Why wheel alignments are so important.
If you are driving your car and it pulls to one side, your steering wheel doesn’t look straight even when you are driving the car straight or it vibrates, or you notice your tyres are wearing out faster than usual, these are all signs your vehicle needs a wheel alignment.
Wheels that are out of alignment is one of the biggest causes
of premature tyre wear. A wheel alignment is an adjustment to a vehicles
suspension, not to the tyre or wheel itself. Rather it is an adjustment that
affects how the tyres make contact with the roads surface.
How is a wheel
alignment done?
Vehicle manufacturers designate standard angles for proper alignment which are specified in degrees. These angles are taken from various vantage points e.g. front on, side on and from above.
If a vehicles suspension becomes out of alignment, a qualified tyre technician adjusts the degrees of the anes with an alignment machine. The degrees of the angles are referred to as camber, toe and caster.
Camber
If you look at the vehicle from the front and notice a
distinct inward or outward tilt of the wheel, this indicates the positive or
negative camber needs to be adjusted.
A sign of camber is a line of significant tread wear on the inside or the outside of the tyre and where the centre tread remains intact.
Toe
If you were looking at your vehicle from above and your
tyres appear to turn inwards or outwards, the vehicle needs a toe alignment.
If one side of the tyre is wearing more than the other, this is an indication of toe misalignment.
Caster
This is an angle viewed side on which determines if the
steering axis is tilted forward or backward. Ideally the steering axis should
be centre. Caster does not affect tyres necessarily but more the steering of
the vehicle.
The benefits of wheel
alignments
Improve tyre life
By having a periodic wheel alignment at regular 10,000 klms
intervals, it will prolong the life of your tyres. As some tyres can be quite expensive, it pays
to ensure your tyres will last as long as they possibly can.
If you happen to hit a large pot hole your alignment can
easily be put out so you would be wise to have your wheel alignment done again.
Improve fuel economy
Wheel alignments help the vehicle to drive properly at the
correct angles. A smoother, correctly
aligned vehicle will use less fuel as there is less resistance.
Improve safety
Proper wheel alignments ensure the tyres wear uniformly
rather than wear on one side or the other which could cause the tyre to blow
out and the driver to have less control over the vehicle.
Tyres that are worn are also a skid hazard on slippery and
wet road surfaces.
So, as you can see there is more than meets the eye with
wheel alignments and they do preserve the life of your tyres and your cars
suspension.
Bundall Tyres on the Gold Coast recommend all motorists invest in a wheel
alignment and a wheel balance at regular intervals.
Bundall Tyres can perform a
wheel alignment, wheel balancing and tyre rotations
on your vehicle at our Gold Coast tyre shop. Call us today on 07 5504 5666 to book in for
a wheel alignment to save your tyres from premature wear and stress on your
suspension, which will ultimately save you $$$.