Diagnostics: New aligning systems and software enhance capabilities

When talking of diagnostic equipment, many immediately think of engine analysers, hand-held electronic devices, but very few put wheel aligners or specialist balancers in that category. However, wheel service equipment specialist Pro-Align is keen to promote its comprehensive range of equipment designed to help workshops diagnose and solve many wheel and tyre related problems such as uneven tyre wear, difficult wheel vibration issues, vehicle pull or crooked steering wheels.

In a survey carried out by the company, Pro-Align found that 9 out of 10 cars suffered some form of misalignment. Left uncorrected, these problems can lead to higher fuel bills, rapid or uneven tyre wear, and the reduced safety of their owners.

“Most forward thinking workshops now realise that they cannot diagnose and repair wheel alignment issues without investing in the correct equipment,” explained Paul Beaurain, managing director, Pro-Align. “With such a high proportion of vehicles on our roads experiencing misalignment, workshops really are missing out on a significant revenue opportunity if they do not equip themselves with appropriate diagnostic tools.”

For workshops new to four wheel alignment, Pro-Align has specifically developed its Hunter HawkEye Special package. This entry-level system gives workshops the capability to perform fast and accurate alignment checks. This is a two camera imaging aligner with Linux-based operating software, extensive vehicle database and durable polycarbonate HEX targets. Workshops are fully supported by Pro-Align’s comprehensive backup, training, servicing and parts support to ensure they achieve the maximum return on their investment.

Difficult vibrations are another problem which typically cannot be diagnosed and fixed without specialist equipment. Standard wheel balancers are unable to identify particularly tricky problems which can leave customers unhappy with low level background vibration and poor ride quality.

“Stiff spots within the tyre wall can be the cause of many difficult vibration issues,” continues Paul Beaurain. “As these stiff spots can only be detected under load, traditional wheel balancers cannot identify the problem area. This means that technicians rely on trial and error rather than correct diagnosis to solve issues.”

As part of the balance process, Pro-Align’s Hunter Road Force Balancer (GSP9700), uses a load roller to apply up to 700Kg to the wheel and tyre. During a 10 second process the balancer measures any Radial Force Variation (RFV) in the assembly. The GSP9700 can then identify the location of a stiff spot in the tyre and low spot in the rim. It then shows where to position the tyre’s stiff spot in relation to the identified rim low spot and through a process, known as ‘match-mounting’ cancels out the unwanted RFV and hence vibration.

Drift or vehicle pull issues can also be diagnosed and improved with the Hunter Road Force Balancer. The load roller can measure the tyre’s conicity and resultant net pull or Lateral Force Measurement (LFM) between two or more tyre assemblies.

Once the GSP9700 balancer has measured the amount and direction of pull generated by each wheel, it is ‘tagged’ and the best on-vehicle arrangement plan is displayed to minimise the pull.

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