One of the most important maintenance tasks that you can perform on your vehicle is a wheel alignment, mostly because a wheel alignment will improve quite a few different aspects of your vehicle. A wheel alignment can make your vehicle more comfortable to drive, improve fuel economy, and increase the lifespan of your tires.
More Comfortable To Drive
Normal everyday driving is going to be the primary cause of your wheels needing to be realigned, even if you are driving down roads that are in relatively good repair. However, if you regularly drive down rough roads or go off-road regularly, your wheels will need to be realigned more frequently. Once your wheels become unaligned, you will begin to experience a much rougher ride whenever you drive.
Another side effect to have wheels that are not aligned properly is that your car is likely to make more noise when driving, usually in the form of rattling within the car's cabin. In addition, the unaligned wheels will begin to cause your steering wheel to vibrate and cause your vehicle to begin pulling left or right. Not only does this make it so that you are unable to relax while driving, but it can also be quite dangerous.
Improve Fuel Economy
When your wheels become unaligned, you will also notice that your fuel economy begins dropping. The reason for this is that the unaligned wheels are increasing your vehicle's rolling resistance. Rolling resistance refers to how much energy your engine must use to keep your vehicle moving in a straight line.
Once the wheels on your car are aligned, rolling resistance will drop due to the fact that your wheels are now set up parallel to one another. Since your rolling resistance has dropped, your engine will not need to work as hard to keep your vehicle rolling, which will lower your fuel consumption.
Increase The Lifespan Of Your Tires
Finally, your tires are actually supposed to wear evenly along the entire surface of the tire. However, a tire that is on an unaligned wheel will often begin wearing on one spot or edge of the tire. This can cause that one spot to degrade much faster than the rest of the tire, which will require you to replace the tire much sooner than you would have had to if your wheels had been properly aligned.
Speak to an auto service shop like Doc Able's Auto Clinic Inc or mechanic today in order to determine if your wheels are in need of alignment. Wheel alignment can increase the life of your tires, improve fuel economy, and make your car more comfortable to drive.
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