They get mentioned in the same breath, and plenty of people pay for one thinking it’s the other. Both affect how your car drives and how long your tyres last, but they fix completely different problems. Knowing which is which saves you from paying for the wrong one.
01Balancing: it’s about weight
No tyre and wheel is perfectly even. One spot is always a few grams heavier than the rest. That doesn’t sound like much, but at 120 km/h an average car wheel is turning around 16 times a second, and that small heavy spot turns into a steady vibration.
Balancing fixes it. The fitter spins each wheel on a balancing machine, which shows exactly where the heavy spot is, then fixes small weights to the rim on the opposite side to cancel it out.
Signs a wheel is out of balance:
- A vibration through the steering wheel, often only in a certain speed range, typically somewhere between 80 and 120 km/h. That usually points to the front wheels.
- A vibration felt through the seat or the floor, which usually points to the rear.
- Patchy, scalloped wear on the tread.
Wheels should be balanced every time a tyre is fitted, and after a puncture repair. That’s why balancing is included in our fitted price, along with fitting and nitrogen.
02Alignment: it’s about angles
Alignment has nothing to do with weight. It’s about the angles of the wheels: whether they point straight ahead and parallel to each other, and how much they lean in or out. Mechanics call these toe, camber and caster.
Those angles get knocked out of place more easily than people think. Hitting a kerb while parking, taking a speed bump too fast, a deep pothole, or a weekend in the dunes can all do it. So can worn suspension parts.
Signs the alignment is out:
- The car pulls to one side on a straight, flat road.
- The steering wheel isn’t centred when you’re driving straight.
- One edge of the tyre, usually the inside, is wearing much faster than the other.
- Tyres squealing on slow, tight turns in car parks.
The fitter puts the car on an alignment rig, measures the angles against the maker’s figures, and adjusts the steering and suspension until they match.
A good shop will give you a printout showing the angles before and after, so you can see what was actually out and what was changed. If the readings were fine to begin with, they should tell you that too, rather than adjusting for the sake of it.
03How often?
For balancing, every time tyres are fitted or repaired, and any time a new vibration appears.
For alignment, it’s worth a check whenever you fit new tyres, after any hard knock against a kerb or pothole, after suspension or steering work, and roughly once a year anyway. If you drive off-road regularly, check it more often.
04Can you do one without the other?
Yes. If the only problem is a vibration at speed, balancing on its own usually fixes it. If the car pulls or the steering wheel sits crooked, that’s alignment. New tyres are the one time it’s worth doing both: the balancing has to be done anyway, and an alignment check protects the money you’ve just spent on the tyres.
05Why it matters for your wallet
A car that’s out of alignment can scrub the inside edge off a brand-new pair of tyres in a few thousand kilometres, and you often won’t notice until the steel cords start to show. Unbalanced wheels wear out suspension parts and wheel bearings over time. Either way, the repair costs far more than the check.
Correct pressures help too. A tyre running low wears its edges in a way that looks a lot like an alignment problem. Our summer tyre care guide covers how to check pressure properly, and when to replace your tyres explains the different wear patterns.
06Booking
When you buy tyres from us, fitting and balancing are included. If you want the alignment checked at the same time, or you’re having one of the problems above and want someone to look at it, message us on WhatsApp or through our contact page and we’ll book you in.
Need tyres first? Find your size, or browse the full range with fitted prices.