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Wheel Alignment and Balancing

BP Wanaka Wheel Aligment

Wheel Alignment

If your vehicle’s wheels are not correctly aligned, they could cause premature wear on your tyres and suspension components. This can cause problems with your vehicle’s handling, performance and the overall safety.

Over time, a slight misalignment can cause a lot of uneven or premature tyre wear. Therefore, it’s important to get this fixed quickly before it leads to larger problems.

There are many ways for your wheels can become misaligned.

Road hazards

Driving over pot holes or even hitting the curb or running into concrete parking stalls.

Tyre wear and tear

Rubber components can start to crack or lose their elasticity and ball and socket joints develop looseness the older your vehicle gets. Gradually, they start to give a little more and get slightly worse over time.

Minor bingles and accidents

Just because the vehicle’s exterior looks undamaged, there may still be damage you can’t see, including the wheels being knocked out of alignment.

How does a wheel alignment work?

In simple terms, a wheel alignment is the measurement, analysis and adjustment of your vehicle’s steering and suspension angles to ensure the wheels are perpendicular to the ground and parallel to each other.

A wheel alignment is a key maintenance factor to ensure that you get the best wear and performance out of your tyres.

A regular wheel alignment provides safe vehicle control plus a smooth and comfortable ride free of pulling or vibration. It also extends your tyre’s mileage.

Wheel balancing

One of the easiest ways to tell when something is not right with your tyres is from behind the wheel. Most of us would have encountered steering wheel wobble or vibration when we’re driving at high speeds, and this can mean that a wheel is out of balance.

To fix the problem, your Bridgestone Wanaka technician will use tiny, but important, weights to counterbalance the heaviest part of the tyre and wheel assembly. If that weight becomes loose, the wheel will wobble — and the faster you’re traveling, the more it will wobble. This will increase tyre wear and is potentially unsafe.

Tyre Rotation

Different vehicles will wear their tyres at different rates. For example, a front-wheel drive vehicle will wear its tyres very differently from a rear-wheel drive. Station wagons and utilities — because of the lack of weight over the rear wheels — will also wear at varying rates.

One of the best ways you can look after your tyres is by rotating them regularly. Swapping the rear tyres to the front and vice-versa ensures that tyres wear evenly and last significantly longer. As a guide, tyres should be rotated every 10,000 km even if there is no sign of uneven wear.

Direct Email: mark@bridgestonewanaka.co.nz

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Punctures plus Run Flat Tyres & M.O.E (Mercedes-Benz vehicles)

Bridgestone Wanaka Puncture repairs

If you do get a puncture bring it in and our team of technicians will evaluate if it can be fixed in a safe and professional manner in line with safety standards (NZ Standard 5423) and have you back on the road in no time.

So if you notice your tyre is looking a bit flat, pull over, replace it with your spare and bring it on in for us to check out.

Driving on a flat tyre doesn’t only compromise your safety, but increases the chance of having to fully replace the tyre.

Run Flat Tyres

That Help Maintain Vehicle Mobility… Even After Being Punctured

If you’ve ever been late for a date, appointment, or meeting because of a flat tyre, you already know how frustrating it can be. If you’ve ever changed a flat tyre in the rain, after dark, or on the shoulder of a busy highway, you already know how frightening it can be. So while we enjoy the freedom our vehicles provide, it’s amazing how quickly that freedom vanishes when a flat tyre strands us.

Since the early development of the automobile, tyres have played an important role in determining a vehicle’s overall comfort and safety. However, there are few consumer products placed in harm’s way more often than our tyres, which encounter extremes in temperature, exposure to the elements, and attacks by debris on the road during their life. And while the tyre manufacturers’ continuous research and development efforts have improved tyre durability and longevity, only recently have they developed tyres that can temporarily maintain vehicle mobility using standard Original Equipment and aftermarket wheels. These run-flat tyres provide the driver more flexibility when deciding where to have tyre repairs made.

MO Extended or M.O.E

Tyres branded with MO Extended or MOE on their sidewalls identify them as being specifically tuned for Mercedes-Benz vehicles. The Extended portion of the name identifies they feature run-flat-like tyre characteristics by offering temporary extended mobility. However, since they don’t meet all of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) run-flat tyre operating limits under all permitted vehicle loads, they cannot be branded as run-flat tyres.

Mercedes-Benz vehicles traditionally provide high levels of comfort, which makes it challenging for chassis engineers to add traditional run-flat tyres without experiencing some sacrifices in ride comfort.

Direct Email: mark@bridgestonewanaka.co.nz

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Nitrogen Tyre Inflation explained

How does nitrogen affect tyre inflation?

Furthermore, properly inflated tyres, checked at least once a month, can help boost fuel economy, reduce tread wear, decrease your vehicle’s braking distance, and reduce the chances of a catastrophic tyre failure such as a blowout.

Nitrogen molecules are larger than oxygen molecules, meaning that it’s more difficult for nitrogen to leak out of your tyres through the inner-liner membrane used to retain air. This natural process of air escaping is known as permeability. While both nitrogen and oxygen can and will eventually find their way through the tyre’s inner-liner, it can take up to six times longer for nitrogen verses oxygen.

