Is your vehicle pulling to one side when driving? Perhaps your tires are making a squealing noise or you’ve noticed one tire wearing quicker than the rest? It can all be down to misalignment of your wheels.

Over time wheel alignment can shift off-center as we hit pot holes, curbs, drive aggressively and/or the components in your steering and suspension start to wear.

Poor alignment is not good for your tires. It can reduce their useful lifespan by thousands of miles and even impact your fuel economy (MPG); this is because uneven tires have less grip on the road and if left it can also make handling more tricky too. In an emergency situation uneven tires can even increase the chance of a blowout so it’s not something to be laisser faire about. It’s important to know the signs and schedule a wheel inspection when you think you may have cause for concern.

 

Know the signs

• Tyres wearing abnormally/unevenly
• Car drifts to one side when driving
• Steering wheel does not return easily after a turn
• Steering wheel is crooked or vibrates
• There is a squealing noise coming from your tyres

Misalignment can be subtle, if you are in any doubt and think your wheels may be misaligned then schedule a check-up from a local garage such as General Muffler and Auto Repair.

 

How to protect against misalignment?

You can’t prevent it entirely, since there are so many things that can cause misalignment, but there are some simple, common sense things you can do to help reduce the chance of your wheels going off balance, these include:

• Maintaining the correct tire pressure
• Drive conservatively
• Don’t keep a heavy load in the trunk (this weighs down the rear tires)

 

 

How wheel alignment works

First a reputable mechanic will place your car onto a wheel alignment machine which can quickly check whether the wheels are aligned or not. If there’s an issue with alignment then the machine can adjust the components as needed. The machine looks at the tilt relative to the road (camber), the angle created by the steering’s pivot point from the front to back (caster) and the handling relative to the center line of the vehicle (toe adjustment).

Wheel alignment is inexpensive as a preventative measure, especially when you consider the safety confidence you gain, and the increased lifespan of your tires.

To schedule a wheel alignment check and re-alignment in Ansonia CT give General Muffler and Auto Repair a call: (203) 735-6406. Or drop by: 670 Main St. Ansonia, CT 06401.