Two Wheel & Four Wheel Tire Alignment
Is an Alignment Necessary?
Are you asking yourself “Do I need an alignment?” Wheel and tire alignments are how we started and we have been providing this necessary vehicle service since 1953 for residents of Lexington. Car alignment makes sure that the tires on your vehicle are making contact with the road at the correct angle, that they are centered in the wheel wells, and that your wheels are pointed straight. This service will adjust you tires and wheels back to the manufacturer specs to accomplish a smooth ride, make proper road contact for better handling, while also providing the best gas mileage and longest tire life.
“Great service and very informative, most reputable business for alignments in Lexington” – Pamil28
When Do I Need an Alignment?
If any of the following apply to your car then it is in your best interest to have the alignment checked by the experts at Perryman’s Alignment.
- You change the ride height by lowering or lifting the vehicle
- You have a new set of tires installed
- Suspension parts have been damaged and replaced with new components
- You have been in an accident
- While driving you have had a hard impact with a curb, pothole, or road debris
- You notice the vehicle pulling in one direction
- Your steering wheel is off center
- Your tires are wearing unevenly
You car pulling to one side while driving, a steering wheel thats off center while your car is traveling in a straight line, and your truck pulling to one side while traveling are the most common symptoms of your alignment being off with your vehicle. While they are the most common there can be other reasons that these things are occuring.
“Ben and Matthew were super friendly and accommodating. Did A great job on my truck. Good price. Told me I needed to rotate and balance my tires. Sent me down the road to Fosters who were great also. I felt very taken care of. I recommend them highly!” – Heather Worob
If you have a vehicle equipped with front wheel drive a possible cause of the car pulling during acceleration is torque steer. If this only occurs during acceleration then is it not an alignment problem it is simply a characteristic of your drivetrain setup. If the pull only happens when you are engaging the brakes then this could mean that you have a caliper that is sticking. If you place your hand close the wheel, NOT ON IT, after driving and you feel a significantly higher amount of heat coming off of one wheel than the other this is a sign that you will need a brake repair service as aligning the car will not fix this.
Alignment that is not within spec is not alway the issue if while driving your vehicle will pull to one side and then to the other. This could mean that you need other suspension repairs done such as ball joint, tie rod, or strut replacement. Come by our shop for an evaluation and diagnosis of the issue.
If your steering wheel is off center or not point straight when traveling down the road come by for a diagnosis of the issue. It could be an alignment problem or your could have bigger issues such as worn steering or suspension parts and only getting an alignment will not fix the problem.
Non-typical or uneven tire wear is one of the many signs you need your car’s chassis checked. Being out of alignment is one reason this can happen but it can also be due to worn struts or shocks, springs and bushing broken, under or over inflated tires, out of balance tires, or constantly carrying heavy loads. If you consistently have your truck or car loaded/weighted down let us know as we need to duplicate how the car is loaded during the alignment process or as soon as you load it when you get back home your alignment will be out again.
Lowering or lifting your car or truck will change the caster, camber, and toe angles. If you have noticed that the inside or outside of your tires are wearing faster than the other side after having the ride height altered this means that you need the have the tire alignment adjusted to meet the new right height. During the process of repairing suspension parts or replacing steering components such as – tie rods, ball joints, shocks, struts, or control arms you alignment can also be impacted. If any of these parts have been damaged it is highly likely that you car is out of spec and if not brought back to manufacturers recommendations you run the risk of damaging the component again
If you have had a new set of tires installed it is in your best interest to have an alignment service performed on your vehicle. Compared to the cost of a new set of tires the alignment is a small price to pay to be certain that you will get the most life out of your tires. With a set of tires easily costing in the thousands of dollars do not risk cutting the life of the tire in half by not having your alignment checked.
Under normal driving conditions it is recommended to have this service done annually but if you are one that drives on rough roads consistently then you would benefit from having an alignment twice a year. By having this checked regularly you ensure that you can catch a problem before it becomes a bigger issue. If you have one tire that is out of align and wearing unevenly you may not see it until it is to late. By this point your other tires have wear on them so that if you replace only the worn tire with a new one it will have more tread than the others which can lead to difficulties rotating the tires. The end result is that you may need to buy a complete set of tires to account for the one going bad which we can guarantee is more expensive than having the alignment checked. Also vehicles will naturally go out of alignment over time and this change can be so gradual that you may not recognize the impact that it is having on your tire wear, driveability, or gas mileage until you have it fixed.
Lastly, if your car is vibrating, either all the time or at certain speeds, while driving down the road the cause 99% of the time is your tires being out of balance not the alignment.
Still not convinced were the alignment experts, here's a few tips for you before coming in.
If you can see by looking at your vehicle that a tire is not straight you have waited too long, and are probably in need of new tires along with needing an alignment. The measurements we use are very fine and cannot be seen with the naked eye if they are out of spec, but our experience does make it to where we can look at your tires to know if you have a bigger issue going on.
If this service is needed here’s a few things to consider:
- If something is broke, bent, or worn it needs to be replaced before an alignment is done. If not the problem will only occur again once you leave the shop
- Before starting have the technician provide a printout of what the alignment checked prior to any adjustments and then also what the final settings are. An example of what you should see is shown below.
To learn even more about the importance of alignment services for your vehicle’s tires click here.
