How important is wheel alignment?
Think of it this way: Research indicates that the average vehicle is driven about 12,000 miles per year. A car with a toe angle misadjustment of 0.34 degrees (only 0.17 inches) out of specification will drag the tires sideways for more than 68 miles by the end of the year!
What are the symptoms of a vehicle with incorrect alignment?
Have your vehicle checked if you notice:
- Excessive or uneven tire wear
- The vehicle pulls to the left or right
- Feeling of looseness or wandering
- Steering wheel vibration or shimmy
- Steering wheel is not centered when the vehicle is moving straight ahead
How often should I have my vehicle aligned?
Follow the vehicle manufacturer’s recommendation noted in your owner’s manual. As a general rule, have your wheel alignment checked every 10,000 miles or at least once a year.
The importance of Total Alignment:
- Reduced Tire Wear: Improper alignment is a major cause of premature tire wear. Over the years, a properly aligned vehicle can add thousands of miles to tire life. Most tires are replaced prematurely due to adverse wear.
- Better Gas Mileage: Gas mileage increases as rolling resistance decreases. Total Alignment sets all four wheels parallel, which along with proper inflation, minimizes rolling resistance.
- Improved Handling: Does your car pull to one side? Do you constantly have to move the steering wheel to keep your car traveling straight ahead? Many handling problems can be corrected by Total Alignment service. With all the vehicle components aligned properly, road shock is more efficiently absorbed for a smoother ride.
- Safer Driving: A suspension system inspection is part of the alignment procedure. This allows worn parts to be detected before they cause costly problems.
What Is Wheel Alignment?
When all of a vehicle’s wheels are lined up exactly with each other, your wheels are in alignment. Hitting a road hazard in Omaha or even just the normal bumps and bounces of everyday NE driving can cause your SUV wheels to be out of alignment. This can lead to expensive premature tire and suspension wear.
Here are some alignment basics from Westgate High-Tech Auto Care:
The first angle is called toe: do the wheels point in towards each other or away from each other at the front of the tire.
The next angle is called camber: do the wheels tip in or out at the top.
And finally, there is castor. Castor measures the angle where the front axles attach to the vehicle.
The ideal alignment for your SUV was designed by its engineers. Westgate High-Tech Auto Care alignment service starts with an inspection of the steering and suspension – so see if anything’s bent, broken or worn out. Then the Westgate High-Tech Auto Care technician will look at tire condition. From there, the SUV is put on an alignment rack and an initial alignment reading is taken. The wheels are then aligned to manufacturer’s specifications.
Your owner’s manual probably has a recommendation for how often your SUV alignment should be checked – usually every couple of years. If you suspect an alignment problem with your SUV, get it checked at Westgate High-Tech Auto Care before you suffer expensive tire or suspension damage.
How do I know when I need a wheel alignment?
Westgate High-Tech Auto Care Answer:
When Omaha car owners’ wheels are properly aligned they all point in the same direction. When they are out of alignment, most NE car owners notice a couple of things. First the SUV 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.
A whole bunch of steering and suspension components are joined together. Everyday Omaha driving can cause Omaha car owners’ wheels to go out of alignment over time just from the joints loosening up. That’s why most manufacturers recommend an alignment check every couple of years. Depending on where you live in NE or the conditions you drive in (off-road driving, harsh Omaha winter conditions, poor pavement, etc.) – an alignment inspection every year at Westgate High-Tech Auto Care may be called for.
Suspension and steering components wear over time as well which can lead to detrimental and pricey alignment issues for Omaha drivers. Of course, a big bump like hitting a curb or pothole can knock a wheel out of alignment or damage a an important steering or suspension part.
Your understanding Westgate High-Tech Auto Care tech will check your tires for uneven wear. The type of wear provides clues for what might be wrong. Undercar parts are inspected for wear and damage. The alignment machine will provide a reading of how each wheel is aligned. The reading is compared with the alignment settings recommended by the auto maker, and then the tech makes the necessary adjustments and repairs to bring your wheels back into alignment.
Now putting off a wheel alignment in Omaha can get costly for Omaha motorists because of tire wear: a bad alignment can chew through a tire pretty quickly. If you see uneven tire wear, if your steering wheel is off center, or your SUV pulls to one side ask your understanding Westgate High-Tech Auto Care technician about getting an alignment check.
Go Straight With A Wheel Alignment At Westgate High-Tech Auto Care In Omaha
Ever been in your local Omaha grocery store and had one of those shopping carts – you know the one with a messed up wheel that wobbles like crazy. Your cart shakes and pulls to one side – if you’re not careful it’s clean up on aisle three.
