The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) named Tru Align, a new wheel alignment aid, best new product at the annual SEMA Show, Nov. 2-5 in Las Vegas.
The Tru Align L.L.C. system, which allows tire service outlets to align vehicles equipped with plus-sized tires and wheels without damaging the wheels, was judged best new product because ``it answers a real need,'' according to the SEMA judging.
The patented Tru Align system, designed by an alignment technician, involves affixing an alignment plate to the wheel by replacing three of the wheel's studs with specially designed adapters. The alignment head is then attached to the plate, essentially taking the tire and wheel out of the alignment scenario, the company said.
The heads of many alignment machines won't fit on the bigger wheels available today, Tru Align said, and even when they do, they frequently can damage the wheel's finish. In addition, the newest premium tires with integral ``rim-protectors'' and the increasingly popular lipless wheels also present challenges for wheel-alignment technicians.
Honda North America Inc. has approved the device for use by its dealers in the U.S.