The reason why wheel alignment is so important is that it protects your tires and their tread. Misaligned wheels can damage tires and reduce their tread life, which means you won’t get the miles out of the tires that were guaranteed when you had the set put on. Willoughby Hills Auto Repair can realign your wheels if they have been knocked out of alignment. This protects your tires and suspension. Here are the things that can mess up your alignment and also information on how to tell the wheels are not aligned.
What Can Knock My Wheels Out of Alignment?
There are many things that can knock your wheels out of alignment, and we hate to say it, but how you drive is one of them. Drag racing up and down the streets and accelerating hard and braking fast is hard on your wheel alignment, suspension, tires, and engine. It’s best to drive your car the way it was intended to be driven and keep the race car driving on the professional tracks. Other things that can knock your wheels out of alignment include hitting
- Bumps
- Curbs
- Parking space markers
- Potholes
- Speed bumps
Alongside these road hazards, an automobile accident can knock your wheels out of alignment. Don’t assume that just because you were involved in a minor fender-bender that your wheels are okay. It’s better to have your vehicle inspected after any auto collision to make certain that there isn’t any damage that is not visible to the naked eye.
How Can I Tell if My Wheels Are Out of Alignment?
A general rule of thumb for aligning wheels is when you have a new set of tires put on your automobile and every two years after that. Provided you don’t knock your wheels out of alignment prematurely, you can usually wait the two years before they’ll need to be realigned. We don’t have perfect roadways in Ohio, however, and it’s easy to knock the wheels out of alignment on rough roads. Signs your wheels are not aligned include
- Pulling to the right or left
- An off-center steering wheel logo
- Uneven tire tread wear
- Squealing tires when turning
The longer you wait to have your alignment issue addressed the more difficult it will become to control your vehicle. Swing by Willoughby Hills Auto Repair. We are the best auto repair shop in Willoughby Hills, OH, and we’d be happy to test your wheels and rebalance and align them if necessary.