Is fixing car alignment important?

[Greg Bernhardt]

My car currently veers to the right pretty heavily. I need to have the wheel turned very slightly to the left at all times for it not to run off the road. It's been that way for several months now and I'm not too bothered by it. However I just saw my shop has a deal to fix front and rear alignment for $75. Should I go for it?

 

[lisab]

Yes! Bad alignment will cause you to wear your tires much quicker, at best. At worst, you can lose control. Get it fixed, stay safe!

 

[JaredJames]

$75? Blimey that's a rip off. It's $30 near me - but then getting your car to the UK may bump the cost up a touch.

 

[Astronuc]

My car currently veers to the right pretty heavily. I need to have the wheel turned very slightly to the left at all times for it not to run off the road. It's been that way for several months now and I'm not too bothered by it. However I just saw my shop has a deal to fix front and rear alignment for $75. Should I go for it?

It is important, but find a reliable and reputable shop. There are good shops, and bad shops. The latter will do a poor job and rip one off - in my experience.

 

[turbo]

It's important to have a vehicle aligned when needed. As Lisab noted, at least you'll wear out your tires faster, and the uneven wear from improper alignment can make your car behave unpredictably. Believe it or not, car manufacturers' suggestions for tire selection, inflation pressure, etc are driven by design and performance. Since those tires are THE connection between your car and the road, it's best to keep them operating properly.

Alignment is a big factor, though you should keep an eye on inflation pressures, and follow the manufacturer's recommendations regarding tire rotation, to keep wear and performance characteristics as consistent as possible.

Edit: BTW, front-end alignment is the most common adjustment done in this regard, but it also sometimes necessary to have the alignment of the rear axle checked and adjusted. Have some minor fender-bender? Hit some substantial pot-holes? If your rear-end alignment is out, your car will "crab" and will not perform to design specs. The best alignment places around here have lifts (jigs, actually) that they drive your car onto, with lasers and alignment gauges that let them bring your alignment back to factory specs. In the case of unibody front-wheel drive cars, it might be necessary to do a little frame-straightening to correct misalignment.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Alignment is a big factor, though you should keep an eye on inflation pressures, and follow the manufacturer's recommendations regarding tire rotation, to keep wear and performance characteristics as consistent as possible.

Just a few days ago I caught one of my tires at 10lbs of pressure! The book says it should be 32lbs!

 

[Dembadon]

Just a few days ago I caught one of my tires at 10lbs of pressure! The book says it should be 32lbs!

For cryin' out loud, Greg, be careful! We like you in one piece, mmk?

Aside from being dangerous, it also reduces your fuel economy. Get that alignment done, and keep an eye on tire pressure!

 

[turbo]

Just a few days ago I caught one of my tires at 10lbs of pressure! The book says it should be 32lbs!

Ack! With that low pressure, you were a candidate for a blowout. Try that stunt in the summertime when overheated side-walls fail more frequently, and you could be a highway fatality. Get a flat on the highway? You can compensate for the nasty handling characteristics. Get a a catastrophic side-wall failure at highway speeds? You'd better be lucky, because you could easily be dead.

 

[humanino]

My wife leans to the right of the aisle lately. I constantly have to steer her back to the left. Can I have her fixed ?

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Dunno. I trade in the car when the ashtray fills up.

 

[turbo]

Dunno. I trade in the car when the ashtray fills up.

Me too. As a non-smoker, though, I have to be diligent about maintenance. It's getting hard to find parts for my Hudson Hornet.

 

[Newai]

Geez. I have to pay $80 just for my front.

 

[Dembadon]

Geez. I have to pay $80 just for my front.

That should be a worst-case-scenario cost. If you are paying that for a minor adjustment, then something is wrong (at least where I live).

As Astro mentioned in his post, it is important to take your vehicle to someone you trust! Ask lots of questions and make them explain what they do to you. Prod them for detailed explanations! As they explain things to you, watch them carefully, and analyze what they say. When I do this, I can usually pick-up on whether or not someone is full of it; it'll come out in their explanations (poor logic) or their body language (lack of eye-contact, nervous "ticks", etc.).

Edit:

If applicable, know the tolerances of your vehicle. The last time I went in for an alignment, I looked up the tolerances for my pick-up with respect to the deviation of relative shaft position from the collinear axis of rotation. Sometimes things like this are in your manual, but they can also be found online in gearhead forums. When the mechanic told me that it "looked pretty bad," I asked him explain what "pretty bad" was. He spouted some jargon with a number, and I asked him why he claimed the misalignment to be "pretty bad," when, in fact, it was within the manufacturer's specifications. I ended up only paying for the "racking" fee and never took my vehicles there again.

This can't always be done, but I usually try to make sure that I have some knowledge about what's going on before taking my vehicle someplace I've never been before.

 

[Containment]

It's not really that important like if you don't notice something wrong you can probably put it off till you do. However in the future you will probably want to do a better job of keeping the air pressure in the tires correct as that's the main thing that will lead to your tires getting out of wack. The difference between hitting a bump with a slightly deflated tire and one that isn't is huge.

 

[JaredJames]

It's not really that important like if you don't notice something wrong you can probably put it off till you do. However in the future you will probably want to do a better job of keeping the air pressure in the tires correct as that's the main thing that will lead to your tires getting out of wack. The difference between hitting a bump with a slightly deflated tire and one that isn't is huge.

Under inflation can cause a number of problems. It reduces the performance of the tire for one and can prove to be rather dangerous. Not something you can shrug off.

