Have you noticed any difficulties when steering?

A vibration or pulling to one side?

It may mean that your wheel alignment is in need of attention.

What Is Wheel Alignment?

Wheel alignment (also known as tracking), is the process of checking the direction and angle of the wheels and ensuring that they are set to the optimum position, as per the car manufacturer’s specifications and should be checked regularly on an annual basis. It is important that the wheels on your car are correctly positioned as incorrect alignment can result in not only rapid irregular tyre wear but can even affect the handling and safety of your vehicle, the braking distance, driving quality and even the fuel economy are all affected when your wheels are misaligned. Hitting a kerb, driving over a pothole or even a speed bump too quickly can often cause misalignment of your wheels.

Checking your wheel alignment on your car or van regularly can prolong the life of your tyres by up to 12,000 miles, increase fuel efficiency and fix steering issues.

Some of the typical signs of incorrect wheel alignment are:

• Uneven or feathered tyre wear
• Steering wheel vibration
• Drag or pulling
• Audible distress while turning corners

Incorrect wheel alignment can also apply undue pressure to tyres which can cause them to lean into one another. When that happens your vehicle faces resistance on the road surface making the car work much harder to drive along in a straight line, therefore, burning up more fuel than normal which is bad for your wallet and the environment.

Laser Wheel Alignment Wakefield

If you notice any issues with the handling or performance of your car, bring it to Horbury Tyres and Auto Centre for our state of the art laser wheel alignment check.

If the wheels need to be realigned, our technicians can carry out a wheel alignment service across all makes and models of car. They are trained to use the latest laser wheel alignment equipment and will ensure that the wheels of your vehicle are correctly reset to the optimum position as per the manufacturer’s specification.

Wheel Alignment Terminology

The misalignment positions are often described as toe in, toe out, positive camber or negative camber.

Toe In and Toe Out or toe alignment
“Toe” refers to whether the front of the tyres are closer or further apart than the rear of the tyres. Different types of vehicles need different toe settings to allow for the way that wheels pull either towards each other or apart. Incorrect toe alignment can result in in your car or van steering to one side. Toe alignment can be carried out on the front wheels alone or the front and rear wheels.

Negative Camber and Positive Camber
“Camber” is the inward or outward tilt of a tyre. The camber is set by the vehicle manufacturer, and can be affected by potholes in the road and may need to be adjusted periodically. When camber is misaligned, it will cause the tyre to wear excessively across the edges and can cause your vehicle to ‘pull’ to one side.
Camber misalignment may not be adjustable on all cars, therefore on certain vehicles, this may indicate that something is worn and should be inspected more closely.

Caster Alignment
Caster alignment is the angle of the steering pivot when viewed from the side of the vehicle. Caster alignment has very little effect on tyre wear, but it does affect the steering stability

• If the caster is out of adjustment, it can cause problems in straight line tracking
• If the caster is equal but too negative, the steering will be light and the vehicle will wander
• If the caster is equal but too positive, the steering will be heavy and the steering wheel may kick when going over a bump

How Much Does It Cost For A Wheel Alignment

• Standard front wheel adjustment (depending on the location of steering rack) = £35