5 Important Signs Your Vehicle Needs Wheel Alignment (2024)

FAQs

How to know if wheel alignment is needed? ›

Improper wheel alignment results in excessive or irregular tire wear, hard steering, poor drivability and premature failure of suspension parts. Several alignment factors must be considered to achieve proper wheel alignment. The top four factors are toe, tracking, camber and caster.

Symptoms of Bad Wheel Alignment

Steering wheel is off center. Car pulling to one side. Uneven or premature tread wear on tires.

Jack up one of the front tires, secure the vehicle on jack stands, then spray-paint a stripe on the tread while spinning the tire. Try to keep your hand as steady as possible so your line can be even on both tires. Measure from line to line with the tape level with the floor.

Toe Is the Most Important Angle for Tire Life: Of all the angles, the toe can fall out of alignment the easiest. A toe that is properly calibrated to manufacturer specifications (which can be either slightly positive or negative) will be at zero (0º) when on the road.

If your vehicle is out of alignment, uneven tire wear can occur, which can cause a vibration that is felt in your steering wheel. Steering wheel vibrations can also be because of unbalanced tires or a bent rim caused by hitting a curb or pothole.

Absolutely. After a wheel alignment, you'll likely notice an improvement in your car's handling and overall driving experience. Proper alignment ensures that your tires make optimal contact with the road, leading to smoother steering, better vehicle stability, and reduced tire wear.

Generally speaking, you'll want to get your vehicle's wheels at least checked for proper alignment once a year or every other oil change. If you're looking for a numerical value, most tire professionals will cite the 6,000-mile figure as a rule of thumb.

It may drift a little if the road is curved downwards to the left or right for drainage purposes, but your steering wheel should stay mostly straight. If you let go of your steering wheel while you are driving and it pulls harshly to the left or the right, that is a strong sign that your vehicle is out of alignment.

What messes up a car's alignment? ›

Here are the top three reasons your vehicle may fall out of alignment: Sudden disturbance or impact from hitting something such as a pothole, bumping into a curb, going too fast over a speed bump, or an accident. Suspension components, including poor shocks or struts, become worn or loose affecting alignment.

Misaligned wheels can make your steering feel loose. You may not feel as if you have total control of your automobile, especially when you go around corners. Your steering should always feel the same, so if anything has changed, bring your vehicle in for an alignment and steering system check.

If your body is misaligned you can feel pain in various parts of your body ranging from headaches to sore feet or discomfort in any joints, muscles or nerves in between. If you are experiencing any symptoms such as these you should contact us today: Chronic headaches. Stiff neck, sore shoulders.

Typically, it is recommended to get your wheels aligned every 2 to 3 years. However, to ensure the optimal safety of your car, yourself and others around you, it is best to opt for a wheel alignment every time you go to change your oil of the vehicle.

So, when the alignment is off, it can throw your whole vehicle out of sync. Driving on bad alignment can have consequences not only for your vehicle's suspension system, but also the wear of your tires and, most importantly, your safety as you drive.

The common symptoms of an out-of-balance wheel-tire assembly are uneven and faster tread wear, poor fuel economy, or vibration in the steering wheel and/or floorboard that gets worse at faster speeds. When all areas of the wheel-tire assembly are as equal in weight as possible, the tire will roll smoothly.