27 Jan What Happens During a Tire Alignment Service? A Step-by-Step Guide
Call it a tire alignment. Call it a wheel alignment. Do not neglect this essential aspect of vehicle maintenance!
It’s recommended that you have your tires aligned every 12,000 miles – or sooner, if you have noticed uneven tread wear, squealing tires, loose handling, an off-center or vibrating steering wheel, or veering to the right or left when you take your hands off the wheel.
In addition to resolving these issues, tire alignment promotes higher fuel efficiency. It’s definitely worth going out of your way for, or at the very least during your next scheduled oil change. But that just begs the question:
What Is Tire Alignment?
Tire alignment does indeed align the tires. This is achieved by adjusting the suspension (as opposed to the tires themselves, contrary to what the name of the practice implies). By aligning tires with the vehicle’s body and with one another, tire alignment ensures that the treads rest perfectly flat against the road. In essence, it enables the tires to function exactly as their manufacturer intended.
There are three types of tire alignment: front-end, where the front axle is the only one to receive adjustment; thrust, where the front wheels are aligned with the rear axle; and four-wheel, which combines thrust alignment with repositioning of rear axle angles. True to its name, four-wheel alignment is performed on four-wheel (and all-wheel) drive vehicles.
How Is a Tire Alignment Performed?
It is possible to align your tires at home. That said, it’s only possible if you have specific tools and a thorough understanding of mechanics, which is another way of saying that the only people who can align their own tires are auto technicians.
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Test drive. Computer testing is instructive, but nothing substitutes for a quick test drive. It gives the technician a solid, hands-on sense of the tires’ alignment.
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Elevation. The technician places the vehicle on a hoist so they can visually inspect the tires and interconnected suspension. This makes broken and worn-down components immediately apparent.
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Pressure check. Nothing complicated here – just the same process you’re advised to perform regularly on your own.
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Adjustment. The vehicle is connected to a specialized alignment machine, which measures suspension angles in real time and informs the technician of which adjustments to make. These adjustments fall into four categories: toe, which is the angle a tire turns when viewed from above; camber, which is the vertical angle of the tire; caster, i.e. the forward or backward angle of the steering axis; and thrust, which is relative to the direction of the rear axle and the centerline of the vehicle. (This video explains tire alignment far more effectively than the preceding sentence.)
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Steering wheel centration. Once they are satisfied with the wheels’ alignment, the technician centers the steering wheel.
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Final test drive. The finishing touch: the technician’s hands-on confirmation that the wheels are in perfect alignment with the vehicle and each other.
Get Your Tires Aligned at Square Tire
Don’t stand for premature tire degradation, an uncomfortable ride, and poor handling and fuel efficiency. If it has been at least 12,000 miles since your last tire alignment – or you’re beginning to notice the telltale signs of misalignment – then we encourage you to contact us today to schedule tire alignment service. We’re ready to welcome you at any of our locations in Sioux City, IA or Norfolk, NE!