Updated at: 28-07-2022 - By: Lucas

Tire life and performance are greatly influenced by proper wheel alignment. You may be able to reduce the unusual noises you hear when you accelerate by having your wheels aligned properly. Premature tire wear and even pressure loss can occur as a result of improper wheel alignment causing abnormally high friction on the wheels.

It takes tens of thousands of kilometers for an ordinary wheel to wear out. A wheel alignment check may be necessary if you experience a drop in performance within the first few months.

In the short term, driving a vehicle with an out-of-alignment wheel will have a detrimental influence. Uneven tire wear and greater fuel consumption are all symptoms of poor alignment, as is the automobile tugging to one side or the other, both of which compromise the vehicle’s overall handling.

The wheel alignments of new autos are flawless. The numerous potholes on our roads, as well as any incidents the car may have been involved in, may be to blame for misalignment. You can also get your wheels out of alignment if you go over a bump too rapidly.

The wheel alignment should be checked after a pothole has been hit or the driver has climbed over obstructions that could damage the wheel.

What Is Wheel Alignment?

In order to verify that each tire is perfectly aligned with the others and the manufacturer’s specs, this method is used. The suspension of the vehicle is adjusted during alignment in order to get the proper contact angle with the asphalt.

In other words, the tires wear evenly if your wheels are in the correct position, which means that they are perpendicular to the ground, as well as parallel to each other. It is possible to lose control of a vehicle if the bearings are damaged.

How Can You Tell When Your Car Needs Alignment?

Driving A Car With Bad Alignment-3

If you own a vehicle, you should be able to check the wheels for misalignment. To do this, they’ll need to have a firm grasp on the inner workings of automobile wheel systems.

Mechanics look at three factors before deciding on wheel misalignment as the cause of the car’s problem.

There are three types of camber: inward and outward (toe and caster).

Camber

When viewed from the front of the vehicle, these tires have a slightly slanted inclination. Neither an inside nor an outer inclination is a good one. Worn-out ball joints and bearings are two common sources of camber misalignment.

You should also take a look at the tire’s angle of tilt. The term “negative camber” refers to a tire’s upper portion tilting inward, whereas “positive camber” refers to the opposite.

However, some high-performance automobiles employ negative camber to enhance stability and balance when cornering. In addition to the advantages of negative camber, there are also advantages to positive camber. The car can suffer harm if either is used excessively or at all.

Toe

In some ways, it’s like camber, but from above instead of the bottom. They’re called “toe in” when they lean in, and “toe out” when they lean outward.

Toeing helps race cars maintain their stability when negotiating tight turns at high speeds. To improve cornering speed, race cars’ wheel alignment is adjusted to encourage toeing out.

Caster

This is the steering wheel’s position in relation to the driver. A positive caster refers to a steering wheel tilt toward the driver, while a negative caster refers to a steering wheel tilt toward the front of the vehicle. The caster is best viewed from the side of the car.

Even at racing speeds, a well-balanced caster ratio can make a significant difference in corner stability. Caster has little effect on the wheels themselves, but it does have an effect on how much work it takes to balance the wheels. Customized automobiles require caster alignment, but regular vehicles may not.

How To Tell When Your Wheels Need Alignment?

Driving A Car With Bad Alignment

1. Uneven Tread Wear

Keep an eye out for uneven wear and tear on all four tires. Tires that have been correctly aligned should wear at roughly the same rates, if not at the same angles. Alignment is not correct if your tires show wear and tear in different parts of the vehicle, or if some are more worn out than others.

The cost of tire replacements can quickly spiral out of control. To avoid this, get your tires’ wear depths checked on a regular basis or have your mechanic look at your vehicle frequently.

2. The Car Might Pull To The Left Or Right.

The car may pull in the opposite direction to the direction you are steering if your wheels aren’t aligned properly. This may not appear to be a significant issue, but it is.

When driving in the rain, vehicles with this issue are more likely to hydroplane. A hydroplaned vehicle may veer into the path of an oncoming vehicle and cause an accident.

Let go of the wheel while driving along a straight road to see if this is true. It has to be aligned if it changes direction without your input. It may not seem like a significant concern at first, but the misalignment can worsen over time and become noticeable.

3. The Steering Wheel Might Get Off-Center When Driving.

The steering wheel is positioned in the middle of the vehicle to maintain a stable grip on it. On a straight-ahead vehicle, the steering wheel’s logo should be aligned with the wheels. A crooked or out-of-place logo is a sure symptom of misalignment.

Having to turn the wheels more than usual to get them moving is another telltale indicator.

How Long Can You Drive With A Bad Wheel Alignment?

Wheel misalignment won’t stop the automobile from moving, but you shouldn’t disregard it either. Certain types of misalignment result in the automobile deviating to the left or right of the path. In the fast lane, this can be extremely hazardous.

Remember that the more you drive your car with misaligned wheels, the more harm you do to the tires. They aren’t cheap, however.

What can a bad wheel alignment do to your car?

Premature tire wear can be caused by a misaligned wheel. Wheel misalignment is one possible cause of increased fuel consumption, according to certain authorities.

What happens if you don’t do car alignment?

One or more of these issues may arise if your wheel alignment is off.

  • Possible accidents due to hydroplaning
  • Abnormal tire wear
  • High fuel consumption
  • The steering might vibrate
  • The tires might squeal

Difference between wheel alignment and wheel balancing

However, these two operations are not intertwined and are not connected. In order to achieve parallelism or alignment, the wheel angles must be adjusted such that they are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the ground at the same time.

Instead, balancing a wheel makes it possible for the wheel to spin at specified speeds without vibrating.

How long does a wheel alignment take?

The angle adjustment procedure can take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the make and model of the vehicle.

This maneuver is critical for the safety of both passengers and other drivers, as it has the potential to cause a collision. Among other things, it eliminates uneven tire wear, improves the car’s traction, and decreases fuel use.

How much does a wheel alignment cost?

For a specialized service with the proper instruments, adjusting wheels is a simple process. You should expect to pay anywhere from $50 to $100 for a service.

Bottom Line

Wheel alignment is perfect when a car leaves the manufacturer, but as we navigate curves and potholes, the alignment changes. With simple tests, you can easily identify incorrect wheel alignment and proceed to have them realigned. Wheel alignment issues can be both costly and dangerous.