Wheel Alignment Raleigh NC – Triangle Car Care offers a very important automotive service that helps drivers reduce the chances of an unwelcome flat tire. Maintaining proper wheel alignment extends the functional lifetime of tires by ensuring that treads will wear evenly.
The nonprofit Car Care Council reported in April 2013 that an astounding 77% of vehicles traveling on roads in the United States required some type of automotive service or new parts. One in ten cars required at least one replacement tire due to heavily worn treads.
Why Wheel Alignment Matters
As cars travel, the treads of their tires gradually sustain wear. Drivers need to replace tires on a vehicle less frequently when they keep all the tires in proper alignment. This step ensures that both the left and the right side of every individual tire carry the vehicle’s weight evenly along road surfaces.
If a tire’s alignment goes out of kilter, one edge will endure greater daily wear and tear than the other side. When this situation continues over the course of time, the tire develops worn treads along either the right or the left side. It will require replacement sooner than a properly aligned tire. The damaged portion of the tire becomes susceptible to puncturing more easily, too.
For these reasons, automotive experts recommend that drivers have their vehicle’s wheel alignment & balance checked annually. Additionally, having tires rotated at 6,000-mile intervals helps make sure that wear occurs more evenly between front and back tires. Triangle Car Care’s capable mechanics offer a complete wheel alignment and tire rotation services.
Promoting Safety While Saving Money
Savvy car owners appreciate the cost savings that arise from driving with correctly aligned wheels.. Just consider these advantages:
Help extend the operational lifespan of your tires;
Avoid developing frayed, worn treads on one side;
Maintain your tires in better condition;
Preserve the attractive appearance of all your wheels.
The few minutes required to obtain a wheel alignment checkup and tire rotation pays big dividends in terms of the long term cost savings. Triangle Car Care performs rapid, accurate wheel alignment checks.
Signs of Poor Alignment
Do poorly aligned tires sometimes display visible symptoms? Yes! Triangle Car Care performs wheel alignment checks for drivers all year long.
One possible cause of vehicles tending to veer to the right or the left might involve poorly aligned wheels. Or if you notice that one side of a tire appears to wear faster than the other, having the alignment checked again during the year makes sense. Possibly driving over a bump or pothole damaged the wheel alignment.
Wheel alignment is the position of the wheels relative to your car. When properly aligned, the wheels point in the right direction. Without proper alignment, the wheels resist your steering commands, as well as each other. Alignment also affects gas mileage and tire wear. If your tires are pointed in different directions, they fight against each other and can cause tread wear.
Computerized alignment equipment is used to measure all alignment angles in today’s cars. These include both adjustable and non-adjustable angles. (Non-adjustable angles require repair or replacement of the suspension component.)
The most common adjustable angles are:
Toe
This refers to the tilted direction of the wheels toward or away from one another when viewed from the top. Toe is the most critical tire wearing angle. Tires that “toe-in” point toward one another. Tires that “toe-out” point away from each other.
Camber
This refers to the tilt of the wheels toward or away from one another when viewed from the front. Wheels that tilt in toward the vehicle have a “negative camber.” Wheels that tilt away from the vehicle have a “positive camber.”
Caster
This refers to the angle of the steering axis in relation to an imaginary vertical line through the center of the wheel when viewed from the side. “Positive caster” is the term used when the vertical line is tilted back toward the rear. If it’s tilted forward, we call it “negative caster.” The proper caster angle stabilizes your car for better steering.
Thrust Angle
This refers to the relationship of all four wheels to each other, as well as their relationship to an imaginary center line that runs from bumper to bumper. The term “thrust line” refers to the direction in which the rear wheels are pointed. The thrust angle is correctable on cars with adjustable rear suspensions. If your car has a non-adjustable suspension, the thrust angle is compensated for by aligning the front wheels to the rear wheels.
Triangle Car Care offers professional wheel alignments in Raleigh NC
Does your vehicle need its annual wheel alignment checkup? Triangle Car Care performs wheel alignments and tire rotations on most models and makes of vehicles in the greater Raleigh Triangle area.