Wheel alignment on your SUV is a lot like that. One or more of your wheels can get out of alignment; you feel a vibration in your steering wheel – which may also be off-center. Your SUV might pull to one side and your tires start to wear unevenly – you could chew through a tire in a few months.
Sometimes wheels get knocked out of alignment by something big like hitting a curb on a bumpy Bennington road or slamming into a pothole. But everyday driving takes a toll and SUVs lose alignment over time. That’s why car makers recommend an alignment check at regular intervals. At Westgate High-Tech Auto Care, we offer a full menu of quality auto repair and maintenance services including wheel alignment.
In your alignment inspection, your understanding Westgate High-Tech Auto Care technician will check your tires and your suspension system for damage. He’ll test your alignment to see if it’s within car makers specifications. If not, he’ll make necessary adjustments to get your SUV wheels all pointing the same direction again.
Don’t Put Yourself at Risk
Wheel alignment is often overlooked by busy Elkhorn car owners until serious tire damage has been done. One wheel can be knocked out of alignment from the rest by hitting a curb or pothole on Elkhorn roads.
The tires will wear out very quickly and will need to be replaced prematurely. It could also lead to suspension damage. Conversely, worn suspension or steering components can lead to alignment problems for Elkhorn motorists.
But the big issue for Elkhorn motorists is safety. When your SUV wheels are out of alignment, the vehicle will pull to one side, which could lead to an accident. When you’re out of alignment, you should have it taken care of right away at Westgate High-Tech Auto Care.
Signs of alignment problems are: Your car pulls to one side. Also, your steering wheel may not be centered when you’re going straight. If you see the edges of one or more tires rapidly wearing down, you should have your technician at Westgate High-Tech Auto Care look it over.
If you’ve been in an accident in Elkhorn that involved a wheel, you should get your alignment checked. A big jolt can seriously knock things out of alignment, but Elkhorn drivers also need to understand that a series of smaller ones can add up. Worn steering or suspension components can also lead to alignment problems for Elkhorn drivers. That’s why your SUV manufacturer recommends periodic alignment checks.
If your SUV owner’s manual doesn’t specify, once a year might be appropriate. Or check with Dan Loveless or your service advisor at Westgate High-Tech Auto Care in Omaha. He’ll also be able to tell you if your vehicle requires a four wheel alignment or if just the front wheels can be aligned.
One thing’s for sure: the cost of the alignment at Westgate High-Tech Auto Care is cheaper than having to buy a couple of new tires because of neglect.
Our Service
The following Alignment animation is presented by Westgate High-Tech Auto Care:
It’s no surprise that your vehicle will drive better in the Boys Town area if all the wheels are pointed in the same direction. That’s called wheel alignment. If your wheels are out of alignment you may notice that your SUV pulls to one side or the other.
Something that you won’t notice right away, but you will if you keep driving around Boys Town when you’re out of alignment, is that your tires are wearing unevenly and fairly quickly.. That’s because when the vehicle is pulling to one side, you have to steer it back straight. The outside of the tire just wears out fast because you’re constantly turning, which can be very exhausting on a long road trip from the Boys Town area – fighting to keep the vehicle going straight down the road.
Omaha NE Alignment Some of the things that commonly throw a wheel out of alignment are slamming into a pothole in Boys Town, smacking a curb in Elkhorn or something like a rock in Papillion. And it doesn’t have to be a big shock, it can just be the regular bumps and bangs of daily driving that add up and eventually take your vehicle out of alignment. That’s why your owner’s manual or Omaha service advisor at Westgate High-Tech Auto Care may suggest having your alignment checked periodically.
With an alignment service at Westgate High-Tech Auto Care, we measure each wheel’s alignment and to see where they are relative to factory specifications. While we have the vehicle on the alignment rack, we inspect the tires for wear as well as the suspension and steering components for damage or wear – things that can contribute to alignment problems. With some SUVs you can adjust all four wheels so we bring all wheels into alignment. On those vehicles where you can only adjust the front wheels, we bring the front into alignment relative to the rear.
Cost varies by whether or not it’s two or four wheel adjustable. Four-wheel drive vehicles may have an additional charge because they’re more difficult to align. At any rate, it’s cheaper than having to replace tires every few months.
If it’s been a while since you’ve had your wheels aligned, bring your vehicle to Westgate High-Tech Auto Care in Omaha NE for an alignment check.
Westgate High-Tech Auto Care
12300 West Center Road
Omaha, NE 68144
402.397.8144
At Westgate High-Tech Auto Care in Omaha NE we install quality NAPA replacement parts. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit Website