With all the advances in vehicle technology and performance, it can be difficult to keep up with all the required maintenance and repairs. Proper wheel alignment is one of the most important criterion to keeping your car driving safely and happily. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the most overlooked. Many people deal with the signs and symptoms of poor wheel alignment, often unaware that it’s an easy fix. Check out this image showing the most common reasons for an alignment service or continue reading for more details on five common signs your vehicle is in need of an alignment.
1. Your steering wheel is not centered
If you’re driving straight down a flat, level road, your steering wheel should be sitting close to perfectly straight. There’s usually a small amount of discrepancy allowed depending on the crown of the road, but overall the wheel should be sitting centered and straight, and your vehicle emblem in the center of the steering wheel should appear level to you. If the wheel is off center by more than a few degrees in either direction, it’s time to have an alignment performed. This will return your steering wheel to center, and may improve the overall drivability as well.
2. Your vehicle pulls to one side or the other
Similar to the first point, vehicle pull is most easily noticed while driving straight down a level road. There is a common misconception that the vehicle should drive perfectly straight with your hands off the steering wheel. In a perfect world, this would be true, but in reality this isn’t the case because all roads have some degree of crowning which causes a slight pull to one side. Completely removing your hands from the steering wheel is also very dangerous. Instead, the vehicle should drive straight ahead with very little effort on the steering wheel. If your car pulls to one side or the other, it’s time to have your alignment checked and corrected, which usually corrects the vehicle pull and improves overall drivability.
3. You notice abnormal tire wear in certain spots
Tire wear patterns can provide a lot of useful information about the condition of a car. A qualified technician can use tire wear patterns to make educated guesses about tire pressures, suspension condition, and alignment problems. Wear on only the inside or outside edges of tires can indicate a problem with the camber adjustment. Feathering or scalloping of the tires often indicates a problem with the toe adjustment. Tire wear is most often noticed by a mechanic while performing a tire rotation or an inspection performed during a service. Proper alignment greatly increases the life of your tires, so if you have any abnormal tire wear patterns, you should have an alignment performed on your vehicle.
4. The handling feels loose when driving
If the steering in your car feels a little loose or unstable, one of the possible causes is poor wheel alignment. This can be felt as wandering across the road when driving, or the car may feel very loose and sloppy around corners. If you notice symptoms like this, you should have the alignment checked and corrected if necessary.
5. Your steering wheel doesn’t return to center
After completing a turn, the steering wheel should naturally start to return to center on it’s own as you keep driving. Of course you need to keep your hands on the wheel to help it achieve this quicker and keep control of the car, but if your steering wheel doesn’t even attempt to move itself back to center, then it’s a good indication that your alignment is off. Have an alignment check done, and a full alignment performed if necessary.
Incorrect wheel alignment can create a host of drivability and premature wear problems, so it’s best to get the vehicle inspected as soon as it’s noticed. Even if it’s not a safety issue for your vehicle, the money saved by not prematurely wearing your tires will often exceed the cost of the alignment itself. Any time the alignment is checked, all the steering and suspension components should be checked as well, since worn components are a common cause of alignment going out of specification. After having the suspension checked and an alignment performed, you will likely be pleasantly surprised by how nice the car drives.
