Correct wheel alignment is an important factor in the safety\nof your car. It also prolongs the life of your tyres and protects your wallet\nfrom unnecessary plundering. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you notice your car pulling to one side or feel a slight vibration through the steering wheel, it could mean your car is in need of a wheel alignment. Misalignment can happen gradually as a result of everyday driving or more directly from potholes and rough surfaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wheel alignment should be checked whenever your tyres are\nrotated or replaced. Otherwise, we recommend a check-up every 10,000 km. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The term \u2018wheel alignment\u2019 is a little misleading. When we\nperform a wheel alignment on your car, we\u2019re actually adjusting the suspension so\nthat your tyres are correctly aligned with each other and the road. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When we do this, we look at three main components:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Camber refers to the inward or outward tilt of the tyres,\nwhich can be viewed from the front of the vehicle. Negative camber occurs when\nthe wheel is tilted inwards (towards the axle), and positive camber occurs when\nthe wheel is tilted outwards. This alignment is all about maximising tyre to\nroad surface contact. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We can also adjust camber based on the style of driver. For\ninstance, if you\u2019re one who tends to take corners aggressively, then a slightly\nnegative camber might be appropriate. If the majority of your driving is on\nhighways, though, we might set a positive camber.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Imprecise camber alignment can lead to excessively worn\ntread on the inside or outside of the tyre compared to the centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Caster angle provides stability to your steering. To\ncalculate the angle, we draw an imaginary line between the upper and lower ball\njoints and compare it to true vertical. Caster angle will be either positive or\nnegative, depending on whether the line is tilted to or away from the driver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Incorrect caster alignment leads to \u2018heal-toe\u2019 tyre wear,\nwhich means one side of the tread block is wearing faster than the other\ncircumferentially. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Imagine you have a birds-eye view of your car and can see\nthrough the body to the tyres. Toe describes whether the front of the tyres are\ncloser or farther apart than the rear of the tyres. If it helps, stand up and\nlook down at your feet. Point your toes inwards \u2013 that\u2019s what we call toe-in. Splay\nyour feet and you have what we term toe-out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What setting is best can depend on the car. For instance, a\nfront-wheel drive car tends to pull the front wheels together, so a toe-out\nalignment is best. On the other hand, rear-wheel drive cars push the tyres\napart, so a toe-in alignment is appropriate. Whatever the case, we set the toe\nso the tyres roll parallel to one another when the car is in motion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Poor toe alignment can lead to \u2018feathering\u2019, which is when\ntread is smooth on one side and sharp on the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wheel alignment has grown more sophisticated over the years as suspension in vehicles has become more technically advanced. At Eastern Tyres, we have state-of-the-art alignment systems to make sure your car is in the best condition possible, to keep you safe and in the black. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Find out more about wheel alignment and balancing.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n