October 15, 2021

Vehicle Shifting to the Side?

Having your wheel alignment unimpaired and intact goes hand in hand with drivability. A vehicle is not drivable if the wheel alignment is off. A driver should always be controlling the car, and if the wheel alignment is off, you are driving a car that has the possibility of fighting your control and controlling you altogether. As a driver, there is no way to predict what someone else on the road will do, the only controllable factor is yourself. If your car’s wheel alignment is off, you are adding to uncontrolled factors on the road risking the safety of yourself and any one you are in contact with. Misalignment can result from a variety of daily driving occurrences which are important to recognize.

How easily can misalignment occur?

The possible causes that can affect your wheel alignment are very common daily driving occurrences. In fact, the act of driving itself is a cause because wear and tear on your tires can progressively influence your wheel alignment. Some other specific potential influencers include:

  • Potholes
  • Speeding over speed bumps
  • Road accidents
  • Worn out parts
  • Hitting a curb

The more severe the occurrence of one of these potential alignment influencers, the more severe your wheel alignment is affected. Similarly, a series or combination of the very common events over a duration of time can just as heavily influence your wheel alignment.

Warning Signs my Wheel Alignment may be off

There are clear warning signs an issue with your diving experience may be credited to poor wheel alignment. Signs to look out for include:

  • Squealing for your tires
  • Visible wear on you tires
  • Tires that are not leveled
  • Pulling of your vehicle when operating

Figuring out how to go about fixing your wheel alignment depends on specific factor pertaining to your case including the severity, and the type of vehicle being worked on, hence why it is a repair that should only be performed by a professional. Depending on the specific stance of you wheel alignment, the technician can have a variety of manual operations she or he undergoes and will at a point will connect your car to an alignment machine that will detail which of the 3 types of wheel re-alignments is necessary.

3 Types of Wheel Alignment:

  • When the front axle is adjusted, a front-end wheel alignment was completed.
  • When all wheels are checked and a front-end alignment is conducted, it is a thrust alignment
  • When the rear axle angles are arranged and a front-end and thrust are conducted, it is a four-wheel alignment.

A professional will determine which alignment procedure is necessary for your vehicle. It is important as a driver or owner of an automotive vehicle to be proactive and aware of possible warning signs. Regardless if a warning sign is noticed, routine maintenance should include wheel alignment examination as it is a driving factor that is easily influenced.