Incorrect alignment may not immediately present a problem, but it will increase wear for a start.

 

[Containment]

Ya but most places will tell you that you need an alignment even if you really don't from my experience. However in the Op case he has noticed the problem him self I'd say take it in. Most people do not keep there tires in very good shape you really should be checking them at almost every fill up.

 

[zomgwtf]

Not only will the tires wear out more rapidly but they will wear out abnormally. This abnormal wearing is pretty dangerous... I'd say if you let it continue at least.

Just be on the safe side and get the alignment done, but as Astro said try to find a reputable/trustworthy shop to go to.

 

[turbo]

Under inflation can cause a number of problems. It reduces the performance of the tire for one and can prove to be rather dangerous. Not something you can shrug off.

Incorrect alignment may not immediately present a problem, but it will increase wear for a start.

Also the abnormal wear will tend to be asymmetrical, and that will take the tires out of their engineered optimum performance zone. Not good, especially in demanding conditions. Tires are a whole lot more important than most drivers realize.

The next-to-last operator of what used to be my favorite tire store was a stickler for safety. If you bought tires from him, he'd inspect them, check inflation pressures, rotate them, etc, all for free as needed. As you changed from winter to summer tires and back, he'd do that for just a minimal charge for mounting and balancing. He knew how to generate customer loyalty.

Once, before a very demanding back-road trek to the Maine north woods on roads that were notorious for being slatey, and slashing tires, I stopped into see if I could get an extra spare tire for my Pathfinder. Artie looked at my Pathfinder's tires, selected a suitable rim from his pile of cast-offs, and fitted it with a lightly-worn used tire that closely matched the characteristics of my mounted tires. I reached for my wallet, and he said "no charge" "have a great fishing trip". Part of the charm of living in small towns where everybody knows everybody else. Believe me, I sent a LOT of business his way.

He had a good eye for abnormal wear characteristics, too. It was a good idea to stop in once in a while and shoot the breeze and play fetch with his lab-Rhodie mix. He'd walk around the vehicle while we were talking and say something like "I see some cupping starting. You might have a toe-in problem." and he was always on the money.

Edit: Zom leap-frogged me. Asymmetrical wear can be a lot more dangerous than running on worn tires with less tread.

 

[dlgoff]

I think I paid about $40 for an alignment a couple of months ago after they replaced a ball joint.

 

[L2E]

If your car is veering heavily to one side, then you might need more than a simple alignment which could get more costly.

But car safety is one of the most important things when you are on the road, always keep your car in good running condition.

 

[Proton Soup]

Ack! With that low pressure, you were a candidate for a blowout. Try that stunt in the summertime when overheated side-walls fail more frequently, and you could be a highway fatality. Get a flat on the highway? You can compensate for the nasty handling characteristics. Get a a catastrophic side-wall failure at highway speeds? You'd better be lucky, because you could easily be dead.

heck, if he can compensate for a pull to the right, i see no reason he can't also compensate for low pressure

 

[JaredJames]

heck, if he can compensate for a pull to the right, i see no reason he can't also compensate for low pressure

Yeah, but look what he's using to compensate for it!

 

[Pythagorean]

just take an ultralight to work/school, probably easier to maintain than a car. And living on the edge is groovy, man.

 

[nismaratwork]

I think I paid about $40 for an alignment a couple of months ago after they replaced a ball joint.

Key here: Ball Joint.


Greg: If you have low pressure, and poor alignment, you're just spending more money on gas for one. On the more extreme scale, you could hit something and experience "catastrophic failure of the ball joint"...

... Your entire wheel literally flies off at speed.


So yeah, I'd say alignment is important. Every other relevant point about how/where has already been made.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

update: got my alignment fixed, right front toe was off. all is well now! got my tires to 32lbs pressure too :D

btw, wouldn't slightly lower tire pressure on snowy days be a good thing?

 

[turbo]

update: got my alignment fixed, right front toe was off. all is well now! got my tires to 32lbs pressure too :D

btw, wouldn't slightly lower tire pressure on snowy days be a good thing?

NO! Snow tires with aggressive treads would be a good thing. Your tires are made to perform with your vehicle based on profile, pressure, tread, etc. Don't start playing with them if you don't know what you're doing.


please...

 

[JaredJames]

btw, wouldn't slightly lower tire pressure on snowy days be a good thing?

Yes it would - same for driving on sand isn't it?

Actually, I know thinner tyres cut through it better so I suppose it wouldn't.

But then everywhere I've seen advises you to do it.

 

[DanP]

btw, wouldn't slightly lower tire pressure on snowy days be a good thing?

No, its a bad idea. You won't increase traction, it will make the car less stable and contribute to more damage to the tire structure. And you should check your tire pressure reasonably often in winter, especially if you live iun an area where it gets very cold.

 

[turbo]

Yes it would - same for driving on sand isn't it?

Not really. You should know that tires are designed for summer and winter uses (and in betweens) and that although it might seem a great idea to soften tires for the winter and increase the contact patch area, that kind of tinkering is going to change the ability of the snow-treads to pick up, flex, and release the snow and slush.

I don't play with that crap. My wife and I have Subarus, and we have full-time AWD, traction control, stability-control, etc. We could try to out-smart Subarus engineers, but so far that has not seemed like a very intelligent thing to do.

 

[dlgoff]

btw, wouldn't slightly lower tire pressure on snowy days be a good thing?

No.

You might get a smoother ride on a dry highway, but it'll cost you in GPMs.