Keep Your Car in Harmony with Regular Wheel Alignments
With so many moving parts regularly moving at high speeds over typically uneven terrain, it should come as no surprise cars can become misaligned over time. For this reason, it's important to have a trusted automotive technician take the routine but vital steps to ensure your vehicle stays properly aligned. Vehicle wheels that are aligned within factory specification ride down the road with less resistance and therefore perform better. Fuel economy is improved, as well as suspension function, steering, and handling.
Vehicle alignment is a process undertaken by a technician that ensures your vehicle is roadworthy and optimized to perform at its best. Your vehicle's wheel alignment can make an enormous difference to overall performance, fuel efficiency, and safety. The process consists of adjusting the angles of the wheels so that they are absolutely parallel to one another, and that they are perpendicular to the ground. This is a technical and complex mechanical procedure that should only be carried out by a qualified technician with proper equipment.
The Technical Terms
As part of a wheel alignment, your technician will take a number of measurements with a computer and will adjust a number of different components to ensure that the vehicle performs appropriately. The mechanic will measure the camber of the wheels—the angle that the wheel tilts outwards (positive camber) or inwards (negative camber) on a vertical axis. Excessive negative or positive camber can reduce the amount of your tire that makes contact with the ground and reduce the amount of grip your tires have. It can drastically affect handling.
Caster is the term given to the angle of the steering axis. If the wheel is in front of the load (that is, the axis is leaning backward), this is described as positive caster. If the reverse is the case, then the car is experiencing negative caster. Caster will not affect the tire wear, but it may affect the vehicle’s steering.
Toe is the tilt of the wheels inward and outward on a horizontal axis. If your vehicle has excessive positive or negative toe, the steering may feel numb and unresponsive or extremely sensitive and erratic. Either situation can be unsettling and make it difficult to predict how your vehicle will respond to steering inputs. Additionally, incorrect toe settings will create excessive tire wear, which will greatly reduce the life of your tires.
Signs You Need an Alignment
There are a number of signs that your vehicle might require an alignment. An obvious sign will be visible traces of uneven tire wear. This most often occurs on the outside or inside of the tire. If left unresolved, this could eventually affect the integrity of the tire and your safety while on the road. If you see any signs of tire wear, contact your mechanic as soon as possible.
Other signs will be more evident while you're driving. Your car may drift to one side of the road without you turning the steering wheel or when you're otherwise driving straight. Your steering wheel may vibrate or judder. If you're driving straight, your steering wheel may not be centered and you may find yourself compensating to one side or the other. If any of these signs occur, arrange to have your vehicle inspected and realigned as soon as possible.
When To Get an Alignment
Whenever you have new tires fitted or get maintenance done on your wheels or suspension, make sure the technician performs an alignment before you drive away. Adjusting any of the mechanical parts of the car’s suspension, even by a very small amount, can affect the alignment. If there's a sudden change in the way your vehicle handles or steers, or you hit a pothole or other obstruction, it's wise to have your alignment checked to ensure it's still within factory specifications.
Vehicle alignments ensure that your car’s suspension is performing at its optimum capability, enabling better fuel economy and protecting your safety. The Client team recommends you make wheel alignments a part of your regular service routine.