by Mario

Created on: February 23, 2007   Last Updated: January 20, 2012

If you are in need of an alignment, you'll know. But, here are some ways you can find out.

Firstly, the obvious. Drive on a level road, one without a road crown, and let go of the wheel briefly. Obviously, that doesn't mean let go and let your car crash. Grab the wheel if your car pulls you to the side. If it does, you might need an alignment.

The second way to tell is by inspecting the tyres. Look at your tyre. You might want to turn the wheels so you can have a better look. If there is uneven wear in the tread, if one side is lower than the other, you might have a camber misalignment. That means, if you look at the car from the front, the wheels will be like so: /*\ or \*/. (the / and \ represent the wheels). But, uneven tread wear can also be caused by improper inflation. Check to see if your tyres are inflated correctly. If they are not, this will cause wear either in the center, or on both sides, depending if it's over or under-inflated. Check the other tyre to see if you get the same result.

You can check for toe alignment also by feeling your tyre. Simply run your hand across the tread, and if you feel sharp edges on one side of the tread, then you could have a toe misalignment. That means, when looking at the car from top, the tyres would look like so: \*/. The tyres would be dragging, and that's what would cause the sharp edges.

However, you should take your car to the garage (shop) if you suspect misalignment. A misaligned car will wander on the road and wear the tyres faster. It will also waste more petrol (gas).

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