5 Indications That Your Wheel Alignment Needs Adjusting

Wheels are no stranger to the wear-and-tear caused by daily use. In general, your car’s wheels are always going to be rugged over time since they’re always in direct contact with the ground. In the long run, your wheels will end up unbalanced and misaligned whenever your vehicle drives over jarring roads. 

A pothole or any object in the road will cause the vehicle to suddenly bounce, putting stress on your wheels and forcing them to misalign. Misaligned wheels will cost you a lot of money over time when not addressed right away, and not to mention, are unsafe.

For this reason, you need to have your misaligned wheels secured right away. Here are five indications that your wheels are already misaligned:

Vehicle starts to pull on one side

When your wheels are misaligned, the first thing you will notice is that your vehicle will start to lean on one side as the direction a wheel or more points towards becoming uneven. To check this, let go of the steering wheel for a few seconds and let the vehicle direct itself. If it starts swerving to one side, then this indicates that your wheels are already misaligned.

A vehicle that involuntarily veers away from a straight line is unsafe to drive as it’s harder to drive straight and could even cause you to shift to other lanes, especially when the steering wheel is left unattended even just for a few seconds.

Vibrating steering wheel

If your wheels are misaligned when in motion, the steering wheel is likely to start rumbling and vibrating. It’s important to have your car checked once this symptom shows since a vibrating steering wheel can indicate other problems as well.

Uneven tire wear

Another indication that your wheels are not properly aligned is that a tire or two will wear out faster than the rest. If the treads on a certain wheel seem more stressed than the others, it’s a sign that your wheels need realignment as aligned wheels should typically wear out evenly.

Check your tires’ tread depth on both sides, preferably with a tread depth meter. Properly aligned wheels should show equal or close rubber depth.

Squealing tires

When your tires start squealing, it is a sign that they’re already misaligned. Try to gauge if your tires make a high-pitched noise whenever you accelerate or make a turn. Squealing sounds, however, can also be caused by other issues, such as brake pads that need to be replaced, among others.

Loose steering

A vehicle with misaligned wheels may cause sloppy and loose steering, which can be as dangerous as the movement in the road becomes inaccurate. Response time will also be decreased, and a mere second of late action can be the difference between life and death.

Of course, you wouldn’t want to be driving a car that’s almost sentient. Because of this, you need to address misaligned wheels as soon as possible.

Your vehicle is your armour on the road, and you want to be able to trust it at all times. By being a responsible car owner and having it checked and maintained regularly, you decrease the chances of a sudden misfortune and keep it safe on the road. This is why it is of utmost importance to make sure that your vehicle is on topnotch condition.

If you’re looking for a place to align your tires in Richmond Hill, get in touch with us today, we’ll be happy to help you!