Bosch Launches New Tyre Service and Alignment Range

Through its recent acquisitions of Beissbarth and SICAM, Bosch has enhanced its product range and now reports it can offer workshops a complete range of tyre service and wheel alignment equipment. Its latest release is a new garage equipment line-up that it says focuses upon "around the wheel" products.

Tyre and rim service on passenger cars, light commercial vehicles and motorcycles can be lucrative work and offers workshops a good business opportunity, Bosch notes. In addition, wheel alignment work allows garages to offer customers a great added value service.

Bosch’s new “around the wheel” products include the latest generation tyre changing (TCE) and wheel balancing (WBE) range of equipment and the state-of-the-art FWA 4630 3D wheel aligner. Both of these products, says Bosch, have been specifically designed to help workshops make the most of the growing opportunities in the tyre service business.

Commenting on the new range, Bill Johnson, sales director Bosch and Beissbarth, Equipment and Services said: “More than ever before workshops and technicians need the right technical equipment to get the job done quickly, safely and efficiently. Our new, latest generation tyre service and wheel alignment equipment feature many advanced, technical innovations which we believe will help workshops fulfil ever demanding customer requirements whilst maximise efficiency and importantly profitability.”

Tyre Changing Equipment:

Increasing demands from customers is putting ever-greater time pressure on workshops to get the job done quickly. The new range of tyre changing equipment (TCE) from Bosch has been specifically designed to provide technicians with a safe, versatile and importantly time-saving operation. Bosch’s TCE range from Bosch is suitable for passenger cars, motorcycles (with additional accessories) and light commercial vehicles.

Key Features of the new range include improved clamping to safely and securely hold the wheel without damaging alloy or polished rims while tyres are removed and refitted, better mounting capabilities to ensure tyres are fitted quickly and safely, suitability for RFT, PAX, BSR and CSR tyres so workshops will be able to handle both high and low profile run-flat tyre systems (with additional accessories), and the ability to accommodate tyres with up to a 30-inch rim diameter and 22inch width

Wheel balancing equipment:

The ability to offer customers a fast, accurate and user-friendly wheel balancing service is an important element of tyre service. Bosch reports that its range of wheel balancing equipment boasts a number of innovative features that will help improve efficiency in the workshop. Key features include pneumatic or mechanical quick clamp to quickly secure the wheel in the right position as well as a wheel lift and a large weight holder, an electronic scanning arm to allow for quick recording of rim distance, width and to place easily the weights at the correct position, an LED or large TFT Display for quick reading of measured values. A laser measured wheel width, true running, wheel symmetry and side slip control function is also available.

Wheel alignment Equipment:

The development of modern suspension and chassis system technology is ongoing, and wheel alignment equipment has had to keep pace with the rate of change. The need to provide technicians with accurate, up-to-date information and data to ensure the correct settings are applied is also vital. Bosch says that its new FWA 4630 has been specifically developed to meet both these important criteria. The FWA 4630 employs 3D technology through cameras that Bosch reports are three times more accurate than current image aligners and an integrated reference system. According to Bosch, the FWA 4630 is fast, mobile and requires only one technician to operate it.

Optional updates ensure that new models can be quickly integrated into the FWA 4630’s vehicle database, which currently includes around 25,000 vehicles from more than 60 manufacturers. The user can extend it by individual vehicle specified data and regular software-updates. The interface with Windows-typical functions is designed for user-friendly operation. The user is able to select between a guided routine before and after adjustment, a fast measurement without caster deflection or an optional measurement for targeted testing of individual measured values. The system provides many explanatory images and drawings, which allow immediate, reliable correction of alignment errors.

Key Features of the FWA 4630 include an absence of electronics on the wheel and very robust sensor heads, usability on different lifts, pits and even on the garage floor, without the need to install the aligner in a fixed position, the ability to operate in a relatively confined space (only 600mm is required on each site of the car), fast measurement combined with high accuracy (the complete measurement process including set up can be performed within 7minuntes) and rolling runout compensation and consistent simultaneous accuracy on all four wheels without having to lift the vehicle.

The FWA 4360’s 3D measuring technology permits automatic, high precision measurements. High reproducibility of the results guarantees reliability and competence even in the case of repetitions, Bosch adds.