Vehicle Maintenance why Tire Alignment is Important
If you do not tightly grip the steering wheel when traveling down a straight stretch of road, you car pulls to the left or to the right. Looking down at one of your front tires, you see that the outside half of the tire still looks almost new and the inside half is nearly worn out. Both of these signs are symptoms that your car needs a tire alignment. Because front end alignments can cost between $100 and $500, many people delay them as long as possible. The cost in tire wear and personal safety can be much higher if you choose not to keep your tires aligned.
A good tire alignment is important to you ability to maintain control of your vehicle.
Even poorly aligned tires will not create great problems if you only drive on flat dry roads that are lightly traveled. Unfortunately, not many drivers are able to remain only on these types of surfaces when they drive. Tires that are out of alignment will not give you the control that you need when you are in less-than-perfect driving conditions.
Out of alignment tires do not perform as well on wet surfaces.
Hydroplaning is a real threat when driving in the rain. Even small puddles of water can affect the cars steering a great deal. If the front tires are too worn, the chance of hydroplaning is multiplied. Since poor tire alignment usually results in uneven and excessive tire wear, a little water can become a huge hazard.
Curvy roads offer multiple opportunities for driving miscues.
When a tire drops off of the edge of the pavement onto a low shoulder, even the most experienced drivers can struggle to maintain control of the vehicle. On sharp curves, it is too easy to edge across the center stripe of the roadway. Either of these mistakes can have tragic outcomes. With tires that are not aligned, steering is compromised. This makes mistakes like drop offs and crossing the center line extremely easy to do. The car will move too much or not enough in response to the driver’s steering and increase the possibility of an accident.
Tire failure is a major driving hazard.
A blowout at high speeds or on curvy roads can be a disaster. Because tires that are out of alignment often wear unevenly, you can look at the tire before starting and believe it to be in excellent condition. Just out of your range of sight will be tire tread that has worn thin enough to allow the inner cords to show. This is a blowout waiting to happen. Not only will it be a major inconvenience that might leave you standing helpless at the side of the road, it could result damage and injury.
Well aligned tires roll with less friction.
Not only does friction result in greater tire wear, it also creates more drag for your car to have to deal with when accelerating and maintaining driving speeds. This friction will reduce the gas mileage that you receive by several percent. A good tire alignment can increase your miles per gallon and give you some noticeable cost reduction at the gas pump.
Have your tire alignment check at regular intervals.
Most alignment jobs will stay close to the lower end of the cost range if the alignments are performed regularly. Having your tires aligned once per year is usually enough to keep things close enough to be safe. If you have had to do excessive driving over rough roads or have recently dropped off into large potholes, you should have the alignment check to make sure that nothing has been damaged in the front end of your vehicle.
