Have you ever noticed your steering wheel sitting a little crooked when you’re driving straight down the road? Or felt your car slowly drift toward one side when you loosen your grip? Those are two of the most common signs that your wheels are out of alignment.
Alignment is simply how your wheels are angled compared to each other and to the road. When everything is set correctly, all four tires roll straight ahead together. When the angles get knocked out of place, the tires start fighting each other a little bit with every mile.
It doesn’t take much to throw an alignment off. Hitting a pothole, bumping a curb in a parking lot or driving over a rough railroad crossing can all do it. Worn steering and suspension parts can slowly let the angles drift over time, too.
The biggest cost of a bad alignment is your tires. When the wheels aren’t pointed straight, the tires drag and scrub against the road, and they wear out unevenly. You might see one edge of a tire wearing down much faster than the rest. A set of tires that should last years can be worn out far too soon.
A misaligned car can also hurt your gas mileage, make the steering feel loose or heavy and make the car harder to control on wet fall roads.
It’s a good idea to have your alignment checked any time you get new tires, after any hard hit to a wheel, or if you notice the wheel off-center or the car pulling. An alignment check is quick, and if everything looks good, we’ll tell you so.
If your car has started to drift or your steering wheel looks a little off, bring it by and let us take a look. Call Home Town Auto Care at (615) 656-8461 or stop by 108 Confederate Dr in Franklin, Monday through Friday from 7 to 5.
