If you have noticed that your car seems to “pull” to one direction or another while driving chances are high that you have one or more wheels out of alignment. At some point in time you likely hit a pothole in the road or accidentally hit them against a curb or parking block, knocking a wheel out of alignment, requiring the services of a Auto Tire Alignment Grand Junction CO. A vehicle with tires out of alignment is not only annoying but can put the safety of the driver and passengers at risk. A vehicle significantly out of alignment might veer off the road should the driver momentarily take their hands off the wheel.
A wheel alignment or tracking is performed by an auto mechanic and consists of the mechanic adjusting the angles of the vehicle’s wheels so that they meet the manufacturer’s specifications. The mechanic will try and get the wheels as parallel as possible to one another and perpendicular to the ground. A vehicle who’s wheels are in proper alignment will benefit from having longer tire life as well. Under normal driving conditions, a vehicle’s tires should last about 30,000-35,000 miles which are a good point to have the alignment checked as well. View website for more details.
Another sign of wheels that are out of alignment is an uneven wear pattern, exhibited by the outer tire tread being worn down while there is plenty of tread on the inner, or vice-versa. Tires that are out of alignment wear down faster and unevenly, due to constant friction placed on the tread. This is turn decreases a vehicle’s mileage. The type of alignment performed on the vehicle depends upon the suspension. All-wheel drive vehicles or front-wheel drive with independent rear suspension and four-wheel drive suspension vehicles require a four-wheel alignment. This involves properly aligning both axles. If the vehicle is not four-wheel or all-wheel drive, the vehicle will likely require a front end alignment, adjusting only the font-axle components.
When having an alignment performed by an Auto Tire Alignment Grand Junction CO company such as Scottys Muffler, vehicles owners will also have their tires balanced. Out of balance tires will typically cause a vehicle to vibrate or shake which progresses the faster the vehicle is moving. The vibration will be felt in the steering wheel and even throughout the frame of the vehicle. On average most vehicle manufacturer’s recommend having the alignment inspected every 10,000 miles.
