Most people know they need to preserve their car’s wheel alignment, but they don’t know what misalignment looks like or means. Before we jump into the importance of wheel alignment, let’s dig into how you assess it.

ABOUT WHEEL ALIGNMENT

There are a surprising number of factors that influence wheel alignment. Camber, caster, and toe are all important terms to know.

CAMBER

First off, camber indicates the up-and-down angle of the wheel. A positive camber means the top of the tire tilts away from the car, while a negative camber involves a tire top tilting toward the car. Wheels shouldn’t have extreme cambers.

CASTER

Meanwhile, caster is the steering axis angle that works in a forward-and-back direction. A positive caster, tilted backward, is ideal, while a negative, forward-tilted caster complicates steering.

TOE

Finally, toe alignment works like your feet do. Toe-in means wheels turn toward one another, while toe-out means they turn away. A healthy toe alignment is one where the tires point straight ahead when your steering wheel’s straight.

WHY ALIGNMENT IS IMPORTANT

Now, we’ll delve into the rationale behind paying attention to alignment.

GAS SPENDING

Practically, a poor alignment causes your car to work harder. A negative camber angle constantly pushes toward your car as you drive straight. This means you waste the torque your gasoline creates rather than devoting it all to moving forward. In turn, you burn gas quicker and return to the pump a bit sooner, losing money in the process.

TIRE WEAR

Not only that, but poor alignment leads to uneven tire wear. Poor toe and camber conditions cause the inside or outside of a tire to wear quicker than the other, or for one edge of each tread block to wear down faster than the other. You must then stomach the cost of replacing tires prematurely or risk a blowout or air leak.

DRIVING DANGER

Aside from these costs, the importance of wheel alignment lies in the driving experience. Simply put, wheel misalignment makes for a bumpy, unpredictable ride. You may have to pull your steering wheel to the left or right just to go straight, or it may vibrate constantly. In turn, your ability to react to sudden roadway changes takes a hit, placing everyone in the car in more danger.

If you need a wheel alignment or a whole new set of wheels in OKC, get in touch with our RNR Tire Express team.