Also, the compressed air in your tyres contains water vapour, just like the air we breathe – this is what’s called humidity. In tyres, this water vapour has two effects. Firstly, it can accelerate the oxidation process. Secondly, water vapour pressure varies a lot with changes in temperature, so this can result in increases (or decreases) in your tyre pressure. Compressed nitrogen in tyres, on the other hand, is dry, making it more stable than standard compressed air, even at the higher temperatures tyres are subject to at highway speeds.

Are there any negatives associated with using nitrogen?

For many drivers, compressed nitrogen for tyre inflation can be a good choice, but there are some drivers who might find standard compressed air to be the better option. Firstly, nitrogen is more expensive than compressed air, which means a higher up-front cost, but the increased time tyres remain at their correct pressure may make it worth the price to the vehicle owner.

Additionally, though nitrogen is available much more widely than it once was, tyres utilising nitrogen-filled tyres can still mean some extra planning for many drivers. Whereas with standard compressed air you’d be surprised not to find it available at a service station, with nitrogen tyre inflation you’ll need to familiarise yourself with your nitrogen dealer options.

Frequently Asked Questions

What tyre types does nitrogen work with, and can I use it now?

Dry compressed nitrogen air can be used in any type of tyre at any time and in all driving conditions. In fact, as we learned earlier, nitrogen is a component of standard compressed air, so your tyres already have some nitrogen in them already.

Will nitrogen work with my tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS)?

You won’t notice any differences in your TPMS if you switch to nitrogen in your tyres because it works the same as standard compressed air with your TPMS.

How much nitrogen should I put in my tyres?

There is no difference between standard compressed air and compressed nitrogen when filling your tyres. Refer to your owner’s manual or the tyre pressure specs. for your specific tyres.

Will nitrogen work in my tyres in the winter and summer?

Nitrogen works just as well even when the weather becomes it’s most extreme. However similarly to tyres that are inflated with standard air, tyres inflated with nitrogen will experience pressure changes with the temperature fluctuations, meaning tyre pressure needs to be checked when the thermometer either drops or rises significantly and it is more likely during these fluctuations that your tyres will need to be topped off with extra air.

Do I still need to check the air pressure of my tyres?

Yes, even when you’re utilising nitrogen, tyre pressure still needs to be checked regularly. Even though nitrogen is less permeable than oxygen, it will still leak out from your tyres, albeit more slowly.

Direct Email: mark@bridgestonewanaka.co.nz

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Tomorrow Matters – Our commitment to you today explained…

Bridgestone Hand

We believe it’s our responsibility to do what we can to create a bright and sustainable future for generations to come. We believe that tomorrow matters, today.

With this in mind, Bridgestone is actively working towards important objectives under an initiative called Tomorrow Matters. As part of this, we are committed to:

  • Finding new and better ways of using technology;
  • Encouraging our children to find solutions for tomorrow; and
  • Helping to ensure a healthy environment for current and future generations.

Every year Bridgestone invest more than $800 million into the research and development of our tyres. And, every day, we’re working to find new and better ways of using technology to ensure our class-leading tyres deliver the ultimate in performance and safety.

Just one handprint of tread connects your vehicle – and those inside – to the road, so the technology that goes into your tyres needs to be the best of the best. Every move you make, whether you’re cornering, braking or driving in the wet, relies on the performance of your tyres.

At Bridgestone we’re committed to creating innovative, sustainable tyre solutions for the future. As part of this, safety always comes first – so when our customers venture out onto the road they know they can rely on their Bridgestone tyres to get them home safe.

Development of environmentally friendlier products

  • Bridgestone Ecopia Tyres
  • Bandag Retreads
  • Ecopia with ologic tyres
  • Evasky Photovoltaic Panel

Sustainability

Bridgestone has acted as a proud sponsor of the Motuora Restoration Society. We’ve helped plant hundreds of native plants cross the predator-free sanctuary of Motuora Island in the Hauraki Gulf. This ongoing reforestation project lends support to kiwis, and other animals in danger of extinction, by providing a safe habitat.

Since the project’s inception, more than 300,000 trees have been planted across the island. All trees used in the reforestation programme are grown on the island itself from seed eco sourced locally under the supervision of the Motuora Restoration Society.

World Solar Challenge

When it comes to creating solutions for tomorrow, we believe the youth of today are our greatest asset. For this reason, Bridgestone is a major supporter of the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, an event which exists to foster the development of sustainable transport.

The race takes participants on a 3,000 kilometre solar-powered journey from Darwin to Adelaide, through harsh terrain and unforgiving conditions. It is an event that defines creativity, bringing together bright young minds who become vital pioneers for solar technology.

In 2013, a set of specially developed ologic tyres were used on the solar car entered by Japan’s Kogakuin University and were put through their paces on the 3,000km challenge. As a result, the Ecopia with ologic Technology is now on New Zealand roads with Ecopia EP500, fitted as Original Equipment on the revolutionary BMW i3.

Bridgestone is proud to be involved with an initiative that is creating real benefits for all drivers, not only those involved with this unique event.

Direct Email: mark@bridgestonewanaka.co.nz