Tires are one of the most vital parts of a car. If anything happens to any one of the tires of a vehicle, it can just stop moving or even affect our safety. There are a lot of factors that can affect a tire’s function. Inadequate air pressure in the tire, regular wearing out of your tire, and sometimes even the quality of the tire. One such of the most common concern is is tire alignment. Before buying your tire from a cheap tire shop, you need to beware of it.
What is tire alignment?
Tire alignment or wheel arrangement can enable your tires to perform efficiently and help them last more. It can prevent your vehicle from pulling one side or vibrating strangely on the road. Alignment means a change of a vehicle’s suspension – the framework that connects the vehicle to its wheels. The way to appropriate alignment is modifying the points of the tires, which influences how they drive on the street.
How to know if you need to check tire alignment?
Unfortunately, your car won’t blink any sign when you will need a tire alignment. You will have to use your senses and keep a regular check on your tires. Also, when the tires’ alignment becomes worse, you might get some signs while driving like:
• You might notice uneven tire wear.
• Your steering wheel might become crooked while driving straight.
• While driving your vehicle pulls to the left or right.
• Your steer wheel keeps vibrating.
So, if even your cheap tire shop gave you tires in good condition, look out for the signs of trouble as stated earlier.
What are the factors that can affect wheel alignment?
There are basically three factors that can affect a tire’s alignment, and they are called toe, Camber, and caster.
Toe:
Imagine both of your feet pointed inward towards your body or outward away from your body. Sounds abnormal right because you never stand like that. Well, the same is abnormal for your car too. These are called toe-in and toe-out alignment. If your car stays in these positions too much while driving, then tire tread can tend to wear more both from outside and inside edges.
Camber:
It is the angle of the lean of the tire when checked from the front of the vehicle. If the angle is too far away from the center, it can cause uneven wear in the tire. If the top of the wheel is leaning away too much from the car, it is called positive camber. If the top of the wheel is leaning towards the car too much then, it is known as negative camber. If there is too much difference in the angles of the front wheels the car tends to pull to one side.
Caster:
It is the angle of your steering axis when checked from the side of the vehicle. If the steering axis tilts towards the driver, it is known as a positive caster. If the steering axis tilts towards the front of the vehicle, it is called a negative caster. Your caster point helps balancing, strength, and cornering of the car.
If you feel your tires are not in alignment and you are facing problems while driving, it is time to give your car for servicing.
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