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Keep your car on the straight &

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Why care about your car’s wheel alignment?

Well, if you’ve ever driven in a car that is extremely out of alignment, it may seem obvious. Having to turn the steering wheel just to keep the vehicle pointed straight is a nuisance at best and a flat-out hazard at worst. But even subtle misalignment issues will cost you over the long-run in the form of fuel inefficiency and accelerated wear and tear on your tyres.

Here’s all you need to know to protect your car’s alignment, recognize when something’s off, and communicate with your fitment centre when it’s time to take your car to the professionals.

What Causes a Car to Need Alignment Services?Knocking your car out of alignment can happen as suddenly as bouncing over a pothole you didn’t see or sliding into a curb during rainy weather. But it can happen gradually too as your car’s suspension parts experience unavoidable wear during the course of your day-to-day commutes.

Is it Bad to Drive a Car that is Out of Alignment?Short answer: yes, especially if you thinking wasting money is bad. Long answer: Replacing a full set of tyres is one of those expensive but necessary costs that just comes with owning a car. The typical driver tries to stretch the lifespan of those tyres to the limit and driving on misaligned wheels can shorten a tyre’s life by thousands of kilometers. Ouch. But in addition to accelerated tyre wear, you’ll also be paying more in fuel since your kilometers per litre (KM/L) will take a big hit in a car that’s expending so much energy just to drive straight.

What Are the Car Alignment Symptoms You Should Look Out For?Before you take your car into the fitment centre, run a quick check down this list at home to have a detailed report to give to the Technician.

1. Check tyre tread.If all four of your tyres have been on your car for the same amount of time, the front two tyres should have the same wear patterns as each other and the same for the back. If they don’t, this will be a likely sign that the wheels are out of alignment.

2. Are your tyres properly inflated?The correct tyre pressure for your vehicle will be specified on a label located inside the drivers door jamb. When in doubt, check with your Technician, but under-inflated tyres may lead you astray when you’re checking your alignment. Driving on underinflated tyres can create patterns of uneven wear as well as cause the vehicle to pull in one direction.

3. Does the car pull slightly or sharply in one direction while driving?Now that you’ve verified that your tyres are properly inflated, take your car to a

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flat, empty lot and try to drive straight while lifting your hands just slightly off the steering wheel. If the car is misaligned, it will pull sharply to one side or simply drift toward one direction. Both instances are clear signs of misalignment.

4. Does the steering wheel vibrate while driving?Imbalanced tyres are the most likely case for this, in extreme misalignment conditions symptoms can be similar. One of these signs is steering wheel vibration. In the case of extreme misalignment, the vibration is caused by the tyres pulling in opposite directions of each other and may be present at any speed. Imbalanced tyres, however, will create shakiness or vibrations at around 60 to 80 kilometers per hour and intensify with the increase of speed.

5. Is the steering wheel “crooked” while driving?If you’ve been driving with a subtle misalignment for a while, it may have been easy to overlook this particular sign. If you’re driving straight but your steering wheel is off-center, that means that you’ve been subconsciously correcting for the misalignment without recognizing that you have a problem.

How Often Should a Car Have an Alignment?Assuming you haven’t hit a curb recently, or encountered an especially grisly pothole (in which case, you should probably get your car’s suspension and alignment checked out to be safe), we suggest that you have your car’s wheel alignment checked every 10,000 kilometers or every 6 months, whichever occurs first.

As an important part of your ongoing, standard automobile maintenance, this schedule will allow you to curb the negative effects of misalignment without waiting for the signs to creep up on you. When you’ve arrived at the point that your car is noticeably experiencing the symptoms of misalignment, damage has already been done that you might have avoided.

How Much Should You Expect to Pay for Regular Wheel Alignment?While there certainly may be some automobile maintenance that a well-equipped do-it-yourselfer can tackle in their own garage, wheel alignment is not one of those things. Performing wheel alignment maintenance requires costly precision tools and advanced digital equipment. So while you’re looking for tyre alignment services near you, understand that the costs that you should expect to pay will depend on these factors:

• The fitment centre• The equipment used• Warranties• What other maintenance services are included (such as electrical services, wheel

balancing, oil change, and other preventative maintenance.)• Four wheel alignment check versus complete four wheel alignment

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Inspection of suspension componentsCheck and adjust tyre pressures if necessaryMeasurement of camberCaster and toe angles on all four wheelsAdjust all alignment angles to the extent factory adjustments permitIn some instances aftermarket components will be recommended to enable complete adjustment of all alignment angles if necessary.

