Tips To Check Wheel Alignment Of Your Car Before You Plan Road Trip With Your Friends

Road trips are always amazing, and when your friends accompany you, the level of fun and enjoyment increases exponentially. But, in order to make a road trip successful, there are a number of preparations to be done in advance. First of all, you need to make sure that your car is in good shape. In this regard, the alignment of your car’s wheel matters a lot. A lot of people think that only professionals are capable of performing a wheel alignment.

However, it is not necessary that only professionals take care of the alignment. It is not always necessary to take your car to a garage. There are certain tips that can be followed in order to make sure that the wheels are properly aligned. In this way, you will be able to feel more confident throughout the road trip in regard to your car.

How to examine wheel alignment?

Before we tell you about those tips, it is important to know about the factors that affect the alignment of wheels. Like we know, it is necessary for the wheels to be at a right angle with the ground; i.e. absolutely perpendicular to the surface. In addition, the wheels should be parallel to each other as well. There are mainly three factors that affect the alignment, and they are- caster, chamber, and toe-in. Now, let us take a look at the tips.

  • Taking a close and careful look at the front tires can provide you valuable information about the alignment. If you notice that the front wheels are appearing a bit pigeon-toed then it certainly means that the wheels are not aligned properly. When the tires are pigeon-toed then the wheel bearings have to bear more pressure than usual. The deviation, in this case, can remain around one-eighth of an inch. In order to figure out the acceptable range, you can check out the manual book of your car.
  • Just like toe-in, the condition of toe-out is also a sign that the wheels are not aligned properly. In this case, you will notice saw-tooth kind of wear pattern. This issue remains more common on the front wheels. In case the tread blocks direct right towards the frame, it means that the issue of toe-in has become worse; similarly, if the tires are pointing outwards then it hints towards the toe-out condition.
  • When driving your car, if you feel that the vehicle is getting pulled to the right or left then it clearly means that the wheels need to be aligned.
  • Another tip is related to the physical condition of the tires. If you notice that the tyres are wearing off in an uneven way then it also indicates towards the issue of misalignment. Likewise, if you observe that the tires are wearing off too quickly then you must take your vehicle to the garage and should get the wheels aligned before going on a road trip.
  • While driving your vehicle on a straight path, if you feel that the steering wheel is bent then also it means the wheels are unaligned. Driving such a vehicle may prove to be dangerous, particularly on a treacherous on uneven road. It can get really difficult to balance the vehicle on such terrains.

In addition to the above-mentioned tips, there are many other wheel alignment measures that can be kept in mind. Squealing wheels is also one of those conditions. It is usually better to get the alignment of tires checked after every six months, particularly by the expert mechanics. So, get your vehicle in a good shape and then hit the road.

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