles, the front tyres need balancing, and if it's the rear side, then the rear tyres need balancing.

• Your tyres can go out of balance for other reasons, too, such as hitting a curb too hard, having uneven tyre air pressure, or not using your car for an extended amount of time.

What does a wheel alignment service do?

Wheel alignment, or tyre alignment, involves the adjustment of the suspension. The suspension system links the vehicle to the tyres. A wheel alignment service is carried out if any misalignment is observed in the wheels. As a result, it doesn't include any adjustment made on tyres directly.

A proper wheel alignment service will ensure your car stays steady and does not stray to the left or right side of the road. Moreover, it also enhances your vehicle's handling and reduces the amount of vibration faced on the road.

What are the major signs that indicate you require wheel alignment?

Several factors point towards a wheel alignment service being required for your vehicle:

• If your car jerks to one side of the road, you probably need to get your wheels aligned.

• Carry out a thorough tyre inspection. If the tyre treads have uneven or premature wear on them, it's a sign that you need to get a wheel alignment service done.

• If you find that your steering wheel goes off-centre while you're driving, then it's likely that a wheel alignment service is required.

• If the steering wheel erratically vibrates, especially when accelerating, it means that you need to get your wheels aligned.

• Like tyre balancing, you can get your wheels misaligned by hitting the curb, a pothole, or a speed hump too hard.

Whether it's tyre balancing or wheel alignment, choose ServiceMyCar for all your tyre and suspension needs

Now that we've provided all the information on the differences between tyre balancing and wheel alignment, you should probably know what service you require. If you're still not sure, fear not, since the car service experts at ServiceMyCar can assist you and make a recommendation on what's needed.

If you feel wheel imbalancing in your BMW or if you're looking for your BMW brake service in Dubai. So, you can book an service appointment for your BMW at Service My Car portal. Service My Car is the tech-enabled car-servicing platform that has created a better way to help car owners. Service My Car helps you to choose the best BMW service center in Dubai for your BMW repair and servicing. You can repair your car without letting you go anywhere, our recovery driver will pick up your car at your location and give it back to you after servicing.