Signs Your Car Needs a Wheel Alignment

Wheel alignment is one of those services that's easy to put off because the signs are often subtle at first. The car still drives. You can still steer. But somewhere in the background your tyres are being worn down unevenly, your fuel economy is creeping up, and your steering precision is not quite what it was.

 

KEY TAKEAWAY: Poor alignment costs you in tyre wear, fuel, and handling. Catching it early is almost always cheaper than replacing prematurely worn tyres.

The Car Pulls to One Side

The most well known sign. Ease your hands off the steering wheel on a level, straight road and see if the car consistently drifts to one side. A very gentle drift can be road camber. But a definite pull, or one that worsens at higher speeds, is an alignment issue until proven otherwise.

The Steering Wheel Isn't Centred When Driving Straight

If the steering wheel is rotated left or right from dead centre to achieve straight-ahead travel, the alignment is out. It seems minor but it means the wheels are pointing in a subtly different direction from where the steering input says they are.

Uneven Tyre Wear

Tyre wear should be even across the width of the tyre. When it isn't, something's off.

• Feathering: wear that's smooth on one edge and sharp on the other. That's typically a toe alignment issue.
• Camber wear: shows the tyre wearing more heavily on one side than the other.
  
  A simple 30 second tyre wear check tells you a lot.
  
  

Vibration Through the Steering Wheel

Alignment related vibration tends to be present at speed. Worth noting it can also come from wheel balance issues or worn suspension components. We recommend all should be checked together.

After Hitting a Pothole or Kerb

A single sharp impact can knock geometry out by a large margin. The car may still feel fine but the tyre wear damage is already beginning. 

We recommend a check every 15,000-20,000km, particularly given the road conditions around South East Melbourne. 

 

We offer alignment checks as part of our routine tyre service and will advise on whether adjustment is needed before taking further action. 

 

Come visit us today or call us on  (03) 9560 0442