What Causes the Steering Wheel to Be Misaligned While Driving?
2 Answers
Steering wheel misalignment while driving is related to wheel alignment and dynamic balancing. Here are the solutions: Perform Wheel Alignment: After every 20,000 kilometers, wear and tear on chassis components can cause changes in alignment angles, ultimately leading to the car pulling to one side or the steering wheel being misaligned. Wheel alignment can effectively resolve these issues. Perform Wheel Dynamic Balancing: A car's wheel is an assembly of the tire and the rim. However, due to manufacturing variances, the mass distribution of this assembly may not be perfectly uniform. When the wheel rotates at high speeds, it can create a state of dynamic imbalance, resulting in wheel wobbling and steering wheel vibration while driving. To prevent or eliminate this phenomenon, weights are added to correct the balance of the wheel's edges. This correction process is commonly known as dynamic balancing.
With twenty years of driving experience, I often encounter steering wheel misalignment issues. The most common cause is wheel misalignment – low pressure in the left front tire or uneven wear on the right rear tire can both make the steering wheel tilt to one side while driving. If there's a problem with the suspension system, such as a loose tie rod or aging steering knuckle, you'll constantly need to correct the direction while driving, which is both exhausting and dangerous. Last time I experienced the steering wheel pulling to the right, and a check revealed misaligned positioning parameters – a simple adjustment fixed it. Driving like this for extended periods leads to rapid tire wear and increased fuel consumption. I recommend having technicians check the alignment during regular maintenance to avoid regretting it only after something goes wrong.
