It is very obvious to realize a car is extremely out of alignment if your car pulls to one side or you have to constantly turn the steering wheel just to keep the vehicle pointed straight. However, sometimes subtle misalignment issues are not so noticeable.  While misalignment of your vehicle can cost you in form of accelerated wear and tear of tyres, reduced fuel efficiency, it can be a real hazard because of improper control of steering.

Driving with bad alignment can significantly increase the cost of operating your vehicle apart from you being a hazard on the road for yourself as well as others. Bad Wheel Alignment will increase the cost of operating your vehicle because:

• Your vehicle tyres will wear out much faster and you will have to replace the tyres sooner than usual. Bad Wheel Alignment can significantly increase the wear and tear of tyres and decrease their life by several thousand kilometers very quickly. Tyres are not cheap.
• Bad Wheel Alignment also effects the fuel efficiency of your car. It will decrease the amount of mileage you get per litre of fuel. You will pay more for Petrol or Diesel.
• It will also affect the other parts of suspension and can cause accelerated wear and tear, adding to the cost for repairs.

What are the causes of bad Wheel Alignment?

There can be several reasons for your vehicle’s wheel alignment going out. Bad roads, going in an out of pot holes can cause your vehicles alignment to go out. Normal wear and tear of the suspension of the vehicle over a period of time is another reason for wheel alignment of your vehicle going out. Some times, the terrain like hill driving can cause stress on your vehicles suspensions resulting in wheel alignment going out.

How to find out if you have Bad Wheel Alignment?

Bad Wheel Alignment can be identified by simple inspection. Check the following:

• Check tyre tread. If you notice uneven wear in your tyres, it may be caused because of bad wheel alignment.
• If the car is pulling to one side of the road while driving, it is a sure sign that the Wheel Alignment is out.
• If your steering wheel is off center while you are driving straight, it may be due to bad Wheel Alignment.

How often should you get a Wheel Alignment Check done?

It is recommended you get your Vehicles Wheel Alignment checked every 6 months or 10,000 kms, whichever occurs first. It is strongly advised, if you notice uneven wear in the tyres or any of the symptoms stated above, you should get your vehicle’s Wheel Alignment checked as soon as possible.

How much does it cost?

Wheel Alignment check is not very expensive. The cost of Wheel Alignment depends on the make and model of your vehicle as well as the equipment used to align it. Cost of Wheel Alignment check is fraction of what you may end up paying for new tyres if you keep running your vehicle with bad Wheel Alignment.

To know the technical details of what exactly is Wheel Alignment and how is it done, read Everything about Wheel Alignment.

United Auto Centre offers Wheel Alignment service for all Passenger and Light Commercial Vehicles using latest 3D Wheel Alignment technology. For more information call us at +91 94171 57217 or Whatsapp us at +91 94786 76755.

The post Why does Your Car Need Wheel Alignment? first appeared on United Auto Centre.

Well from a scientific point of view regular air is 78% Nitrogen, about 21% Oxygen and the rest consists of various other gases and water vapour. So when you use Nitrogen to inflate tyres, you are essentially increasing its concentration from 78% to almost 95-96%.

Does it help? Here are some benefits of using Nitrogen to inflate your vehicle tyres:

• Stable Tyre pressure over longer periods of time
  Nitrogen is less likely to permeate through tyre rubber which means the tyre pressure will remain stable over long term. Presence of water vapour and oxygen regular air can affect tyre pressure due to temperature changes. With Nitrogen it is minimal.
• Longer Tyre Life
  A properly inflated tyre gives you more mileage both in terms of fuel efficiency and number of kilometres a tyres last. Since Nitrogen filled tyre does not lose pressure as quickly and also prevents tyres from heating you expect a longer tyre life.
• Prevents Tire Aging and Wheel Corrosion
  Oxygen causes oxidation. It can make rubber brittle over a period of time. Also, the water vapour and oxygen can accelerate wheel corrosion.

Whether inflated with air or nitrogen, regular tire inflation pressure maintenance remains critical and necessary. Use of nitrogen alone is not a replacement for regular tire inflation pressure maintenance. With Nitrogen inflation becoming increasingly accessible both in terms of availability and cost, it is worth inflating your tyres with Nitrogen.

