Signs of bad wheel alignment include uneven tire wear, pulling to one side while driving, a vibrating steering wheel, and uneven steering. Additionally, you may notice your car feels unstable or wobbly at higher speeds. Addressing wheel alignment issues promptly can improve your vehicle’s handling, safety, and tire lifespan.
Struggling to keep your car driving straight can be frustrating and potentially dangerous.
Uneven tire wear, drifting to one side, and a vibrating steering wheel are all signs that something might be off on your tire or wheel alignment.
This article explores the five most common symptoms of bad wheel alignment.
How Does Bad Wheel Alignment Occur?
Bad wheel alignment occurs due to various factors, such as hitting potholes, curbs, or other road obstacles, which can jolt the suspension system out of alignment. In most cases, bad wheel alignment doesn’t have anything to do with the shape or condition of your rims or wheel – tire wear-and-tear, problems with your steering system, and your suspension are the most common causes of bad wheel alignment. Aside from wear-and-tear, vehicle modifications, such as lifting or lowering the suspension, can disrupt proper wheel alignment.
Symptoms of Bad Wheel Alignment
Most of the common symptoms of bad wheel alignment are immediately noticeable. Because a damaged suspension or problems with your steering system can cause your wheels to sit at an odd angle, your tires will wear out unevenly, causing your car to pull to one side, or creating for obvious striations and uneven tire tread wear.
Uneven tire wear can also affect your steering wheel, causing your steering to drift to one side on its own every time you try and drive straight down a flat road. Let’s take a look at the five most common symptoms of bad wheel alignment:
Uneven Tire Wear
Your wheel alignment is based on your suspension, which connects the wheels to the axel on your car. Adjustments made to the suspension can change the angle of your wheels – most of the time, you want your wheels to be angled in such a way that they make full contact with the road. However, damage to the suspension – whether from an accident, a few too many potholes, or just component damage on an older car – can change the angle of your wheel, causing your tires to wear down unevenly. Over time, this can result in an obvious wobble or shakiness in the steering wheel while driving.
Pulling to One Side
If your wheels are unilaterally misaligned, which is more common when the problem is with the suspension on one wheel, then you will notice that your car tends to pull to the left or right on a straight road if you don’t course correct with your steering wheel.
Steering Wheel Off-Center
Your steering wheel doesn’t just steer your car, but it’s also affected by the direction your wheels turn in while driving. If your wheel is misaligned or if the tire is uneven, then it will naturally pull to one side or another – causing your steering wheel to be off-center. The easiest way to check if your wheel is off-center is to look at the car’s emblem on the middle of the wheel.
Vibrations in the Steering Wheel
At higher speeds, especially on poorly maintained roads, it’s normal for your steering wheel to vibrate somewhat as your suspension is getting a workout. But if your steering wheel vibrates or shakes while driving down a smooth and straight road, then there might be some minor misalignment or damage to the suspension or steering components that only becomes more noticeable at higher speeds. Slow down and make your way to the nearest auto shop.
Tire Squealing
If you’re hearing your tires squeal whenever you make a sharp turn, then your wheels may be misaligned. This is because the treads might not be making complete contact with the road, which only becomes obvious whenever you give them a sharp turn and twist. It’s important to differentiate the squeal of your tires during a turn from the squeal of an old brake pad, or another mechanical malfunction. If you’re turning at too high of a speed, then tire squealing might also just be the result of too much friction – much like a burnout.
Fixing Bad Wheel Alignment at Blu Automotive in Harbor City
Discovering a bad wheel alignment is just half of the problem, of course. But fixing your car’s wheel alignment is easier said than done, and generally best left to a professional mechanic. Wheel alignment issues usually stem from either the steering or your car’s suspension, rather than the axle or tires/rims.
A professional alignment adjustment will carefully measure the angle at which your tires touch the ground from multiple viewpoints, accounting for the camber (frontal angle), toe (angle from above), and caster (the angle of your steering axis from the side). A professional realignment will adjust your car’s suspension as per the manufacturer’s specifications, utilizing an alignment machine to be as precise as possible.
A damaged suspension can often complicate a professional realignment. Replacing your suspension is crucial after heavy damage, especially because realigning a damaged suspension means you still run the risk of misaligning your tires in the near future. If the misalignment damaged the tires itself – often seen through intense unilateral tire wear – then a tire replacement becomes inevitable. Unevenly worn tires affect the way your car makes contact with the road, leading to a more dangerous and uncomfortable driving experience.
In addition to checking the safety and integrity of your suspension and the wear-and-tear on your tire treads, a proper alignment service will also check tire pressure and tire balancing. Specialized machines exist to check your wheel’s balancing based on the condition of your rims and rubber – then, a mechanic adjusts the balance of your wheel by gluing specialized micro weights to the inside of your wheel’s rim, until the balancing machine no longer reads an imbalance.
Regular maintenance and prompt attention to alignment issues can prevent more severe problems and extend the life of your tires and suspension components. Even if you aren’t experiencing severe misalignment issues, it’s generally a good idea to take proper precautions and get your vehicle checked for any potential alignment problems every 5,000 to 6,000 miles.
