Importance of Proper Alignment for Your Tires
Importance of Proper Alignment
Tires are critical for a smooth, enjoyable driving experience. Once something goes wrong with those wheels, you will have difficulty accelerating, steering, braking, and generally handling the car. Wearing and misaligning are inevitable because no matter how strong your tires are, they are not indestructible. Luckily, you can keep your tires in the best condition through regular servicing. Part of this means ensuring that your tires are correctly aligned.
What Is Tire Alignment?
Despite what the name suggests, tire alignment is less about your tires and more about the vehicle’s suspension system. This is because the wheels of a car are mounted to a car’s suspension system. Their positioning allows the tires to move up and down, absorbing impact from the road. For a smooth, comfortable ride, your suspension system needs to be working well. Unfortunately, the suspension system components can shift, causing one or more wheels to travel differently from the others. Often you will notice that your car is pulling to one side, causing uneven tire wear. Also, when driving straight, you will notice that the wheel is off-center. Furthermore, the steering wheel may feel loose and even vibrate as you go.
What Causes Tire Misalignment?
There are a few things that will cause your tires to misalign. The top reasons are:
- The sudden impact from hitting something such as a pothole. Also, driving quickly over a speed bump and minor accidents will lead to misalignment.
- Standard wearing. No vehicle is indestructible. With time, parts of the car will start to give in due to wearing. This goes for your suspension system, which will lead to tire misalignment.
- Lifting the car. Lifting is a vehicle modification that commonly misaligns the tires. This is because suspension systems are designed to work at a particular height, so lifting your car without modifying the system will cause misalignment.
Importance of Proper Alignment
Good tire alignment is vital for:
- Longer tire life. When your vehicle is out of alignment, your tires will start to wear unevenly. Unfortunately, this will require you to change your tires too early. Proper alignment ensures even wearing, prolonging the lifespan of your tires.
- Efficient fuel consumption. When your tires wear unevenly, the car works harder to keep it moving smoothly. Therefore misalignment could translate to higher gas payments. Proper alignment keeps you on your regular budget.
- Straight movement of the car. When you drive, your vehicle should not pull to either side when you take your hands off the wheel. Also, keeping the car straight should be effortless through the steering wheel. The only way to ensure this is with proper alignment of tires. This will also put you at less risk of causing accidents.
- Fewer repairs. Traveling with misaligned tires could cause more problems within the vehicle. This translates to more repairs that will have you digging deep into your pockets. Proper alignment means minor repairs, hence less money.
Do your tires need a tune-up? Perryman’s Alignment is a team of vehicle experts happily serving residents of Lexington, NC, and its surrounding communities. Visit us today, and you will be driving safely and comfortably in no time.