5 SURE SYMPTOMS OF A BAD WHEEL ALIGNMENT -

In this article, we’ll be showing some of the most common symptoms of a bad wheel alignment.

Wheel alignment means, in short, how your wheels „sit“ on the road and thus how your car handles it.

So, a bad wheel alignment directly affects the stability of your car on the road and safety to some extent.

It is not that much of a threat like a bad ball joint or bad tie rod for instance but can cause discomfort during driving because the car doesn’t hold on the road as it should.

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SYMPTOMS OF BAD WHEEL ALIGNMENT

1. THE CAR PULLS TO ONE SIDE WHILE DRIVING

The first symptom of bad wheel alignment that you’ll easily notice is that the car pulls to one side while you’re driving in a straight line.

You’ll constantly have to make corrections with the steering wheel while driving to keep the car straight.

2. THE STEERING FEELS WEIRD

You will also notice that the steering feels weird.

Instead of the calm and sharp feel while driving, the steering will feel jittery and the response will feel as if something is wrong with the suspension.

Also, it may feel a bit wobbly while turning.

It feels much like a bad tie rod or ball joint for instance.

3. THE STEERING WHEEL IS CONSTANTLY MISALIGNED

Talking about the steering, another common symptom of bad alignment is that the steering wheel is constantly misaligned.

In other words, it isn’t completely centered when you’re driving in a straight line.

Instead, it’s always turned a couple of degrees either to the left or right.

4. SQUEALING TIRES

One more thing you’ll probably notice is that the tires squeal. It’s usually not a loud squealing, most times it’s barely noticeable.

It appears in most cases when turning but also when accelerating.

5. UNEVEN TIRE WEAR

The final and perhaps definitive symptom of a bad wheel alignment is uneven tire wear.

If you notice the previously mentioned symptoms of a bad wheel alignment, take a look at the front tire treads.

If the tread is worn out on one side of the tire and it’s in good condition on the other you may have a bad wheel alignment.

Check both tires, if the other one is OK then you’ll have a good heads up on which side you should check.

It would also be good to check the suspension system also. The tire wear may be caused by other problems on the suspension.

CONCLUSION

Some of these symptoms of a bad awheel alignment are very similar to various suspension problems like the mentioned bad tie rod, ball joint, stabilizer link, or else.

Also, an alignment problem can appear if some repairs on the suspension have been recently done. Know that it’s common practice to do a wheel alignment after these kinds of repairs.

In the end, if you notice a bad alignment problem, don’t be lazy and make an inspection of your car’s suspension just in case.

If there’s a problem, fix it first and then do an alignment.

Mainly because if you make an alignment on a bad suspension, you’re just throwing money away.