Under what circumstances is a car wheel alignment needed?
2 Answers
There are several situations when a car needs a wheel alignment: 1. The vehicle pulls severely to one side. 2. Uneven tire wear is observed, either on the inner or outer edges. 3. The car has been involved in a major collision that affected the tires. 4. Components on the vehicle frame or suspension have been removed. 5. When two or more tires have been replaced. Here is additional information: 1. Wheel alignment is based on the four-wheel parameters of the vehicle, adjusted to ensure good driving performance and reliability. 2. The installation of the steering wheels, steering knuckles, and front axle of a car has a certain relative position, which is called steering wheel alignment, also known as front wheel alignment.
Be alert when the steering wheel starts fighting you. For instance, if you constantly need to slightly tug the wheel to maintain straight-line driving, or the car drifts to one side when you let go, this misalignment is a classic sign of improper wheel alignment. Other warning signs include violent steering wheel vibrations during hard braking, sudden increases in tire noise during normal driving, or sawtooth-shaped wear on the inner edges of tires. I've encountered many owners complaining about their cars feeling floaty, only to find excessive toe-angle deviation in the rear wheels. Remember: always perform alignment after replacing suspension components, and definitely check it after hitting curbs. It's wise to conduct a pre-winter alignment check since low temperatures significantly affect chassis rubber bushings. These practices can save you from replacing two sets of tires prematurely.
