Wheels are one of the important parts of the vehicle without which the vehicle cannot run. Wheel alignment is generally checking the alignment of the vehicle’s wheel according to the guideline of vehicle manufacturing. It is the procedure to get the suspension of the vehicle in its normal form. One can enhance their steering balance and driving experience by checking the wheels regularly.

If you are feeling uneven steering balance then you must re-align your wheels as well as the suspension by correcting your wheel alignment angles, namely:

• Camber Angle
• Toe Angle
• Castor Angle

Causes of wheel alignment

There are mainly three causes of the wheel misalignment, these are as follows:

1. Modification of Vehicle Height: Every car has been designed to work at a specific suspension if you modify your car height without enhancing your suspension or without adjusting the suspension the vehicle will face the misalignment of the wheel.

2. Defects in the suspension: Due the wear and tear, over time the parts such as suspension spring became worn and damaged, this will lead to the shift in the alignment of the wheel and your vehicle probably will face issues.

3. Jerk and heavy force: Due to hitting something hard such as bumping a curb or a road accident etc. leads to a heavy force to the suspension of the vehicle which probably results in the misalignment of the wheel.

Problems of wheel alignment

If you are dealing with any of the problem given below, you should check out your vehicle as your wheel alignment have to be checked;

• Drifting of the car to one side while driving.
• Uneven tyres wearing.
• Difficulty in returning to steering after a turn.
• Vibration or crooking in the steering.
• The tyres produce squealing noise.
• getting poorer fuel economy.

You can easily check these problems on your own. For example, you are using wheels of Volkswagen transporter alloys type. For ruling out uneven tyre wear you have to run your hands over your tyres carefully. For the left out other problems, you have to start your car and drive over a straight path with a good speed. Hold your steering light, if the vehicle runs smoothly and straight then the alignment of the wheels is perfect. Otherwise, you have to get it checked.

Repair of wheel alignment

You must take your car to the mechanic to align the wheels. The mechanic will use the wheel alignment reading machine to check the alignment of the wheel and will adjust the components accordingly. The mechanic will get back your car wheels to the proper configuration.

The mechanics generally work on the three angles of the vehicle (camber, toe, and castor) as mentioned above for the alignment. Though these are complicated for you here is the quick summary of these angles:

• Camber Angle: The vertical angles i.e. the inward or outward of the tire when looking from the front of the vehicle

• Toe Angle: The angle of the wheels in and out when looking from the top of the vehicle.

• Castor Angle: The backward and the forward angle of the wheels when seen from the side of the vehicle

Benefits of wheel alignment

The proper wheel alignment will give you these benefits in return:

• Longer life of your tyres.
• Very comfortable vehicle handling.
• Better mileage.
• Reduction in energy consumption.

 Conclusion

Remember prevention is better than cure. So, regular service checks are necessary as you can save more by keeping focused on it. Generally, the best practice interval of a wheel alignment is after every 12 months.