Your car’s wheel alignment is the direction each tire is pointed in relation to the others. If your car’s front left tire points straight ahead, but the right rear points slightly to the right, your vehicle has a “toe-in” alignment problem. Toe-in occurs when one of your car’s wheels angles inward toward the other. When it comes to car four wheel alignment, toe-in is one of the more common types of alignment issues. The four-wheel alignment will affect how your car rides, make turns, and even stops. When one or more of your car’s wheels are not properly aligned with the other(s), it will cause uneven wear of tires, which can lead to an unsafe driving condition. Here are some of the reasons why vehicle four-wheel alignment is important.
1. Can Cause Uneven Tire Wear
When your tires are not aligned properly, it can cause them to wear out faster than they should. If one tire is wearing down faster than the other three, this could be an indicator of a four-wheel alignment issue. Most types of car four wheel alignment issues will result in uneven tire wear. This kind of wear can even take place with the slightest toe-in or toe-out. Over time, this type of wear can lead to problems like pulling and drifting.
2. Affects Control
Using an improper four-wheel alignment for too long will not only affect your tires but will also affect your steering. You might experience something called “torque steer” with a car four-wheel alignment issue, which means you will lose some control of your steering. This can lead to unsafe driving conditions and even an accident.
3. Affects the Car’s Handling
Your tires are considered one of the most important parts of your vehicle because they determine how stable it is during turns and sharp movements. When one or more of your car’s wheels is slightly out of alignment, it can affect the stability in turns and sharp movements. You will notice this in the form of high-speed drifting, which makes it difficult for you to stay on course when turning quickly. This not only affects how your tires wear out, but it can also make your overall driving experience more dangerous.
4. Can Cause Problems with Brakes and Steering
When your car’s wheels are not aligned properly, it can affect the normal functions of your brakes and steering. This is because of problems that can develop in these areas when you have a car four-wheel alignment issue. For example, if one of your tires drifts out too far, you might experience something called “brake pulling.” This means your car will want to drift toward the direction of a certain tire. If it’s a front tire, your car may pull towards the left or right when you’re braking. A four-wheel alignment issue can also cause uneven wear on your brake pads and rotors. With your steering, a car four wheel alignment problem can cause what’s called “steering pull.” In this situation, your car will drift in the direction of a specific tire when you’re trying to turn or steer it in a certain direction.
A car with a four-wheel alignment issue is not just unsafe for the driver, but it can also present safety hazards to other drivers on the road.