Overall, it’s important to consider that the long-term savings created by increased fuel economy and the extended life of your expensive tyres will offer a significant counterbalance to the cost of regular wheel alignment maintenance. Depending on your tyres, the cost of replacing them when they’ve been worn out will be much higher than the costs of regular wheel alignment.

What’s the Difference between Wheel Alignment and Wheel Balancing?While your automotive technician may also inspect the balance of your wheels during a wheel alignment service, the two services are very different though they’re often confused for each other. Here’s what you need to know about how they differ and intersect.

Wheel AlignmentSimply stated, wheel alignment involves adjusting the wheels’ angles to make sure they are perpendicular to the ground at right angles and parallel to each other.

Wheel BalancingWheel balancing ensures that all four tyres spin without causing vibrations. This is done by using lead balancing weights to compensate for irregularities of weight between tyres. Vibrations can be caused by as much as a gram of imbalance.

The SignsBoth the balance and alignment of the tyres affect the handling of your car and the quality of the ride, but here is how the signs differ when there’s a problem with one or the other.

Signs of Misalignment

• Uneven or rapid wear on tyres• Sharp or slight pulling and drifting from a straight line• Crooked steering wheel on a straight and level road• Signs of Imbalance

Vibrations in steering wheel, seat, or floorboards while driving at highway speedsScalloped or cupped tyre-wear patternsIt is recommended that your car’s wheels are balanced every other tyre rotation. Approximately every 5,000 to 10,000 kilometers.

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Simple Wheel Alignment GlossaryAs mentioned, wheel alignment involves the work of making sure all four wheels are perpendicular to the ground and parallel with each other, but there’s a lot of precision adjustments that go into correcting alignment angles. When trying to understand what goes into the typical wheel alignment procedure, it’s important to have a working knowledge of the terms your Technician will be using to describe what they are doing. Here is a short glossary of terms for your reference.

CamberCamber is measured in degrees and describes the angle of the wheel as viewed head on from the front of the car. It is described as positive or negative depending on the direction the tyre is leaning. If the tyre is leaning out from the center of the vehicle, the camber is positive, but the camber is negative if the tyre is leaning in.

Positive camber: tyre is leaning away from center of the car.Negative camber: tyre is leaning into center of the car.The tyre-wear pattern for a tyre which has a camber that is too far negative will show as excess wear on the inside of the tread. A camber that is too far positive and the tyre will show more wear on the outside of the tread.

Note: Camber is generally not adjustable on most front-wheel-drive vehicles so if camber is misaligned on these vehicles, it’s a sign that a part may have been damaged in even a minor accident and may need to be repaired or replaced. In some cases aftermarket component installation may be recommended to make camber angles adjustable.

CasterCaster describes the angle of the front wheels’ steering pivot as viewed from the side of the car. Caster, like camber, is also measured in degrees and is described as positive or negative.

Positive caster: top of steering pivot leans toward rear of the carNegative caster: top of steering pivot leans toward front of the car

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When camber is misaligned, the result is the tyre-wear pattern as described above, but caster actually does not affect tyre wear. The sign of misaligned caster is in straight line tracking with the following possible scenarios:

Caster differs between both front wheels: the car will drift or pull to the side with the less positive caster.Caster is equal between both front wheels and too negative: light steering and a wandering car that is hard to keep straight.Caster is equal between both front wheels and too positive: heavy steering and impaired quality and smoothness of the ride.Note: Like camber, caster is generally not adjustable on most front-wheel-drive vehicles so if caster is misaligned on these vehicles, it’s a sign that a part may have been damaged in even a minor accident and may need to be repaired or replaced. some cases aftermarket component installation may be recommended to make caster angles adjustable.

ToeFor both the front and rear wheels, toe describes the difference in distance between the front of the tyres and the back of the tyres. Instead of being measured in degrees, toe is measured in fractions of an inch and described as in or out.

Toe-in: the front of the tyres are closer to each other than the back of the tyresToe-out: the back of the tyres are closer to each other than the front of the tyres

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Like camber misalignment, issues with the toe results in tyre wear that is described as a saw-tooth pattern.

