Importance Of Proper Vehicle Alignment

How many times do you hear people talking about alignment or see advertisements or

special deals for alignment services in regards to automobiles? Alignment seems like a simple thing maybe even of minor importance. However, your vehicle alignment is a significant thing and the impact and dangers inherent in both the short term and long term of a mis-aligned vehicle are possibly more severe than commonly understood. The costs associated can be both in financial quantities and/or in physical damage to your vehicle and possibly yourself or the vehicle's occupants.

Most often you will hear about or have alignment issues after a collision or accident of some sort. It doesn't take much to cause a small misalignment though, and that minor misalignment is enough to begin causing issues with your vehicle which can grow to be very serious in a relatively short span of time. Something as simple as rolling over or through a pothole on the role can begin the misalignment problem.

Perhaps we should begin with what alignment in relation to your vehicle. Wheel alignment is simply the placement and direction of your wheels in perpendicular positioning to the axles, in parallel to each other and pointing straight forward at their full reset position. What this does is to reduce rolling resistance to its lowest point, creating the least amount of friction and thus improving traction and reducing tire wear. The tuned angles are referred to as camber, caster and toe, with toe being the most significant as it has the greatest impact on the tire. Having an exact alignment, where the fronts of the tires are an equidistant, produces what is referred to as zero-toe. It takes as little as an eight of an inch of misalignment at this point to increase drag on tires, significantly reducing tread and effectiveness.

When driving, if you are feeling any pull, or having difficulty with steering or handling, the alignment could be the culprit. Obviously handling and steering difficulties can cause serious issues while driving. So to can a tire that suddenly blows because a misalignment has caused severe levels of wear, not apparent and not consistent with tread represented on the rest of the vehicles tires. These are of course safety issues for yourself, your vehicle's occupants, as well as for other people on the road around you. Proper traction is good at all times, particularly when driving in any sort of weather like rain, hail or snow.

Safety is the main priority here and handling goes hand in hand with that, but it's also hard to dismiss the financial impact. Obviously an accident will be costly. Having to replace tires earlier than expected certainly impacts the pocket book as well. Drivers should also factor in the longer term savings. Maintaining proper alignment and the resulting balance within your car and reduced wear and tear will save you on maintenance and slightly improve gas mileage at the same time, something most drivers will be happy to hear.

Luckily, alignment service is something that the majority of local auto body or car maintenance service shop will provide for you with major auto servicing or can offer to you with regular maintenance on a yearly basis. If, as mentioned, you are having any issues with handling or steering, or suspect alignment issues it's best to take your vehicle in for inspection at a quality auto body or car maintenance shop. Be safe and save yourself some long-term money at the same time.

by: Leifs Auto

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