If you have any questions regarding tyre pressure or inflating tyres with Nitrogen, write to us in the comments sections below.

The post Using Nitrogen to Inflate your Tyres first appeared on United Auto Centre.

Tyre rotation is beneficial in many ways:

• Regular rotation of of tyres helps extend the life of your tyres and improve performance.
• Rotating tyres at regular intervals preserve balanced handling and traction and even out tyre wear.
• Tyre rotation will equalize front-to-rear and side-to-side wear rates while enhancing wear quality and pattern noise.

Tyres should be rotated every 5000 Kms or every six months whichever comes first. Tyre should be rotated as prescribed in your vehicle owner’s manual or follow the patterns as given below:

The post Why Tyre Rotation is Important? first appeared on United Auto Centre.

It’s a good idea to check your car or bike’s tyres which will have to cope with degraded roads and driving conditions. Here are some tips to check your car and bike’s tyres and ensure safer driving through monsoons:

• Check Tyre Wear – Tyres which are worn or damaged should be avoided. You can check the tyre wear condition by looking at the TWI (Tyre wear indicator) present on most tyres these days. If your TWI is visible you should replace the tyres as soon as possible.
• Check Tyre Valves – Most vehicles including bikes use tubeless tyres these days. Defective or worn out tyre valves can lead to loss of pressure in tyres which can be very dangerous. Replace old or worn out tyre valves. Make sure all valves are covered with caps to safeguard from damage from water and dirt in the rainy season.
• Check your Spare Wheel – Make sure you take a look at the spare wheel, ensure it is in good condition and properly inflated.
• Ensure Proper Inflation – Make sure your tyres have proper inflation. Over inflated tyres can cause skidding and under inflated tyres are prone to causing Hydroplaning resulting in skidding. Proper inflation helps you improve your vehicle’s control as well as fuel efficiency.
• Carry emergency Tyre Kit – Emergency inflator and tubeless puncture kit. It can come in vary handy when you are stuck with a puncture or under-inflated tyre.

Wishing you a wonderful Monsoon Season and safe driving. Feel free to write to us or Whatsapp us in case on any queries.

The post Monsoon Tyre Checklist first appeared on United Auto Centre.

How to read Tyre Sizes and other Specifications?

Understanding how to read Tyre Size and markings on the side walls of your vehicle tyres will help you choose the right replacement for your vehicle.

There are several markings, letters and numbers on the side walls of all tyres. These provide information about different specifications of tyres like  Size, Dimensions, Load carrying capacity, Speed rating, composition and capabilities of the tyre.

For example the code on a common fitment for Indian Passenger Vehicles will be similar to:

Tyre Size: 205/65 R 15  95H 

205 indicates the nominal section of width of the tyre in millimetres ( in this case 205 mm)

65 indicates the aspect ration, a comparison of the tyre’s section heigh and its section width (65 indicates the height is 65% of its width, in other words, the height of the sidewall is 65% of the section width)

R indicates radial ply construction ( Most tyres these days have this type of construction)

16 indicates the nominal diameter of the wheel rim in inches (16 inches in this case)

95 is the load index of the tyre or maximum load carrying capacity of the tyre (95 here represents a maximum load of 690 Kg per tyre) Refer to the Load Index Chart for Tyres here.

V is the speed rating of the tyre, it represents the maximum speed at which the tyre can be safely operated. (240 Kms/hr here)For Speed Rating Index for Tyres chart click here

Other Markings:

TT/TL represent Tube Type or Tubeless tyre respectively.

An arrow shows the direction of rotation for unidirectional tyres.

ISI Mark  confirms that the product meets the Standards prescribed by Bureau of Indian Standards

You will also find the tyre’s manufacturer’s name, Model of the tyre and Manufacturing date for the tyres on the side wall.

For any other information or questions about your tyres email us or call us at 0172 2737453, 0172 5075169

The post Understanding and Reading Tyre Sizes first appeared on United Auto Centre.

