Taking care of your vehicle’s tyres is key to keeping it running smoothly and safely. Two big aspects of car maintenance are tyre balancing and alignment, both of which significantly affect how your vehicle handles on the road. By understanding their importance and knowing when to get your tyres checked, you can ensure that your vehicle maintains its optimal performance.

How Balanced Tyres Improve Vehicle Performance

Reduces Vibrations

When your tyres are properly balanced, you won’t feel vibrations through the steering wheel or seats—just a smooth ride that makes every drive better. Balancing ensures that your tyre and rim assembly spins evenly, preventing any wobbling or bouncing that could disrupt your ride.

Prevents Uneven Tyre Wear

Balanced tyres wear more evenly, which means they'll last longer and perform better throughout their lifespan. Balancing ensures all your tyres wear down at the same rate, helping you avoid the need for frequent replacements. This also reduces the risk of dynamic imbalance, where uneven weight distribution within the tyre can lead to premature treadwear.

Better Handling on the Road

Balanced tyres help keep your vehicle stable, especially when you’re driving at higher speeds. This stability becomes especially important when you’re cruising on highways or navigating sharp turns, where a slight imbalance could make your vehicle harder to control. With balanced tyres, you’ll find that your vehicle responds more predictably to your steering, giving you the confidence to handle any road conditions.

How Properly Aligned Tyres Improve Vehicle Performance

More Precise Steering

When your tyres are aligned correctly, they all point in the same direction, making steering feel effortless. Proper alignment means better contact with the road, which reduces any resistance that might make steering difficult. This gives you a smoother, more responsive ride and reduces the strain on your steering system, making it easier to navigate wet roads or tight corners.

Promotes Safer Drives

Tyre alignment plays a big role in your vehicle’s overall safety. Properly aligned tyres improve your vehicle’s braking performance, ensuring that all four tyres grip the road evenly when you need to stop quickly. Alignment also prevents your vehicle from pulling to one side, which can be particularly dangerous during emergency manoeuvres or in wet conditions.

Lower Fuel Consumption

When your tyres are aligned, they roll smoothly without creating any unnecessary drag. Whereas misaligned tyres can cause your vehicle to work harder just to move forward, leading to increased fuel consumption. By ensuring your tyres are properly aligned, you reduce this drag, which means your vehicle can move more easily, helping you save on both fuel and money.

When to Check Your Tyre Balancing and Alignment

Knowing when to check the balance and alignment of your tyres can greatly improve your vehicle’s performance. If you’re feeling vibrations in the steering wheel or seat, or hearing strange noises while driving, it’s likely time to balance your tyres. You should also check for proper tyre pressure as a first step. If your tyres are misaligned, you might notice your vehicle pulling to one side, a vibrating or off-centre steering wheel, or uneven treadwear on your tyres.

Getting your tyres aligned and balanced every 10,000km can help maximise their lifespan and overall performance. But if you notice early signs of imbalance or misalignment, it’s important to have them checked and corrected immediately. While these issues may seem minor, addressing them promptly ensures your vehicle maintains peak performance and helps you avoid bigger problems down the road. Addressing these issues promptly is part of good tyre care.

At Bridgestone, our tyres are designed for durability and performance, helping you get the most out of every kilometre. Explore the Bridgestone tyre catalogue to find the perfect fit for your vehicle.