What is the Typical Wheel Alignment Procedure?The type of alignment and the length of the service your car will need will depend on its suspension and the nature of the damage or misalignment. The process involves bringing the vehicle’s suspension back into its proper configuration by securing the vehicle to an alignment machine, which then adjusts the applicable alignment angles (camber, caster, toe, etc.).

If your car isn’t four-wheel or all-wheel drive, on average, your alignment service should be expected to take at least an hour.

Quick Facts:Misaligned wheels can take thousands of kilometers off your tyre’s lifespan.Signs of misalignment:• Car pulls to the left or right• Uneven or accelerated tyre wear• Must constantly make adjustments to steering wheel to drive straight• Tyres squeal• Under-inflated tyres mimic signs of misalignment. Don’t be fooled!• You should get an alignment every 5,000 to 10,000 kilometers or every other tyre

rotation.• An alignment service should take about an hour.

Symptoms & Solutions

How do driving conditions affect my vehicle’s wheel alignment?Your steering wheel might signal it’s time for a wheel alignment. Bad roads can be your wheels’ worst enemy. If you drive down poorly maintained roads, drive through pot holes, or even hit a curb, your alignment can be greatly affected.

This can cause even the slightest, tiniest alignment issue, which can accelerate uneven tyre wear. How will a wheel alignment help my vehicle?Repeat after us: A wheel alignment ensures optimal drivability. It will help your tyres last longer, your vehicle drive smoother, ultimately keeping your wheels pointed in the right direction. And, when it drives more smoothly, it’s smooth sailing—or should we say cruising—ahead. Plus, your car will require less energy to keep going, potentially saving a ton of fuel depending on how much alignment was required.

When your car rolled off the manufacturer assembly line, it came preset with special angles that position your tyres correctly. And for good reason. In order for your vehicle to travel the way it’s supposed to, it will need precise alignment. Mis-

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alignment can lead to uneven tyre wear, poor handling and shorter tyre life. Tyres are expensive. Keeping them aligned isn’t.

Are there any warning lights that indicate an alignment problem?Nope. Sorry. Regular checkups are a good defense though.

What does tyre wear mean to my car’s alignment?The name of the poor alignment game is uneven tyre wear. Ideally, tyres should wear evenly across the tread. If you’re noticing excessive wear on the rear inside tyres, you may have too much junk in the trunk or need an alignment adjustment. Uneven tyre wear can also result in less KM/h and more pain at the fuel pump.

Quick Fact: Poor alignment can shorten a tyre’s life by thousands of kilometers and compromise very crucial steering and suspension parts. That’s a big hit to the wallet. If you don’t want to replace tyres as often and enjoy the benefits of better fuel economy, have your alignment checked, at the very least, with every other oil change or at the first sign of uneven or premature tyre wear.

How can I tell if my car’s alignment is off?There are some noticeable signs that could indicate a misalignment. Just use your eyes, ears and hands. Your senses (and even the good old personal hunch) are good

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human capital for spotting poor alignment. Here are some common signs that you are dealing with wheels with poor alignment:

• Vehicle pulling to the left or right• Uneven or rapid tyre wear• Your steering wheel is crooked when driving straight• Squealing tyresNoticing any of these alignment issues? Let’s get your ride pointing in the right direction again. Schedule an Alignment Check.

Quick Tip: If you are unsure about your current alignment, have your nearest fitment centre check it out. Tyre misalignment can be so subtle, you may not even realize it. What are some misalignment issues I can remedy myself?Looks like we’ve got an avid problem solver in the house. Well, let’s put your skills to work and do some solving. Even if everything feels right, and no symptoms are present, there are some more alignment issues that you can remedy yourself.

Try these out:

• Remove junk from your trunk. Alignment is based on tyre angles, which go hand-in-hand with vehicle chassis height. If you have too much weight loading down your back end, that lowers your vehicle height, throwing off your alignment. Remove what you don’t need, and make sure to have your alignment check since your alignment can’t adjust itself.

• Maintain correct air pressure in your tyres.• Embrace conservative driving. It will place less strain on steering and

suspension components which are key to maintaining proper alignment.

www.integratedmarketing.co.za | 012 664 3445 | sales@integratedmarketing.co.za

Alignment equipment available

A730P3D alignment machineMovable camera beam

HD cameras

X663D alignment machine (pit/lift)

Fixed camera beam5mp cameras

SG45 Ton wheel alignment lift

With slip plates & 2.5T aux jackPlatform lenght → 5192 mmColumn height → 2204 mm