Tyre Speed Ratings

Speed ratings were established to match the speed capability of tires with the top speed capability of the vehicles to which they are applied. Speed ratings are established in kilometers per hour and subsequently converted to miles per hour (which explains why speed ratings appear established at “unusual” mile per hour increments). Despite the tire manufacturer’s ability to manufacturer tires capable of high speeds, none of them recommend the use of their products in excess of legal speed limits. The maximum operating speed of a vehicle must be limited to the lowest speed rated tire on the vehicle.

Speed ratings are based on laboratory tests where the tire is pressed against a large diameter metal drum to reflect its appropriate load, and run at ever increasing speeds (in 6.2 mph steps in 10 minute increments) until the tire’s required speed has been met.

Over the years, tire speed rating symbols have been marked on tires in any of three ways shown in the following examples:

225/50SR16 225/50SR16 89S or 225/50R16 89S

Given below is the Speed Rating Table to help you find the Speed Rating for the corresponding Speed Rating letter on your tyre

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It is important to note that speed ratings only apply to tires that have not been damaged, altered, under-inflated or overloaded. Additionally, most tire manufacturers maintain that a tire that has been cut or punctured no longer retains the tire manufacturer’s original speed rating, even after being repaired because the tire manufacturer can’t control the quality of the repair.

The post Tyre Speed Ratings first appeared on United Auto Centre.

Wheel Alignment is the Measurement of complex suspension angles and the adjustment of a variety of suspension components. It is a suspension-tuning tool which greatly influences the vehicle’s handling and tire wear.

Wheel alignment consists of adjusting the angles of the wheels so that they are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the ground, thus maximizing tire life and ensures straight and true tracking along a straight and level road.

The way a wheel is oriented on your car is broken down to three major components; camber, caster, and toe.

Camber

Camber angle is the measure in degrees of the difference between the wheels vertical alignment perpendicular to the surface. If a wheel is perfectly perpendicular to the surface, its camber would be 0 degrees. Camber is described as negative when the top of the tires begin to tilt inward towards the fender wells. Consequently, when the top of the tires begin to tilt away from the vehicle it is considered positive.

If the camber is out of adjustment, it will cause premature tire wear on one side of the tire’s thread. When the camber is out of adjustment it can cause a pulling problem to the side with the more positive camber.
This usually happens when the vehicle has been involved in an accident which has caused structural damage or damage to the strut and / or spindle assembly. Camber also goes out of adjustment when the springs sag and causes ride height to change, or when ball joints and or other attached parts are worn or defective. It also varies depending on speed as aerodynamic forces changes riding height.

On most front-wheel-drive vehicles, camber is not adjustable, however there are aftermarket kits that allow sufficient adjustment to compensate for accident damage or the change in alignment due to the installation of lowering springs.

Caster

Caster is a bit harder to conceptualize, but it’s defined as the angle created by the steerings pivot point from the front to back of the vehicle. Caster is positive if the line is angled forward, and negative if backward.

If the caster is out of adjustment, it can cause problems in straight-line tracking. If the caster is different from side to side, the vehicle will pull to the side with the less positive caster. If the caster is equal but too negative, the steering will be light and the vehicle will wander and be difficult to keep in a straight line. If the caster is equal but too positive, the steering will be heavy and the steering wheel may kick when you hit a bump.

Caster has little or no effect on tire wear.

Toe

Toe represents the angle derived from pointing the tires inward or outward from a top-down view – much like looking down at your toes and angling them inward or outward.

The vehicle’s toe is the most critical alignment settings relative to tire wear. if the toe setting is just 1/32-inch off of its appropriate setting, each tire on that axle will scrub almost 3 1/2 feet sideways every mile, therefore reducing tire life.

The toe angle identifies the direction of the tires compared to the centerline of the vehicle. Rear-wheel drive vehicle “pushes” the front tires, as they roll along the road, resistance causes some drag resulting in rearward movement of the suspension arms against their bushings. Most rear-wheel drive vehicles use positive toe to compensate for suspension movement.

Front-wheel drive vehicle “pulls” the vehicle, resulting in forward movement of the suspension arms against their bushings. Most front-wheel drive vehicles use negative toe to compensate for suspension movement.

Wheel Alignment should be checked whenever new tires are installed, suspension components installed, when the vehicle has encountered a major road hazard or curb and any time unusual tire wear patterns appear.

The post Everything about Wheel Alignment? first appeared on United Auto Centre.