How important is wheel alignment?

April 13, 2021

Are your wheels in working order?

What is wheel alignment?

As with most aspects of car and van maintenance, ensuring your wheels are correctly aligned is usually a job best left to the experts. There are numerous reasons as to why wheel alignment is important for your car. So, let's get straight to the nitty gritty and learn all there is to know about wheel alignment.

Wheel alignment, also sometimes referred to as wheel tracking, refers to the positioning of each of your vehicles tyres in relation to the road. Your vehicle's manufacturer sets certain specifications, tailored directly to your vehicle, which informs us as to the exact angle at which your wheels should be set. These vary from vehicle to vehicle, but one thing which remains certain is the importance of ensuring that your wheel alignment is checked regularly by an experienced mechanic.

Is Wheel Alignment the same as Wheel Balancing?

Although they sound similar, they are not the same. Wheel balancing refers to the balancing of your tyres in relation to the weight of your vehicles wheels. Despite not being the same as wheel alignment, ensuring your wheels are balanced correctly is also very important for the overall performance of your vehicle.

How often should I check my wheel alignment?

Here at Ana Motors, we recommend that you have the alignment of your tyres checked by one of our experts at least once a year. This will mean that your car or van remains in perfect shape, allowing you to enjoy your driving and avoiding any additional costs along the way. As with anything auto related, the longer you leave an issue unattended, the more costly and inconvenient it may turn out to be. However, this is simply a guideline and if you notice any steering relate issues while driving, you should seek the opinion of a professional immediately.

What are the signs of incorrect wheel alignment?

There are numerous tell-tale signs which indicate that your car or van may be suffering from incorrect wheel alignment. One of the more common of these is your steering pulling or drifting, i.e. to the left or the right while you are driving. This is not only a source of irritation, but is also potentially dangerous and if noticed you should contact a member of our team at once. Another common warning sign that your wheels may not be aligned correctly is uneven tyre wear. This is noticeable when your tyres appear far more worn on side than on the other. This comes about as a result of the fact that your wheels are not lined up 100% accurately, causing your tyres to wear down at an uneven rate. So, if you have noticed this issue on your car or van's tires, perhaps it might be time to get in touch. In order to check this yourself, you can measure your tread depth with tread depth meter. Another typical symptom of incorrect wheel alignment is a vibrating or buzzing sensation coming from the steering wheel. However in this case, a vibrating steering wheel may also be caused by more serious issues so it may be best to get your vehicle looked at by our expert team.

What are the effects of incorrect wheel alignment?

Due to it's impact on your vehicles performance, there are multiple costly outcomes to incorrectly aligned wheels. Firstly, your fuel costs may increase due to incorrectly aligned wheels. As you must compensate for drifting steering, your vehicle must work harder to reach your end destination while using more fuel in the process. As well as increased fuel consumption, incorrect wheel alignment may also have a drastic impact on the lifespan of your tyres. This will not only be costly in the short term, but could also be potentially dangerous in the long run. A final, and perhaps more obvious consequence of incorrect wheel alignment is the impact it can have on the handling and control of your car or van. If your steering wheel drifts to one side, this will prove to be a constant hazard as you be forced to constantly adjust your steering wheel in order to compensate for your steering being off-center.

To get in touch with a member of our team today, simply click the button below.

Schedule a Wheel Alignment Assessment