General Motors, in its pursuit of vehicle safety and performance, mandates a unique piece of equipment in all its dealerships.  This tool, though not as immediately recognizable as diagnostic machines or alignment systems, plays a pivotal role in ensuring your vehicle’s safety and driving comfort.

The Essential Yet Overlooked Tool

In any GM dealership, you’ll find a variety of tools designed for specific tasks – diagnostic machines that read your vehicle’s computer, alignment racks to keep your wheels straight, and even sophisticated equipment for bodywork. However, it’s the wheel and tire balancer that has a direct impact on your driving experience. Introduced as a standard tool in 2017 as per TSB 17-NA-170, the Hunter Road Force Balancer, particularly its 3rd, 4th, or 5th generation models, represents a significant advancement in wheel balancing technology. You’ll find one as a required piece of equipment at every General Motors Dealership.

Hunter Road Force Balancer: Not Your Average Wheel Balancer

The Hunter Road Force Elite wheel balancer is a cutting-edge tool in the automotive service industry, renowned for its speed and precision in measuring road force and balancing wheels faster than traditional balancers. This device is not only approved but also required by numerous Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) for vehicle servicing, underscoring its reliability and effectiveness. One of its standout features is the advanced laser vision system, which automatically creates a 3D scan of the wheel. This system swiftly identifies the locations of wheel spokes and rim runout, ensuring a high-quality balance. Moreover, the Road Force Elite employs SmartWeight technology, which optimizes the use of the entire rim for the best possible balance. The SmartSpot™ laser is another innovative feature, pinpointing the exact spot for placing tape weights, thereby ensuring maximum accuracy while reducing time and material waste.

The Road Force technology of this balancer is particularly impressive, as it simulates a test drive for each wheel assembly, suggesting solutions for vibration issues and tire pull without needing operator intervention. This feature significantly enhances the quality of service and customer satisfaction. Additionally, the patented CenteringCheck feature monitors every rotation and alerts technicians if poor centering is detected, helping to minimize customer returns due to balancing issues. The balancer’s automatic calibration ensures ongoing precision without interrupting technicians’ workflow. Its user-friendly touchscreen interface supports multiple languages and includes onboard training videos, keeping skilled technicians on track and quickly bringing new technicians up to speed.

Why GM Chooses This Balancer

GM’s choice of the Hunter Road Force Balancer is rooted in its ability to ensure that tires and wheels are perfectly suited for each vehicle. This is important for all vehicles, but especially for trucks, which often carry heavy loads and traverse various terrains. The balancer’s capability to detect minute imperfections helps in preventing tire-related issues that could affect the vehicle’s handling and stability. Many of GM’s tire/wheel combinations are over 22-inches and 80-lbs- which this machine is able to balance.

Benefits of the Hunter Road Force Balancer for GM Truck Owners

• Improved Ride Quality: The precise balancing this machine provides leads to a smoother driving experience, free from unnecessary vibrations.
• Extended Tire Life: Properly balanced wheels wear more evenly, which prolongs the lifespan of the tires and saves money in the long term.
• Safety: By ensuring that the wheels are perfectly balanced, this balancer contributes to predictable vehicle handling and stability.
• Optimized Performance: For GM pickup owners, this means the vehicle performs as you expect, whether it’s on paved highways or dirt roads.

The Hunter Road Force Balancer, a key piece of equipment in GM dealerships, plays an essential role in maintaining the safety and performance of your vehicle. Its advanced technology ensures that your wheels are balanced and optimized for your vehicle’s specific demands. Next time you visit a GM dealership and ask for your tires to be balanced, you’ll know they are using the most advanced technology available on the market today.