How to tell if you need a Front Wheel Alignment
Wheel alignment usually goes off after the changing of front suspensions or springs. The changing of the back suspensions or springs does not affect the wheel alignment. When using coil-overs, changing the height usually affects the alignment too. A hard knock on the front wheels might cause the alignment to go off too. These are just some of the examples on how the wheel alignment can go off, there are many other reasons that might cause the front wheel alignment to go off.
To tell if the alignment is off, when driving on a straight road, preferably on the highway with no cars around, let go of the steering wheel when it is straight and see if the car moves straight. If the car veers towards left or right, the alignment is off. This is not to be confused with the steering wheel alignment. The steering wheel may be off alignment too, but the car should still maintain a straight course with the wheel straight. If this happens, you should send the car in for wheel realignment as soon as possible.
Another way to tell if you front wheels are mis-aligned is by visual inspection, the tires will have uneven wear, from the left and the right. This is only obvious in vehicles that have been mis-aligned for some time and the tires are worn at the sides where the alignment is off central. You can observe that one side of the tires are particularly worn compared to the other side on the same tire.
In a car workshop or garage, there is a test known as side slip test which is able to determine the amount of off alignment the front wheels have. Another more advanced method is by attaching discs to the wheels and have infrared red rays beamed to them and analyzed by a computer. The computer will then direct the mechanic to correct the mis-alignment if any. Usually, the mechanic will proceed to go for a test drive to correct the steering wheel alignment.
The dangers of front end mis-alignment are great. On a rainy day, one may find it hard to maintain a straight course on an already slippery road. The uneven wear on the tires due to mis-alignment may cause premature wearing out of the tires and result in even higher cost for the user of the vehicle. Not to mention the safety factor when travelling with tires that are unevenly worn, which can cause the vehicle to lose control.
In short, if your car is not travelling straight, get it sorted out as soon as possible or bear the dire consequences!
