Why Do I Need a Wheel Alignment?

I always get the grocery cart with the whacky front wheel.  It took only one broken jar of Sweet Baby Gerkins and the subsequent loudspeaker announcement to all market patrons, “CLEAN UP ON AISLE THREE!!!!, to help me understand and fully appreciate the importance of keeping my 2008 RAV properly aligned.

As with the Crazy Cart at the grocery store, wheel alignment is very important to your vehicle's performance. When alignment is outside of the factory recommended specifications, tires wear unevenly, suspension components wear prematurely, and fuel economy is compromised.  

 A wheel that is just 1/8 inch out of alignment can cause the tire to scrub the road surface. This is the equivalent of dragging the tire sideways 28 feet for every mile it’s driven. Ignoring this condition can reduce the useful life of your tire by at least half. Uneven tire wear is a direct result of a misaligned vehicle.

Failure to keep your vehicle properly aligned jeopardizes more than just tire life. Many suspension components such as tie rod ends, ball joints, and wheel bearings can also suffer premature wear due to  improper wheel alignment, resulting in costly repair bills.

A misaligned vehicle can also affect handling performance. When driving, if you notice your vehicle drifting or wandering to the left or right, or if your steering wheel is off center while driving, it is the result of misaligned wheels.

Misaligned wheels can also hurt your vehicle’s fuel economy. Wheels that are scrubbing the road surface cause resistance, creating a slightly greater work load on your engine, resulting in additional fuel consumption—just think about how much energy it takes  to keep the Crazy Cart on the straight and narrow!

Industry experts recommend that you have your alignment checked under the following circumstances: your tire or wheel hits a pot hole or road debris; you observe an uneven wear pattern developing on your tires; you notice a difference in your vehicle’s handling performance, or  if you notice a difference in your fuel economy.

Toyota’s factory recommended maintenance schedule calls an alignment check every 15,000 miles. At Downeast Toyota, our Service Department  is equipped with three (3)  state of the art alignment machines and certified technicians who have been factory trained by Toyota to work specifically on your car, truck, or SUV. 

To schedule an alignment check or any other recommended maintenance service on your vehicle, please call us at 1-800-TOYOTAS to schedule an appointment.  We also offer online scheduling at www.downeasttoyota.com.

Special thanks to Kevin Paine, Downeast Toyota-Scion Service technician, for his help with this article.