Tires keep your car going, so it is important to take care of them with regularly scheduled maintenance. Here are a couple of main reasons that cause wheel alignment issues for cars (leading to why tires wear out quicker than advertised):
- Suspension and steering components wear over time as well which can lead to and alignment issues.
- Of course, a big bump like hitting a curb or pothole can knock a wheel out ofalignment or damage a steering or suspension part.
So when wheels are properly aligned they obviously all point i
n the same direction. When they are out of alignment, you’ll notice a couple of things. First the vehicle pulls to one side when driving (it could be slight or pretty severe). If your wheels have been out of alignment for a while, you’ll also start to see uneven tire wear – the shoulder on either the outside or inside of the tire is worn down more than the other.
And we’re not done, a whole bunch of steering and suspension components are joined together. Wheels can go out of alignment over time just from the joints loosening up. This is why an alignment check on your car is recommended every couple of years even if you don’t change your tires during that time (some even recommend every year). Do this and you’ll add mileage to your tires…saving you money.
Happy motoring!