WHAT IS A WHEEL ALIGNMENT?

Alignment refers to an adjustment of a vehicle’s suspension – the system that connects a vehicle to its wheels. It is not an adjustment of the tyres or wheels themselves. The key to proper alignment is adjusting the angles of the tyres which affects how they make contact with the road.

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

CAMBER, TOE, & CASTER

When a technician checks your tire alignment, he or she is mainly concerned with three things:

1. 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.

2. TOE

Distinct from camber alignment, toe alignment is the extent to which your tires 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 center 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.

3. 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.

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:

FEATHERING

Tyres are “feathered” when the tread is smooth on one side and sharp on another. This is usually a sign of poor toe alignment.

CAMBER WEAR

This strain of tread wear means the inside or outside of the tread is significantly more worn than the center of the tread. As its name implies, positive or negative camber causes this type of wear.

HEEL/TOE 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.