Q: What tool should technicians use to center the wheel lugs on passenger cars and trucks (Ford F150, Chevy 1500, Ford, Chevy, Toyota Tundra, Toyota, clad wheels, Hyundai, Kia, Honda, Lexus, Subaru, Mercedes, Audi, Lincoln, Chrysler, Infiniti)?
A: To balance passenger car wheels (center wheels at the hub and the lugs), we recommend
Vehicle wheels wear and operate best when they are balanced.
To ensure a wheel is truly balanced, it must be balanced both at the hub and at the lug, in what we call dual plane balancing.
What do we mean by dual plane balancing? That indicates that the wheel is balanced both statically and dynamically.
The technician must center the hub to correct static imbalance, or front-to-back wheel movement as the vehicle drives down the road.
Q: What tools do technicians use to center the hub and control static imbalance?
A: We recommend the following hub-centering solution for passenger cars, light trucks, and SUVs:
Balancing begins with centering and centering is either reinforced through lugs or the actual centering point for truly lug centric wheels (aftermarket wheels) where the wheel is centered by the lugs rather than the hub. With either Quick Plates or Flange Plates, the lug mount on the vehicle is replicated exactly on the balancer and provides the same resistance to side to side movement pushing the wheel away from the centered mount.
Additional collet kit cones are available–ask a Haweka representative for more information.