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.

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.