How does a car's tire balancing process work?

@salvatore 

The tire balancing process ensures that the weight of the tire and wheel assembly is evenly distributed, allowing for smooth and vibration-free driving. Here's how it works:

1. Wheel inspection: Initially, the technician inspects the wheel for any damage, such as bends or cracks, that could affect the balancing process. They may also check the tire tread for any irregularities that might cause vibrations.
2. Mounting the wheel: The wheel is then mounted onto a balancing machine, which has a spindle to hold the wheel in place.
3. Spinning the wheel: The machine spins the wheel at high speed to determine the areas where weight imbalances exist. These imbalances can occur due to variations in the tire, wheel, or rim.
4. Weight placement: Once the machine identifies the heavy spots on the wheel, the technician attaches small balancing weights (made of lead or steel) to the opposite side of the heavy spots. These weights help evenly distribute the weight and counteract the imbalance.
5. Rechecking: After adding the weights, the wheel is spun again to confirm if it is now balanced. If the machine still detects imbalance, the technician adjusts the weights accordingly until the wheel spins smoothly.
6. Repeating the process: The technician repeats this process for each tire on the vehicle, as all four tires need to be balanced individually.
7. Final inspection: Once all the tires are balanced, a final inspection is performed to ensure that proper weight distribution has been achieved.

It's important to note that tire balancing is typically recommended whenever new tires are installed, and it may also be performed periodically to correct any imbalances that may occur due to wear and tear.