Misaligned wheel driving is dangerous to the sustainability of your vehicle, and especially road safety. When your wheel alignment is not in place, it may feel like your car is jerking you to the side or controlling you in some sense, when the driver needs to be in complete control of the car. The problem is that a car’s wheel alignment can be knocked out of whack through daily occurrences that are common and car owners wait for a severe problem to occur before getting their cars examined when wheel alignment checks should be a part of routine maintenance.
How easily can misalignment occur?
There are several daily common driving experiences that can influence your wheel alignment for the worse including the action of driving alone. The reason for this is that the simple fact that your wheels come into contact with the road can cause jerking and pressure that can deter the alignment. When there are road bumps it only increases the severity alignment can be hindered. Common driving hindrances include:
- Driving quickly over street depressions
- Driving quickly over road rises
- Vehicle to vehicle collisions to any degree
- Colliding with street curbs
What are signs that my alignment may be affected?
As a driver operating a powerful machine, it is important we listen to the machine and not dismiss abnormalities, no matter the size, because small abnormalities can serve as warning signs of deeper problems, like off wheel alignment. Some examples include:
- Car Pulling when driving
- Tire Damage / Deterioration
- Unbalanced Tire Levels
- Shrieking or Squealing Noises from Tires
Upon observing any of these warning signs, it is important to take your vehicle in for observation to a certified automotive technician. The process of examination can vary depending on the technician, but typically there is some manual observation involved and ultimately computerized examination that will take place. The alignment machine will determine which of the 3 wheel alignment procedures is necessary.
Wheel Alignment Procedures
If you notice any of the warning signs detailed it is important to get your car professionally examined immediately. Jumping on the situation is intellectual for safety purposes as well as financial purposes as you do not want the severity of damage to worsen. Lastly it is intellectual to jump on professional examination by a mechanic for your own personal comfort. Driving a vehicle already requires a hyper awareness of what is happening around you so you can be on the defense for uncontrolled factors that may come your way. Being able to fully control the functions of your vehicle should be the last of your concerns.