Is Wheel Alignment Necessary?

Even if you use your car every day for the commute to work or the school run, the chances are you probably have never given much thought to wheel alignment and how important it can be. While it can be overlooked, it’s important to make sure the wheels of your car are properly lined up as it could end up resulting in a hefty repair bill down the line.

If you want to find out everything you need to know about wheel alignment, our article will take a look at what it is and why it matters, as well as pointing out some of the warning signs.

What is wheel alignment?

Wheel alignment also referred to as wheel tracking, is a crucial part of car maintenance. Having your wheels aligned is the process of measuring and making any necessary adjustments to your wheels, as well as your suspension and steering to ensure they are positioned correctly and according to the manufacturer’s specifications.

The process of aligning your front wheels is referred to as tracking, but this is more uncommon now as it can’t guarantee complete safety. Today, four-wheel alignment is the standard. When you have your wheels aligned, you may hear the garage or mechanic talking about toe-in and toe-out. Toe refers to the angle of your tyres against the car’s centre line and if they point inward this is known as toe-in, and pointing outward is toe-out.

Camber is another term you may come across and this refers to the amount of tilt in your wheel, positive camber means the tops of the wheels are leaning away from your vehicle and a negative camber refers to the wheels tilting in at the top.

Is tyre alignment necessary?

If your wheels are misaligned, you are likely to experience a dramatic drop in the handling capabilities of your car. When the alignment is off, you may feel as though your car is pulling to one side and this can affect your car’s ability to turn or move in a straight line. It reduces drive comfort and can also put both you, and other road users at risk.

When your wheel alignment is off, you are likely to experience uneven tyre wear and that will result in more frequent tyre replacements. As well as experiencing uneven wear, you are more at risk of blowouts and flat spots.

How often do you need to have a car alignment?

The general rule is to get an alignment every year, if you’re still unsure then you can check your owner’s manual to find out what’s best for your vehicle. However, you may need a wheel alignment more frequently especially if you’re experiencing one of the following:

● Vehicle pulling to one side

● Flopping noises that could indicate flat spots, underinflated tyres or wheel alignment issues.

● Hitting potholes

Need your wheels realigned?

If you need to find a local garage to carry out wheel realignment on your vehicle, use MyCarNeedsA.com to find local mechanics in your area as we can save you both time and money. Get your quotes today!