Everything You Need to Know About Tire Alignment

 

Tire alignment or wheel alignment is an important part of car maintenance. As a driver or someone in the automotive industry, you must understand what makes this a key part of the driving experience. By understanding what it is, why it’s important and how it’s done, you can provide the best experience for your customers and keep your vehicle in tip-top shape.

What Is Tire Alignment?

Tire alignment is what keeps your tires moving in the right direction, while tire balancing corrects the uneven weight distribution of your wheels. Cars need proper alignment to drive safely and efficiently.

The alignment process focuses on the suspension rather than the tires themselves. The first step involves loosening the bolts at each wheel assembly. Each bolt is manually turned until they are parallel to the ground. Once they’re in the right position, they are re-tightened.

While it may sound simple in concept, getting it done just right by yourself can be tricky. Get a garage to provide this service, especially those with the right alignment equipment. Your wheels need to perfectly line up with the direction your steering wheel is pointing in. Getting this synergy means your wheels will respond to the movements of your steering wheel.

Every vehicle is preset with precise tire positioning and angles. These preset specifications provide the best driving experience for that vehicle. The best way to ensure your car is driving as it should be is to align your wheels.

Toe, Camber, Caster

Alignment is a combination of these three points:

• Camber: Tire camber refers to the tilt of the top of a wheel. Camber ensures your tire tread surface is flat on the road. When your camber is out your tires will wear faster and unevenly. Too much negative camber or wheel tilt inwards causes your treat to wear on the inside edge. On the other hand, too much positive camber or wheel tilt outwards will cause the outside edges to wear.

• Caster: The caster is the negative and position tilt of the spindle steering axis. This is what makes your steering “self-center” itself. The caster gives the car an obvious point that shows it will go in a straight line.

• Toe: Toe refers to the left-right alignment of your front wheels relative to each other. Toe-in is when the front edge of your wheels is closer together than your rear tires. Toe-out means the opposite. Too much toe-in leads to excessive wear and feathering on your tires. The same problem occurs with too much toe-out, but the effects are seen on the inner edges of the tread.

How Do I Know if I Need a Tire Alignment?

Aligning your wheels is an essential part of maintaining your car. Several things can affect your central alignment, including low tire pressure, heavy impacts and time. You should aim to have a wheel alignment service done at least once a year. If you don’t know if your car needs an alignment or not, look out for the following signs:

• Your car pulls to one side: Your vehicle should drive straight, even with your hands off your steering wheel. If you can feel the car drifting in a particular direction on a straight road, your wheels need re-aligning. This drifting makes your car harder to control and the problem will grow the longer you leave it.
• Steering wheel vibrations: Unbalanced tires lead to a vibrating steering wheel. This is one of the most reliable signs to pay attention to. Car vibrations can result from many things, but when your steering wheel vibrates, you know it’s a tire alignment issue.
• Uneven steering wheel: One easy way to check for misaligned wheels is to look at the position of your steering wheel as you drive. It should stay in the center while the car is driving. Use the logo on your steering wheel as a reference point.
• Squealing tires: Keep an ear out for any squealing noises from your tires when you turn or accelerate. Squealing means something isn’t right — if it’s not coming from the brakes, it’s likely from misaligned tires.
• Uneven tire wear: The tread of your tires is another indicator of your wheel alignment situation. If one part of the tire is more worn out than others, you need to realign it.

Why Tire Alignment Matters

Now that you know the signs of bad wheel alignment, it’s time to talk about its benefits outside of solving those issues. These are the biggest benefits of wheel alignment:

• Improved fuel efficiency: Properly aligned wheels roll smoothly, so your car does less work to move forward. This reduces the amount of fuel it needs to use to get around. You can improve your gas mileage by up to 10% by aligning your wheels.
• Increased tire life span: Misaligned wheels wear down unevenly, causing bald spots on your tires. They can even wear down entirely. Extend the life of your tires by ensuring your wheel alignment is spot on.
• Better handling: Aligned tires make handling and controlling your car easier, especially at high speeds. Tires that drift can be really dangerous on busy roads. It can also improve your car’s ability to brake.
• Improved safety: Keeping your car safe should be any driver’s priority. These benefits come from proper wheel alignment, meaning aligned tires result in a much safer car.

CEMB-USA Wheel Alignment Machines

Your shop can easily provide timely and effective wheel alignments using CEMB-USA machines. We can supply your automotive repair business with highly advanced, Italian-made equipment. Using our aligners will save you time and increase your accuracy and efficiency. For the ultimate aligning experience, we recommend our touchless aligners and the DWA3500.

Touchless aligners are one of CEMB’s specialty products. Our touchless wheel aligners let you adjust a vehicle’s tires without placing anything on the wheels such as clamps, sensors, or targets.  The tool will handle the entire process in a matter of seconds. You only need to position the vehicle between the machine’s columns and let its laser 3D scanners take the measurements. Our CCD (Charged Coupled Device) sensor technology, features a top-tier eight-camera sensor that offers front and rear cross-toe views enabling accurate measurement in a matter of seconds. One of our most sophisticated touchless models is the ARGOS. It can measure the toe, camber and thrust within five seconds and has various features and settings to make the job easier.

The DWA3500 uses 3D-HD technology to provide unmatched alignments. It’s ideal for cars and light commercial vehicles. It has a 24-inch monitor, which can be upgraded upon request and provides the insights and data you need. Its repair-focused CEMB software makes it easy to customize configurations and makes the process seamless and efficient.

Provide Unmatched Wheel Alignments With CEMB-USA

Keeping up with the latest technology can make a big difference in helping your automotive repair business stand out. CEMB-USA understands what you need from your machines and how to give your customers the best service possible.

Submit a contact form or call a sales manager at 678-883-7909 to learn how we can help you optimize the equipment your shop uses.