by Allen Teal

Created on: March 17, 2009

Wear is the main reason that most cars need a front end alignment. If your car has 100 thousand miles on it without a front end alignment, you probably need one. Ball joints, idler arms, and tie rods all wear with use. Eventually this wear leads to one or both of your front axles being out of alignment for the best tracking of your vehicle down the road. There are some signs to look for that give you hints that your car needs a front end alignment and perhaps some parts replaced.

Your front tires will not wear evenly.

When cars are driven in normal conditions, tires should wear evenly all of the way across the tread. Two things will cause tires to wear unevenly. The first is improper inflation. Tires that are run too low on pressure will wear out on the edges. This is usually both outer edges at the same time. Tires with too much pressure will be worn in the center of the tread. If the tire is being run out of alignment, it will wear out more on one side than the other. If you notice that about 1/3 to 1/2 of your tire either on the inside or outside but not both is wearing off rapidly, you almost always need an alignment. Most shops will require that you replace the tire before the alignment is completed.

Your car will pull to one side when traveling down the road.

There are 3 causes of a car pulling to the right or the left. The first is the road surface is sloped or uneven. You can test this by trying to let the car track on several different roads. If it always pulls to the same side at about the same rate, it is not the road. The second cause of pulling is that one of your front tires has a significantly lower pressure than the other one. Usually you can see that the tire is under inflated by a simple visual inspection. If the road is fine and the pressure in both tires is correct, you need to have your car's alignment checked by a trusted mechanic.

The front end shakes when traveling down the road on a relatively smooth surface.

If your front end shakes enough to notice it, you have front end issues and the alignment will need to be adjusted when the repairs are made. If you hit a bump and your car starts to shake for an extended period of time, it is time to get to the mechanic. You do not want to put this off. Something may coming loose under the front of your car. This could result in a nasty accident if your do not get it checked and fixed.

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