Wheel Balancer Tools
- Car wheels may need to be balanced using a wheel balancer tool.Car's wheel image by Fenia from Fotolia.com
A wheel balancer is a tool used by mechanics to balance the wheels on cars, trucks and SUVs. It is important to have an accurately calibrated spin balancer because dynamic wheel balance is only created with a spin balancer. Most modern wheel balancer tools have self-calibrating electronics. This feature improves accuracy. A good wheel balancer tool is able to pick up vibrations, even at low speeds, in order to determine when wheels need to be balanced. - Atlas WB-11 is a computer wheel balancer. It was created for auto shops that balance an average of 20 sets of passenger wheels daily. Atlas WB-11 is self-calibrating, has several different wheel weight positioning modes, and can automatically calculate where the weights need to be placed with just the touch of a button. Additionally, the Atlas WB-11 can handle 130-pound wheels and lower. It also has a foot pedal auxiliary brake for better positioning. Atlas WB-11 was a new addition to the Atlas brand in 2010.
- The NTB-580 Electronic Wheel Balancer by National Auto Tools can handle almost any wheel. The features of the NTB-580 include self calibration; static and dynamic modes; speed nut; alloy capability; and a display that indicates grams/ounces and millimeters/inches. The maximum wheel weight for the NTB-580 is 155 pounds.
- Ken-Tool produces the self-leveling 31360 Challenger Wheel Balancer B260. The company states that the 31360 is accurate and easy to operate. Unlike the self-calibrating models, the 31360 is a a bubble-type balancer. It is portable, however it must be manually calibrated prior to using it each day. The bubble does not freeze and the 31360 is an option for shops with less space. The entire wheel balancer tool can be compacted into 2 square feet of floor space.
