Does Your Vehicle Need A Wheel Alignment?

If you want your driving experience to be comfortable, it's important that your wheels are in perfect alignment. How do you know if you need to have the wheels aligned? Look out for these signs that you need to take your vehicle in to be serviced. 

Uneven Tread Wear

It is worth taking a look at the tread wear on your tires to see how they are doing. A common problem with a vehicle that needs a wheel alignment is that the tread will wear unevenly. While this can happen based on driving behavior, if you frequently make left turns, the left side of the tires may be worn down. As a result of the tires, your car will need a wheel alignment. 

Vehicle Pulling

Try driving on a straight road and take your hands off the wheel momentarily. Does the vehicle pull off to the left or the right? This is a huge sign that you need a wheel alignment, since the vehicle should always go straight and should not need constant adjustment. Just make sure that the road isn't sloped toward the curb. When in doubt, try it in the middle of a flat parking lot, using the lines of the parking spaces to gauge how much your car is pulling. 

Cooked Steering Wheel

Another indication is your steering wheel. When you're driving straight, your steering wheel should also be straight. What you want to look out for is if your wheel is a bit crooked when you are driving straight. This is a problem that will be corrected with a wheel alignment quite easily since the mechanic considers the placement of the steering wheel when realigning the wheels. 

Tire Squealing

Have you been hearing squealing coming from your tires when driving straight or taking a turn at a slow speed? This is an indication that your wheels are out of alignment because they are rubbing against the road in a weird way. This will happen when one tire has a bit of resistance due to not being perfectly in alignment.

Vibrations

If the wheels are pointing toward each other, this can actually cause your car to vibrate when driving. The vibration will get worse as well when you are traveling at higher speeds. While there can be other reasons for a vehicle that is vibrating, it's likely due to a wheel alignment when the problem is combined with other issues. 

Contact an auto service for more information about wheel alignment.


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