Whilst they aren’t something that is spoken about greatly when it comes to car repairs and services, wheel alignments are crucial in ensuring the smooth running of your vehicle.
Overall, it will help your car drive smoother and your tyres last longer, improving the health of your vehicle and saving you money in the long run.
So, how do you know if you’re in need of a wheel alignment?
Unfortunately, cars will not usually have a warning light system installed for this issue.
So it’s important to be aware of the top 7 signs that our team at Garden City Tyre and Mechanical have broken down here in this article.
Your car pulls to a particular side
One of the most common symptoms of misaligned tyres, and one of the easiest to spot, is if your car is pulling to the left or right whilst you are driving.
Whilst it may be normal for a slight pull in either direction, having to consistently realign yourself to ensure you travel in a straight line should be cause for concern.
Your tyre wear is uneven
You should be regularly checking your tyres to ensure that they are not too worn down.
You should also check to ensure that the wear on your tyres is not uneven in any way, as this would indicate misalignment.
Your tyre wear occurs unusually quickly
In a similar manner to our point above, if your car tyres are wearing down as an unusually fast rate, it could be an indication that there is a problem with your tyres, such as their alignment.
Your steering wheel shakes
If your steering wheel, or your vehicle itself, is vibrating to the point of being able to feel it in your hands, then you should take it to a mechanic as soon as possible.
This type of vibration is usually indicative of a problem with your vehicle, one of which could be imbalances in your tyres, damaged wheel or worn suspension components.
Your steering wheel is off centre
You probably already know that your steering wheel is supposed to be dead centre whilst you are driving in a straight line.
Therefore, for an easy way to check for any problems with your alignment, you could drive down a straight road and check your wheel to see if it is off centre.
Your steering wheel is loose
Another indicator of a problem with your tyres is if your steering wheel feels loose when you’re trying to turn it.
If it feels like you are getting very little tyre movement from your steering wheel, then you should take your vehicle to a mechanic to be checked over.
Your tyres squeal on the road
If you’re driving on a normal road and are finding that your tyres are squealing, then it could be an indicator that they are not lying flat on the road due to a wheel alignment issue.
An easy way to test this would be to drive on a normal road, gently moving your car from side to side, and listening for any unusual sounds.