Need to know about Four Wheel Alignment

Wheel Alignment or Tracking is an important phenomenon of Car mechanism& maintenance. It ensures the smooth functioning of the vehicle and eradicates so many risks caused due to non-alignment. The phenomenon of adjusting the angles of the wheels in alignment such that the wheels are parallel to each other & at 90° angle to the ground is referred to as Four Wheel Alignment.

Four Wheel Alignment is related to the adjustment of the suspension which is the medium that connects the vehicle to its four wheels. The wheel alignment ensures safe driving. The reason for performing four-wheel alignment phenomena is to avoid the undue wear & tear of the tires and to ensure safe traveling and to prevent the vehicle from pulling to one side.

Notable indications that signify the need for wheel alignment: 

There are various signs that will indicate you to get wheel alignment service and get your car checked. If your car is drifting to one side while driving or your steering wheel is more stiff than normal or the steering wheel feels sloppier. Also when your tires are unevenly worn or produce heavy vibrations or screeching while driving. In order to locate non-alignment of wheels drive on a straight road and slowly let go the steering to check if the car swings to the left or right direction.  In case your vehicle has proper four wheel alignment it will stay on the straight path.

Effects of misalignment

When the wheels of the car are not aligned properly it will affect the performance of the tire, fuel economy, steering, braking, and suspension.

Performance of the Tire: Tires are the only part of the car that comes in contact with the ground. When the four wheel alignment is manipulated the first part to get affected are the tires. The uneven or abnormal tear in the tires hinders the performance of the tire.

Steering: At the time of misalignment since the tires are not properly tracked the whole pressure is passed to other parts of the car in order to keep the car in the straight position. The most affected one is the steering column which in order to come along with the change in the direction suffers extreme wear.

Braking: Vehicles accompanied with brake pads during misalignment tires get angled away from the brake pads which decreases the braking efficiency and causes the car to stop frequently.

Fuel Economy: During misalignment, the engine has to work twice than normal and thus uses more fuel to keep the vehicle moving forward. It also increases the friction with the road surface.

Suspension: Misalignment causes uneven wear to tire due to which the weight is not equally distributed over the tires. The unequal distribution of weight forces the suspension to carry some weight which brings struts and shocks inoperative mode.

Causes for Misalignment of wheels

There are various factors that lead to misalignment of wheels are sudden heavy impact caused by hitting a pothole, road accident, etc. or irregular service checks or ignoring the adjustment of suspension prior to height adjustment of the four-wheel vehicle.

Answer to misalignment: In order to prevent your car from misalignment and ensure proper four wheel alignment, it is important to perform frequent checks on your vehicle. The regular maintenance will make your tires last longer, optimize vehicle handling and reduce fuel consumption.

Wheel alignment Cost:

The charges to four-wheel alignment vary depending upon the service provider; state from which you are availing the service and the type of vehicle you drive. To see which repair locations in your area are offering the best price, use Blitzify's Auto repair Estimator. The wheel alignment cost on an average should cost between 70$ -107$.