
The Signs of Poor Wheel Alignment
• The vehicle pulls to one side of the road
• Tyres wear evenly, but quickly
• Tyres wear on the edges – either inner or outer edges, not both
• Tyre develops a feathered or saw-tooth pattern where one edge of each
tread element is worn smooth while the outer edge is sharp and ragged
• Lack of steering feel and responsiveness
• Excessively heavy steering
• Poor handling such as excessive oversteer or understeer
• A change in the position of the steering wheel when driving in a
straight line
• Wear and tear of suspension components
• Impact causing immediate change in alignment
• Change in suspension height caused by:
1. Sagged springs
2. Load
3. Number of passengers – car should be aligned to suit the load of the number of passengers usually carried
• Car body flex
• Driving conditions:
1. Cars should be aligned for the most common driving condition, e.g. bitumen, gravel or dirt etc.
2. Alignment should consider city driving (constant turning and braking) or country (long straights, some gravel or dirt driving).