When Should Wheel Alignment be Checked? Tire Maintenance. Tire Pressure. This tire is already added to your appointment. Go To Appointment. You can only add one product to your appointment. Adding a new tire will remove the one that you already selected. Not all products fit every vehicle or tire size. Thanks for waiting while our wheels are turning Your location is beyond the Goodyear Mobile Install range Please enter a new location that is within the highlighted range on the map or choose to visit one of our stores instead.
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Taking a few minutes to check your alignment will make your tires last longer and your vehicle handle better. Even if you choose to have a shop align the vehicle, you'll have a better idea of the problem — and knowledge normally equals power. Irregular tread wear signals alignment problems.
A saw-tooth pattern left indicates a toe problem, and beveled wear right points to camber problems. Courtesy Hunter Engineering. Toe is the fore-and-aft difference in tire distance. Most vehicles are slightly toe-in for a lighter steering feel and to keep a slight pre-load on wheel bearings. To check the toe, park the vehicle on level ground with the tires straight ahead and the steering wheel centered. Jack up one of the front tires, secure the vehicle on jack stands, then spray-paint a stripe on the tread while spinning the tire.
Scribe a sharp concentric line in the paint on the tread by spinning the tire. We used a small nail held in a mini vise and lightly pressed against the tread to ensure a straight line. Here's a detailed shot of the scribed line. Try to position the line on the tread blocks to make the line as continuous as possible for easier measuring. Perform the same steps on the other tire. Measure again on the back sides of the tires. Make sure that the tape is level and the same distance above the ground as it was for the front reading.
Compare the two measurements to reveal the toe, accounting for measurements taken lower than at the tires' center for actual toe. This vehicle exhibited one-eighth of an inch too much toe-in. The adjustment begins by loosening the tie-rod adjuster sleeves. Penetrating lubricant helps break the nuts loose. Assuming that the steering wheel is already centered, adjust the tie-rods on each side the same amount. In addition, adjustments are made to all four wheels and not just the front two.
This helps ensure the best possible alignment and handling. Some high-end vehicles like Mercedes and others will run you more than this. You could be looking at replacing tires, ball joints, steering arms, struts, or other parts. Now your pricing is into the thousands because of the additional required repairs. Ball joint replacement costs or wheel bearing replacement expenses can really add to your expense!
One of the first, and easiest to spot, signs of misalignment is excess, uneven, or premature tire wear. If you notice ridges in your tires, like the front of the tread is wearing faster than the back, or vice versa — alignment time! With a proper wheel alignment, all four tires should wear at approximately the same rate and evenly across the tires. Another obvious sign of problems is when your steering wheel begins to pull to one side.
If you are driving down the highway and let go of the wheel momentarily, your car should continue straight ahead mostly on its own. Poor fuel economy can also point to a bad alignment. If your car is not aligned properly, then it does not travel down the road as easily as it should.
Your tires should rotate nice and smoothly, working in unison, as your car travels down the road. When they become out of alignment, they can start to work against each other and require more power to travel down the road. This leads to decreased fuel efficiency and hits your wallet as you have to buy more gas. If you notice your gas mileage has started to decrease, then maybe you should inspect your vehicle for proper alignment.
Even most tire shops have certified technicians that can perform wheel alignment services. They simply put your car on the alignment rack and let the computer do its work. Proper wheel alignment has many benefits — not the least of which is helping you keep money in your pocket! A proper alignment can help improve fuel economy and extend the life of your tires.
New tires are expensive, so making them last as long as possible can save you quite a bit of money! The benefits you get will greatly outweigh the tire alignment cost.
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