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Riverview Tire and Auto Service




Computer Alignment




Wheel alignment is the position of the wheels relative to your car. When properly aligned, the wheels point in the right direction. Without proper alignment, the wheels resist your steering commands, as well as each other. Alignment also affects gas mileage and tire wear. If your tires are pointed in different directions, they fight against each other and can cause tread wear.Computerized alignment equipment is used to measure all alignment angles on today's cars. These include both adjustable and non-adjustable angles. (Non-adjustable angles require repair or replacement of the suspension component.) The most common adjustable angles are:


ToeThis refers to the tilted direction of the wheels toward or away from one another when viewed from the top. Toe is the most critical tire wearing angle. Tires that "toe-in" point toward one another. Tires that "toe-out" point away from each other. Camber This refers to the tilt of the wheels toward or away from one another when viewed from the front. Wheels that tilt in toward the vehicle have "negative camber." Wheels that tilt away from the vehicle have "positive camber." CasterThis refers to the angle of the steering axis in relation to an imaginary vertical line through the center of the wheel when viewed from the side. "Positive caster" is the term used when the vertical line is tilted back toward the rear. If it's tilted forward, we call it "negative caster." The proper caster angle stabilizes your car for better steering. Thrust AngleThis refers to the relationship of all four wheels to each other, as well as their relationship to an imaginary center line that runs from bumper to bumper. The term "thrust line" refers to the direction in which the rear wheels are pointed. Thrust angle is correctable on cars with adjustable rear suspensions. If your car has a non-adjustable suspension, thrust angle is compensated for by aligning the front wheels to the rear wheels.

When and why should I have an alignment done? Once a year you should have the alignment checked. Look at the tires that have been on the front of the car. Are they wearing evenly across the tread? Is the wear pattern the same on both front tires? On some vehicles especially vans, the outer edge of the front tire may wear more than the rest of the tread. This is because of the manufacturer's suggested caster setting causes the tire to lay over on it's edge when you make a turn. Here are some other signs of trouble:

  1. Middle of the tire wearing - caused by over inflation

  2. Both the outside edge & inside edge wearing more than the middle - caused by under inflation

  3. One tire wearing very differently than the other - alignment needed

Cupping or scalloping of the tread, rough uneven wear, tread looks like it is corrugated, tire is very lumpy and bumpy - generally caused by the tire itself. Look to see if the words "All Season" are on the sidewall of the tire. If the tire is an all season and you have a front wheel drive car and the rear tires look like someone took a hot knife and scooped out small pieces of rubber and the shocks are not leaking oil and there is no other symptoms of bad shocks, then the tire is probably at fault. This symptom is one that sells more shocks when, in my opinion, 90% of all cupping or scalloping is caused by the tire itself.

Car pulls to one side or the other - Proper procedure is to first check the tire inflation. If that doesn't correct it then the two front tires should be swapped side to side. Then one of three things will occur:

  1. If car continues to pull to the same side it will need an alignment.

  2. If the car quits pulling and there is no unusual tire wear then all is OK. Spending more money at this point is useless.

  3. If the car pulls to the other side, it has to be a tire related pull created by a defective tire.

Expect to pay around $43 to $100 for an alignment, depending on whether the rear wheels are used as references to set the car up (called a thrust line alignment) or a full 4 wheel alignment where all four wheels are checked and adjusted. This is one job on your car that will always have symptoms. So, if there is no pulling problem, no abnormal tire wear, then there is no need for an alignment.



More About Wheel Alignment