Front Wheel Alignment
30 Jun 2011
You may have been offered front wheel alignment in the past when purchasing tyres at a garage, but some customers do not know what this is or what it's for. Front wheel alignment ensures that the car's front wheels are parallel to each other. Wear and tear, bumps, scuffs and even potholes can cause misaligned tyres, which can in turn cause a car to pull to one side when braking, unbalanced steering and can drastically shorten tyre life.
There are usually three factors to be checked and if necessary, adjusted.
The first is to check the camber angle which makes sure the front wheels are vertical as viewed from the front of the car. The second check is a little more complicated. A car's front wheels are turned from side to side when you steer. Looking at a front wheel from the side of the car, the steering pivot isn't vertical but leans back at the top, towards the rear of the car. This is the castor angle which, if out of adjustment, can cause all manner of strange steering behaviour when you drive.
The third check is the front tracking. Looking from the front, the car tyres usually 'toe-in'. This is so slight you can't see it but the setting is important. The front tyres are set to toe-in so that when the car is driven, the forces acting on the front wheels and suspension make the front wheels run parallel to one another. If the tyres 'toe-out' through misalignment, or toe-in too much, steering accuracy will suffer and tyre wear will increase.
To keep your tyres in tip top condition all that's needed is a little care. Avoid any debris on the road and watch out for potholes. Take time over speed pads and straddling speed bumps as these can damage tyres and suspension; drive so that only the wheels on one side of the car go over the bump.
Front wheel alignment can be checked by any Best Buy Tyres fitting centre and can be purchased online. Selected fitting centres also offer full four wheel alignment which can be arranged directly with the fitting centre upon arrival.
Customer Feedback
Very helpful staff at Watling tyres, very efficient
- Derrick James
