Having your car’s steering aligned is essential for routine maintenance. Despite its name, a wheel alignment has nothing to do with adjusting your car’s wheels and tires. Instead, the alignment process involves checking and adjusting the camber, rake, and thrust angles of the car’s steering and suspension, among other things. Driving with correctly aligned wheels brings many benefits. These include uniform tire wear. Also better stability, more precise handling and a more precise steering feel. So don’t ignore these signs of your car’s direction!
Don’t ignore these signs of your car’s direction!
Regularly driving over potholes, uneven roads, rough terrain or hitting curbs can affect your vehicle’s wheel alignment, which can also introduce a range of worrying symptoms. Additionally, poor alignment can mean wear and tear on various suspension and steering components, such as damaged ball joints, leaky shock absorbers, worn tie rods, or a damaged steering rack.
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Fortunately, checking to see if your car needs an alignment is relatively easy. However, there are five crucial signs you should be aware of.
Vehicle deviates to one side
The most apparent symptom of poor wheel alignment is the fact that the vehicle moves to one side. Ideally, your car’s steering should remain centered on a straight road. So if you take your hands off the steering wheel and the vehicle turns smoothly to the left or right, it’s a sign that your car needs an alignment as soon as possible.
Tire wear
Ignoring traction symptoms will also cause uneven tire wear. Even if the steering wheel is front and center and shows no signs of traction, poor alignment can cause your tires to wear quickly or unevenly. Make it a habit to visually inspect your car’s tires at least once a week or before starting a long trip. If you spot the first signs of premature tire wear, you’ll save money in the long run.
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Weak or strong vibrations
In the meantime, it’s time to schedule a wheel alignment if the steering wheel is not in the center position when driving in a straight line. Excessive vibrations from the wheels or steering wheel They are also another symptom that your alignment requires attention. This is whether it is weak or strong vibrations. Lastly, check your wheel alignment if the steering wheel seems too loose or somewhat inaccurate in its responsiveness.
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Experts recommend carrying out a wheel alignment every two oil changes, preferably every 6,000 kilometers. So regular wheel alignment will keep your vehicle running like new, maximize driving comfort, help save fuel and extend the life of your tires.