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Most people are content if their car starts up when they turn the key in the morning. And why not? We’re so busy these days, we often live by the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” maxim. However, there are some costly exceptions to this crisis-only maintenance rule. Making sure your car has a good wheel alignment is one of them. Wheel alignment refers to how each wheel and tire is positioned in relationship to the other three wheels and the car’s body. Car makers have refined the angles at which each wheel is positioned to provide the least rolling resistance, easiest handling, best steering control and tire wear. If an accident, suspension wear, or bouncing into a curb or pothole changes any of these angles, the wheels and tires are no longer parallel with each other and the car’s body, causing the tires to drag slightly instead of roll along the road easily. Rubber is literally ground off the tires, resulting in premature tire wear. Tires will run at a higher temperature on cars with misaligned wheels, making them more vulnerable to failure. Also, when the wheel alignment angles of toe-in, camber and caster are incorrect, more power is needed to move the car down the road against the rolling resistance created, burning more gas than necessary to run the car. A driver may notice a car with misaligned wheels steering itself either to the right or left as the car travels down the road. Another sign is the position of the steering wheel as you drive. When going straight, the wheel should be centered. If you have to keep the wheel off center to go straight, chances are the wheels are misaligned. The first thing to do when you suspect a bad alignment is to check the air pressure in all the tires. Low air pressure can cause a car to pull one side. Often there are no symptoms of misalignment Take a close look at the tire wear pattern to see that they are wearing evenly. Ask your service dealer to show you the difference between a “good” wearing tire and one that’s wearing badly because of misalignment. Catching the wear pattern early could save you the price of a tire.
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