What is a Wheel Alignment?

A wheel alignment consists of placing the wheels at the proper angle to ensure the best wear on the tires and drivability of the vehicle. A vehicle that is out of alignment could have wearing or broken suspension parts or it could be due to hitting a curb or pothole.

Some common misconceptions of a vehicle needing a wheel alignment are that the vehicle will shake or rumble. This is not the case. Shaking and rumbling in the steering wheel is not caused by a vehicle being out of alignment. An out of alignment vehicle will have poor drivability. It will pull to the left or right. Or it may even have a slow steering response due to not being properly adjusted.

If you take your vehicle to get a wheel alignment, first the alignment technician will take it for a test drive. Oftentimes a test drive is able to tell the technician things to look for before starting the alignment. To get a wheel alignment, your vehicle will be put onto an alignment rack. This is a rack that your car will be driven onto. Next, head units will be attached to each wheel. These head units send angles and measurements back to the alignment machine. These angles and measurements tell the alignment technician what adjustments need made to the alignment.

When a vehicle has a wheel alignment there are three adjustments that can be made. These adjustments are camber, caster, and toe. The camber adjustment changes the top and bottom angle of the tire. The toe adjustment changes the front and back angle of the tire. The caster adjustment changes the angle of which the wheel sits on its pivot point.

When the vehicle alignment is complete the technician will take it for another test drive to ensure that the alignment is correct and that there are not any other drivability problems. After your vehicle has a wheel alignment there is generally a noticeable change in the way the vehicle handles and drives. When your vehicle is returned to you take it for a test drive as well. This way if there are additional concerns with your vehicle it can be returned right away to have those concerns corrected.