Ask any Belmore mechanic why it’s important that your wheels are correctly aligned and he’ll tell you that if they’re not, you’ll have to change your tyres more often than you would if your wheels were aligned correctly. But what causes misaligned wheels? Read on to find out more.
What Causes Misaligned Wheels?
Wheels become misaligned due to a misalignment of the suspension and in some cases, the chassis of the vehicle. Although the misalignment can sometimes be so slight that you hardly notice it, it’s likely to affect the fuel economy and the ride of your vehicle.
How Can You Tell That Your Wheels are Out of Line?
When your wheels are properly aligned, your vehicle is stay straight if you let go of the steering wheel. So, one of the easiest ways to check if you have problems is to let go of the wheel briefly on a straight stretch of road to see whether your vehicle veers off course. Misaligned wheels will cause it to pull either to the right or the left.
You may also feel that you have to exert excess pressure on the steering wheel to keep it straight, which is an indication that one or both of your front tyres are pointing inwards or outwards.
Another way to check the alignment is to take tyre measurements from the centre of the left front tyre to the centre of the right front tyre when the vehicle is parked with the front wheels facing directly ahead and then compare them with the same measurements for the rear wheels. If they don’t match, you can safely say that your wheels are not aligned and that you need to pay a visit to your local Bexley mechanic.
Make Sure to Rotate Your Tyres Regularly
One of the most obvious signs that your wheels are out of line is uneven wear to the tyres. If you’re in the habit of regularly rotating your tyres but they still show uneven wear, you have misaligned tyres.
While rotating your tyres won’t stop your wheels from becoming misaligned, it will help you to see if the tyres are not wearing evenly. Mechanics and tyres suppliers recommend that you rotate your tyres on a regular basis and make sure that they’re always at the correct air pressure in order to get best use from your tyres.
Get Your Wheels Professionally Checked
If you do suspect that you have an issue with alignment, the best thing to do is get them checked over by a professional who will be able to rectify the problem for you.
