When Pro-Align moved to its new premises near Silverstone at the beginning of this year its signalled something of a step change for the growing business. With plush new offices and technical/training areas the company has invested in quality premises with a view to long-term growth. Since then, Pro-Align’s management report that this year’s sales have grown, with a significant number of the company’s recently expanded range of tyre changers and wheel balancers being sold to tyre specialists rather than to bodyshops or general service garages. However, when Tyres & Accessories made the trip to motorsport’s historic heartland to meet with managing director, Paul Beurain, the spotlight was on the Hunter SmartWeight balancing system Pro-Align is currently marketing.

Ever wanted to save money on workshop consumables like balancing weights? Judging by the number of people who said they wanted to bend the rules when European regulations banned lead weights earlier this year – quite a few of you! The good news is that, according to Hunter and Pro-Align, the SmartWeight balancing system claims to save tyre specialists as much as £3000 a year on zinc balancing weights by employing a new balancing algorithm. The clever thing is that this calculation claims to do a better job of balancing a wheel assemblies’ static and couple forces than traditional balancers do at the moment.

It does this by measuring and correcting both forces, looking at each one individually, effectively using each to balance the other, while keeping both well within vehicle manufacturer guideline tolerances. This development represents quite a leap forward as far as balancing calculations are concerned because, prior to Hunter’s development of the SmartWeight algorithm, most balancers are workeding in the same way – exclusively measuring the static and dynamic forces and applying the same tolerance to both.forces and trying to resolve the problem this way. In short SmartWeight’s mathematical cleverness means less weights, which costs dealers less money.

As I suggested earlier, the idea of saving money on the cost of balancing weights is particularly appealing following this year’s lead weight ban. The price of the mostly zinc replacement weights has proved to be more than a little eratic in the last 12 months. Of course this isn’t the weight manufacturers’ fault but rather the fluctuating zinc trading market price. Either way, the net result is the same for anyone balancing a lot wheels – it only means more expense. Consequently any balancing kit that can reduce the amount that needs to be spent on weights must be a welcome development.
According to the case studies that T&A has seen, a retailer balancing 150 wheels a week, using an average of 55 grams of balancing weights that cost £12 per kilo could save 35 per cent (£1802) on weights by the end of the year. A larger operation balancing 200 wheels a week, using weights that cost the same could save £2402 (35 per cent). At this rate the larger shop could find its machine paying for itself by the beginning of the second year of usage (based on a zinc price increase of 20 per cent).

So far Hunter is the only manufacturer producing a commercially available system capable of balancing by first viewing static and dynamic forces individually, ahead of selecting balance weights and location to bring both forces to within tolerance both the dynamic and couple forces. But if the equipment proves to be as successful as Hunter says it is, it is unlikely to be long before the other wheel balancing equipment manufacturers are producing their own versions.

A question of balance

The Hunter GSP9200 and GSP9700 balancers Pro-Align distributes both incorporate the patented SmartWeight software, but can also operate using traditional calculations so users can compare the results. The machines are pitched at the mid-range to premium customer and are priced accordingly. However, according to Pro-Align managing director, Paul Beaurain the machines earn back their price tags surprisingly quickly. In addition to the weight (and therefore cost) savings detailed above, Beaurain claims the machines make the task of balancing a wheel up to 30 per cent quicker.

Based on a field test of over 7000 tyre/wheel assemblies, Hunter researchers found that clip-weight corrections were an average of 20 per cent quicker, while clip-tape and tape-tape corrections were completed 30 and 35 per cent faster respectively. In practice some satisfied customers found that their tyre fitters were bypassing their traditional machine in favour of the SmartWeight enable balancer.

One of the most interesting features of both the GSP9200 and GSP9700 balancers is that they feature a data screen, detailing information about the balancing spins the machine has done. What the information stored here seems to reveal is that these machines are particular effective at saving weight on 15-17 and 18-20-inch sizes. As these sizes often feature the most expensive and attractive alloy wheels, using fewer weights has real aesthetic benefits. And a good looking wheel is another plus-point worth paying for, from the end-consumer’s perspective.

Pro-Align’s premium balancing option is the GSP9700. In addition to the weight saving features described above the 9700 goes “far beyond the traditional functions of a wheel balancer” and includes a rolling “road force measurement system” designed to identify radial force vibration and pull problems. As a result the Hunter vibration control unit is apparently installed at every Bentley dealer in the UK. On hearing about this premium balancer, five PorscheBentley dealers even went as far as ordering units ahead of official approvalrequirement from the German owned manufacturer to do so.

The GSP9200 is aimed at those tyre dealerships that aren’t quite at the level of your average Bentley dealer. It features all the same SmartWeight balancing software, with a few less of the premium extras – namely the rolling road. However, the GSP9200 still includes useful features like automatic weight mode detection (this is automatically selected depending on the place the operator puts the machine’s dataset positioning arm), adhesive weight placement laser and servo stop and servo push drive control, to name a few.

Tyre changers

In addition to innovative range of wheel balancers, Pro-Align also sells tyre changers such as the Hunter TCX 550 and TCX 525 models and the GA 220 budget tyre changer. The TCX 525 is designed for high volume work and has an inside clamping capability of 13-24 inches. Outside clamping stretches from 11-22 inches. On top of these standard features, a BPS Bbead Ppress Ssystem, wheel lift and PAX kit can be added as options. The TCX 550 premium tyre changer offers tabletop clamping from 12 to 28-inch rims, interchangeable quick release tool heads, and a two-speed motor.