A proper wheel alignment in your vehicle keeps your tired and steering in top shape. You may notice a misaligned wheel if your tires are showing signs of tear or if your car balance is slightly uneven. Another sign is if your car is pulling to one side while you are driving.
If you experience any of these symptoms, the first thing you need to do is to bring your car to your mechanic first thing in the morning. Most likely, your wheels need proper alignment.
However, if you prefer doing it by yourself, here are some steps you can follow to check and fix your front to end alignment issues:
- Check your tire pressure – Your tires should be evenly inflated and distributed. A low-pressure tire can lead to several performance problems.
- Read your manual – Your car’s manual includes details and information on your vehicle’s alignment setting including the toe, camber, and caster.
- Inspect the front end suspicion – Another source of problem can be attributed to a loose suspension or worn out parts. The quickest way to check is to jack up your vehicle, hold each wheel and move it upwards, downwards, and sideways. If the wheel wobbles then it may be misaligned. Make sure you replace all worn out parts.
- Determine and measure the right toe – This will depend on the type of vehicle you have. Usually, a zero toe is recommended which should have an equal distance between the front and back. Check your car manual for more information.
- Identify the right camber – Wheels that are measured close together at the top are considered as a negative camber while the bottom refers to a positive camber. A slightly negative camber improves the vehicle’s stability.
- Measure your camber – The front wheels have the same range. If your camber needs adjustment, it is better to ask a professional to do it since they have the proper tools for it.
- Fix your toe – Look for the ends of your tie rods. The tie rods connects the steering system and the wheels. Use a wrench to loosen the lock nuts at the ends.
- Adjust your toe – Depending on the type of steering your car has, either it has a parallelogram linkage or a rack and pinion steering. The adjustments you make should be distributed across two wheels.
- Do a test drive – Observe any signs of misalignment while driving your car.