What Is Wheel Alignment?

Wheel alignment is a extremely important which helps maintain the performance of your car, having incorrect wheel alignment can cause your tyres to wear in an uneven pattern and shorten the life of your tyres drastically. The main purpose of wheel alignment is to ensure that all four of your vehicles wheels are pointing in exactly the same direction, this is done by measuring various points of the steering and suspension and if necessary adjusting inline with the manufacturers instructions.

As well as reducing uneven tyre wear, ensuring that all four of your vehicles wheels are aligned correctly will also improve handling and grip as well as fuel consumption saving you money and ensuring that your car is roadworthy and safe to drive.

Their are three main element involved with wheel alignment, these are caster, camber and toe.

• Caster is the angle of the steering pivot and affects the overall stability of your car, having your caster out of alignment can create problems controlling your car.
• Camber is the tilt of the wheel from top to bottom, whether they lean in at the top or stick out further, this determines how much of the tyre surface is in contact with the road at any one point.
• Toe is a measurement similar to camber but this time it determines the wheel angle from front to back rather than top to bottom, this shows whether the wheels point inwards or outwards. Having the wheels point to far in can create an over steer issue and pointing too far outwards can cause your car to under steer.

How do wheel become misaligned?

Wheel alignment issues can be caused by simple things such as bumping into kerbs, running through potholes and worn joints as well as being involved in a collision of any sort.

How often should I have my wheel alignment be checked?

You should have your wheel alignment checked annually or every 12,000 miles. It is wise to have your wheel alignment checked in the circumstances below, this is both for your own and for the safety of other road users:

• Your car has hit a kerb, pot hole or been involved in a collision
• Your vehicles tyres are wearing abnormally or unevenly
• You have had a new set of tyres fitted
• When you replace suspension or steering components
• You experience steering or handling problems, such as: pulling or drifting to one side, the steering wheel does not return easily after a turn or the steering wheel remains at an angle when driving in a straight line

What does it cost for wheel alignment in Gloucester?

PDL offer two levels of wheel alignment depending on your needs, whilst this can be carried out by dropping in to our Gloucester garage we always recommend that you book an appointment to be sure you are not waiting during busy times.

• Front Geometry Check – £25
• Full Front & Back Re-Alignment – £40