Your Guide To Wheel Alignment

How proper wheel alignment saves your tyres

Whilst we might take it for granted that our car’s wheels set the direction of your journey, did you know that their seemingly straight has to be mechanically set to keep our vehicles on the straight and narrow?

Known as wheel alignment, or ‘tracking’, this vital part of maintaining your car actually has a big bearing on the way it performs, and the rate at which your tyres wear. In this article, we’ll be explaining what wheel alignment is, how to tell if yours isn’t right, and what could happen if your wheels stay misaligned. 

What is wheel alignment? 

Wheel alignment involves setting the direction of your tyres to match the car manufacturer’s recommended position via the car’s suspension, ensuring even contact with the road. Wheels can be misaligned, or knocked off track, by incidents such as hitting a pothole, going too fast over a speed bump, or sudden impact with the curb.

How can I tell if there’s something wrong with my wheel alignment? 

There are several symptoms of wheel misalignment that you may notice if things aren’t quite as they should be, where the shock absorbers, suspension springs and the wheels and tyres themselves may have been damaged or become worn. These are as follows: 

• Uneven or abnormal tyre wear. If a wheel is ‘toed in’ (pushed in at the top), wear will show on the outer shoulder of the tyre. If it’s ‘toed out’ (pushed in at the bottom), it will show wear on the outer shoulder.
• Vibration through the steering wheel 
• The car drags or pulls to one side 
• There’s a squealing noise when the car is travelling at a low speed  

In addition to the impact on your tyres, your braking distance and fuel consumption could be affected by poor wheel alignment, not to mention your overall driving experience. 

What are the risks associated with misaligned wheels?

If you continue to drive with misaligned wheels, you will find that you get through tires more quickly due to the uneven wear caused by unbalanced contact with the road. This uneven wear can also make the tyres unsafe, and illegal, and make your car more expensive to maintain. 

Can I do my wheel alignment myself? 

Correcting wheel alignment takes specialist equipment, so it’s not something you’ll be able to tackle yourself at home. Sometimes, only the front two wheels will be affected, but in other cases, all four wheels will need realignment. Professional vehicle technicians will hoist your vehicle into the air before your wheels are clamped and connected to a computer that will make adjustments based on the recommended alignment for your car’s make and model. It’s clever stuff! 

Where can I get my wheel alignment fixed? 

Your best bet is to head to a trusted service centre that offers wheel alignment services, so that you can be reassured that your wheels will be set to their correct positions. We’d always recommend getting your wheel alignment checked after any significant impact with potholes, speed bumps or curbs, but it may also be checked as part of your annual service. 

Here at Avalon Motor Company, we’re proud to offer wheel alignment in Somerset, ensuring your car stays on the right track. Talk to us about wheel alignment and all the other aftersales services we offer today.