If you find your steering wheel vibrates or your car pulls to one side, your wheels may not be aligned properly. This will damage your tyres and put you and others at risk.
Our wheel alignment - also known as wheel tracking - service will adjust your vehicles suspension to alter the angle of your tyres. This way your tyres make contact with the road properly, increasing MPG and reducing wear.
What are wheel alignment and tyre tracking?
Wheel alignment refers to the way your vehicle’s wheels are facing, as well as the process of making sure they are all facing the same way.
Also known as tyre tracking, aligning the wheels first involves assessing the angles of the car or van’s wheels. We look at:
- Camber: The vertical alignment of the wheels viewed from the front – whether they fold inwards or outwards.
- Caster: The forward or backward angle when the steering system pivots the wheel, assessed from the side view.
- Toe: Looking top-down, the angles the tyres point at inward or outward.
- Thrust angle: The angle the vehicle is ‘aimed’, perpendicular to its rear axle.
Next we will look at the wheel and tyre alignment angles recommended by your manufacturer for your vehicle model. After that, they will then manipulate the control arms and tie rods that hold the wheel in place and connect it to the steering system.
Front wheel alignments focus on the front wheels and look at caster and toe. These are typically quick to perform and enough to solve most issues, given the front wheels are most likely to become misaligned.
Why is getting a wheel alignment important?
Having the correct wheel alignment is crucial to keeping both your vehicle safe and your car parts free from damage and wear.·
If your wheel tracking is incorrect, then your vehicle will manoeuvre to one side while you drive or turn, and the steering will not be as responsive, or behave strangely. These issues can all impede the safe handling of the vehicle, putting you, your passengers, and other road users at risk of injury or worse. What’s more, systems like adaptive cruise control, Advanced Driving Assistance Systems (ADAS) and lane assist may also stop working altogether.
Poor tyre alignment can also result in your tyres becoming worn in areas not designed for wear, such as the shoulder. The tread can also become worn down faster, potentially making them below the legal limit. As your tyres wear quicker, they need replacing more often. Add to this the strain that incorrectly aligned wheels can put on your steering components and suspension, and your maintenance costs can be seriously impacted.
Lastly, if that wasn’t all, misaligned wheels will increase your vehicle’s fuel consumption too, raising your day-to-day running costs.