Importance of Wheel Alignment and Tire Maintenance

You’re probably well aware of the fact that you’re going to have to replace the tires on your car about once every five years. But did you know that you’ll also have to make it a point to perform wheel alignments and other tire maintenance regularly? If you don’t do these things, you might have to replace your car’s tires sooner than anticipated. Continue reading to learn more about the importance of wheel alignment and other tire maintenance services. Click the link below to call our service center in Dayton, OH!

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What Is a Wheel Alignment?

A wheel alignment is a service you’ll need to do to your car, truck, or SUV every so often to ensure that the tires on your vehicle are always correctly aligned. When you have tires installed on your car, they’ll be in the proper alignment. But as time goes on, your tires can fall out of alignment, leading to issues with everything from your steering to your braking.

During a wheel alignment, a technician will take a look at the alignment of your vehicle’s tires and use a series of special tools and equipment to line your tires back up again. In most cases, they’ll only need to make minor adjustments to your wheels to get them aligned again. However, if you ever hit a curb with your car or drive it over a pothole, it could knock your tires out of alignment in a significant way and force a technician to take drastic measures during the wheel alignment process.

Why Is It Important To Do Wheel Alignments?

If you fail to do regular wheel alignments on your vehicle, it’s only going to be a matter of time before you’re forced to deal with several different complications. First and foremost, you will find that your car’s tires will wear down on you quicker than usual when your wheels are out of alignment. If you’re in this situation, you won’t have any choice but to replace your tires ahead of schedule if you ever drive around on tires that aren’t aligned for an extended period.

You might also find that driving around with misaligned tires will cause your car to pull to the left or right. This could put you at an increased risk of getting into an accident. Additionally, several other parts in your car might begin to wear down faster and even break down on you. This is why you should always make wheel alignment a top priority. You could very well experience issues with shock absorbers, springs, and even some of your vehicle’s steering system components when you don’t perform wheel alignments as often as you should.

How Often Should You Have Wheel Alignments Done?

Several surefire signs will tell you when to schedule a wheel alignment ASAP. For example, if you need to turn your steering wheel to the left or right slightly to get your car to drive straight, that is a sign that a wheel alignment needs to be in your future, sooner rather than later. You’ll also want to arrange to have a wheel alignment done if your car’s tires seem to be wearing down on you quicker than they should.

However, it’s important to remember that even if you don’t spot any signs suggesting you need to do a wheel alignment, you should still take it upon yourself to schedule one at least once every two to three years. You might also want to consider doing wheel alignments more often than that for the peace of mind they’ll provide you when you’re behind the wheel of your vehicle.

What Other Tire Maintenance Steps Should You Take?

Performing routine wheel alignments should help to keep the tires on your car, truck, or SUV in great shape for the most part. In addition, there are also some other tire maintenance steps that you’ll want to take to guarantee you’re able to get the most life possible out of your tires. Here are several things you should do to keep your tires in tip-top shape:

• Check your tire pressure every week or two, and add air to your tires as necessary.
• Rotate the tires on your car about once every 5,000 miles so that they wear down evenly.
• Perform the quarter test to see to it that your tires have enough tread on them.
• Try not to run into curbs with your tires or drive over potholes with them.

The harder you work to maintain your car’s tires, the safer they will be, and the less often you’ll have to replace them. It’s pleasantly surprising to see how helpful a little bit of tire maintenance can be when keeping your vehicle’s tires around for the long haul.

How Much Does Tire Maintenance Cost?

You will need to pay the price to keep your car’s tires in excellent condition, but you won’t have to break the bank. Something such as a wheel alignment will typically cost between $100 and $400 on average. Some of the things that the cost usually depends on are your vehicle type, the tires on your vehicle, and the dealership you use. A tire rotation, meanwhile, should cost just a fraction of that.

You should never forget that this will be a small price to pay in the grand scheme of things. It’s better to spend money on a wheel alignment or a tire rotation than be in a position where you might have to pay to repair your car because your tires caused an accident. It’s also better to spend money on these tire services than to constantly pay to replace your vehicle’s tires sooner than you should.

Reach Out To Us To Schedule a Wheel Alignment for Your Vehicle

Would you like a wheel alignment performed on your car, or is it time to rotate the tires on your truck or SUV? Either way, you can rely on our dealership to provide the necessary wheel alignment and tire maintenance services.

Contact us now to schedule tire services for your vehicle.

Image Credits: Jeep Wrangler Unlimited by Brett Levin is licensed with CC BY 2.0