maintenance is necessary for the smooth functioning of your cars and vehicles. Wheel Alignment is the part of standard automobile maintenance in which adjustment of the angles of the wheels is done according to the specifications of your car or vehicle. The main objective of this adjustment is to decrease the wear of the tire and to make sure that the travel with the vehicle is straight and true without pulling to any of the sides. These angles can be changed from the manufacturer’s specifications to get a specific handling characteristic. Alignment also refers to the adjustment of the vehicle’s suspension, that is the system that connects a vehicle to its wheels.

Symptoms of a Poor Wheel Alignment

If the alignment of your vehicle is bad, then your vehicle will show below mentioned symptoms.

• Movement of the vehicle to one side either left or right
• Loose steering
• Off center steering wheel during straight driving
• Uneven tread wear
• Steering wheel does not return to the center
• Vibration of the steering wheel
• Excessive tire wear in certain spots

Good Alignment

The key to a good alignment refers to the adjustment of the angles of the tires properly. Adjustment of the angles of the tires usually affects how they make contact with the road during travel. Proper tire alignment from a nearby location saves the tires from uneven wear and tear. Through wheel alignment, owners of the vehicle save their vehicles from undue tread wear.

Types of Undue Tread Wear

• Feathering – smooth tread on one side and sharp on the other
• Camber wear – more worn inside and outside of the tread than the center of the tread
• Heel and toe wear – one side of the tread blocks down quickly
• Tire balancing – compensation of any weight imbalances

Factors affecting Wheel Alignment

Many people think that wheel alignment is just up to the professional which is true in may respects. Other than the job of the professionals, few of the wheel alignment check ups can be done by yourself as they are easy specs to check by yourself. Toe is the one part of the alignment that can be checked at home without calling any professional. All vehicles of the alignment must be at 90 degrees or perpendicular to the ground and must be parallel to each other. When the vehicle goes to the one side either left or right, wheels might go out of the alignment. Vibration, irregular tire wear, and odd handling of the vehicle are the other reasons.

Toe in is the main factor that affects wheel alignment. Specs for the toe-in vary from one – thirty – second to one – eighth – inch that you must check from the service manual of your vehicle. Camber is the measurement of the tire lean in degrees. If the tire’s top tilts inward, the vehicle has negative camber whereas if the top of the tire tilts outwards, the vehicle has a positive camber. Castor is the angle of the steering pivot in degrees that affect it badly. Checking your car carefully will make your tires last longer and you will be able to handle vehicles in a better way.

Also read Wheel Alignment and Affecting Factors