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Need a Wheel Alignment?
A wheel alignment is needed to adjust your vehicle's suspension components so wheels are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the ground, ensuring safe handling, straight driving, and even tire wear. It prevents premature, uneven tyre wear, improves fuel efficiency, and stops the car from pulling to one side
Wheel Alignments should be done every 10,000kms or 6 months, which ever comes first.
HOW DO I KNOW IF I NEED A WHEEL ALIGNMENT?
There are a couple ways to tell if your car needs a wheel alignment. If you've noticed one or more of these indicators, you should have your alignment checked by a qualified technician immediately.
· Uneven tread wear
· Vehicle pulling to the left or right
· Your steering wheel is off center when driving straight
· Steering wheel vibration
Wheel Alignment Angles
Let us explain what is involved in a wheel alignment
Camber
This is the inward or outward angle of the tyre when viewed from the front of the vehicle. Too much inward or outward tilt, also known as negative and positive camber, respectively, indicates improper alignment and will need to be adjusted. Worn bearings, ball joints, and other wheel-suspension parts may contribute to camber misalignment
Caster
Your caster angle helps balance steering, stability, and cornering. Specifically, it’s the angle of your steering axis when viewed from the side of your vehicle. If you have positive caster, the steering axis will tilt toward the driver. Negative caster, on the other hand, means the steering axis tilts toward the front of your vehicle.
Toe
Distinct from camber alignment, toe alignment is the extent to which your tyres turn inward or outward when viewed from above. If that’s confusing, just stand up and look down at your feet. Angle them inward toward the centre of your body. When the tyres on your car are angled the same way (remember, we’re thinking in terms of birds-eye-view), we call this toe-in alignment. Angle your feet outward and you have toe-out alignment. Both require adjustment.
WHY WHEEL ALIGNMENT MATTERS
Improper wheel or tyre alignment can cause your tyres to wear unevenly and prematurely.
Here are some specific types of undue tread wear attributable to misalignment:
Tyres are “feathered” when the tread is smooth on one side and sharp on another. This is usually a sign of poor toe alignment.
This strain of tread wear means the inside or outside of the tread is significantly more worn than the centre of the tread. As its name implies, positive or negative camber causes this type of wear.
This happens when one side of your tread blocks wears down more quickly than the other in a circumferential direction. When you run your hand over the tread, it will look and feel like saw teeth when viewed from the side. Heel/toe wear could be a sign of under inflation and/or lack of rotation.
If you’re experiencing any of these unusual wear patterns, you should have a technician check your wheel alignment. While tyre wear prevention is a good reason to keep your wheel alignment in check, the consequences of misalignment can also play out in overall vehicle performance. A car that pulls to one side or steers erratically, for example, probably has an alignment problem.
