A lot of people don’t know the importance of wheel alignment; this article is meant to educate people about the importance of wheel alignment. Wheel alignment is done to make sure that the wheels of a car are perpendicular to the road and parallel to one another.
Wheel alignment is important because it saves fuel. Wheels that are out of alignment cause uneven pressure on the tyres. This makes the tyres push against each other, causing uneven friction on the road. This uneven friction increases the resistance that the road puts on the tyres. Which means the engine needs to work more to push against the road causing more fuel to be burnt. Wheel alignment helps to eliminate this uneven friction.
Wheel alignment reduces tyre wear and tear. The uneven friction causes tyres to wear out earlier than expected. Wheels that are out of alignment make the tyres wear out unevenly, causing the car to wobble in most cases. A badly aligned wheel means that your tyres will wear out sooner than their actual lifespan.
Cars that are out of alignment tend to pull to one side of the road. This gets very dangerous especially on wet and slippery roads. Wheels that are out of alignment also affect the suspension of the car as well as the braking system. Getting the wheels aligned saves you the cost of spending on suspension and reduces the risk of accidents.
How do you know it’s time to get the wheels aligned?
One of the indications that your car is out of alignment is when you are driving straight and the steering wheel tends to pull left or right. Another indication is if you notice that a tyre is unevenly worn out. It’s generally recommended to get your car aligned after every 6 months or about 5000 kilometres of drive. It’s also recommended to check the wheel alignment if you happen to fall in a big pothole.
A lot of people think that wheel alignment is the same as wheel balancing. It’s important to note that wheel alignment and wheel balancing are completely different. Wheel balancing is done to balance the tyres and rims. While wheel alignment makes the wheels parallel to each other and perpendicular to the road.
