A comprehensive guide to selecting the right tire and wheel service equipment

Dec. 15, 2014
A checklist for features and functions to look for when deciding which tire changer, wheel balancer or alignment equipment to purchase.

Perhaps the most important things to consider when making capital equipment investments are universal to all businesses: service, training and parts availability. Same or next-day service, thorough training upon equipment install and fast availability of consumable parts are fundamental to ensuring your business gets the most out of their investment.

In addition to these items, it's important to have a number of questions on-hand when determining the right equipment for your shop, depending what that equipment is designed to do. The criteria listed below can help you identify equipment concerns specific to your business.

Tire Changers

Six fundamental questions should be considered when investing in tire changers.

  • How involved do you want to be?
    • Today’s tires are harder. If you can live with forcing them on with several guys and several bars, then simple tire changers with no pushers might suffice. For the hardest tires, you need various press aids and polymer near the wheel to have a hope of doing this safely.
  • How much power do you want?
    • Power and speed are essential considerations when determining which tire changer suits your business.
  • How much control over the power do you need?
    • Think about the speed of rotation, the demand on supply circuits, the type and location of controls, the automation of controls and tire and wheel protection through control.
  • What types of wheel/tires do you service?
    • OEM fitments have drastically changed in recent years, with low profiles and run flats now representing nearly 60 percent of all OEM assemblies. While conventional tire changers are suitable for conventional tires, these specialty assemblies require more sophisticated equipment.
  • How do you want to secure the assembly to the changer?
    • Consider center post clamping, table top clamping, tulip clamping, center mount “chuck” clamping, two types of wheel lifts.
  • Training, safety and service?
    • Today’s best machines eliminate the need for a skilled technician and eliminate the experience gap between your tire changing team through automation.

Wheel Balancers

  • The higher your volume, the more essential it is to have a wheel balancer that is both fast and easy to use.
  • Do you have a lot of technician turnover? If so, a machine that includes onboard instruction and databases, including TPMS, will greatly benefit your business.
  • Is speed a high priority? If so, today’s leading balancers have features that prevent wasting steps during the balance.
  • Shops should invest in machines that can diagnose other tire-related issues such as pull and tire-induced vibrations.
  • Today’s most advanced machines produce customer printouts that help with customer loyalty and retention by clearly outlining tire-related issues.
  • Do your technicians need dual-language capabilities? The most sophisticated balancers available support multi-language functions.
  • If you typically see very heavy assemblies, you are more than likely going to need a wheel lift.
  • Do you need flange plates to prevent damage of plastic clad and chrome faced wheels?
  • Do you service medium duty vehicles that require special adapters?

Wheel Alignment Systems

  • What size and type vehicles do you service?
  • Is metal-to-metal contact with the customer's wheel acceptable?
  • What is the skill level of your operator/technician?
    • Does the aligner guide the technician through the proper steps in the proper order?
    • Does the aligner include features that aid the technician in completing the job more efficiently?
    • Are training and information stored on the machine? Are there onboard instruction videos?
    • Is onsite, personal equipment training included at installation?
    • Are online services included such as vehicle specs, training material, help, reference material, and storage of alignment results?
  • Does the equipment provide a good return on your investment?
  • Can it be used to quickly check vehicles when not performing alignments?
  • Does it complete the alignment on modern vehicles requiring electronic steering system resets, such as steering angle sensors?

Information provided by: Hunter Engineering Co. 

Sponsored Recommendations

ZEUS+: The Cutting-Edge Diagnostic Solution for Smart, Fast, and Efficient Auto Repairs

The new ZEUS+ simplifies your diagnostic process and guides you through the right repair, avoiding unnecessary steps along the way. It gives you the software coverage, processing...

Diagnostic Pre- and Post-scan Reports are Solid Gold for Profitability

The following article highlights the significance of pre-scans and post-scans, particularly with Snap-on scan tools, showcasing their efficiency in diagnosing issues and preventing...

Unlock Precision and Certainty: TRITON-D10 Webinar Training for Advanced Vehicle Diagnostics

The TRITON-D10 lets you dig deep into the systems of a vehicle and evaluate performance with comparative data, systematically eliminating the unnecessary to provide you with only...

APOLLO-D9: Trustworthy Diagnostics for Precision Repairs

The APOLLO-D9 provides the diagnostic information and resources you need to get the job done. No more hunting through forums or endlessly searching to find the right answers. ...

Voice Your Opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Vehicle Service Pros, create an account today!