I’ve previously written about the importance of checking your tyres and how to do it. I briefly mentioned wheel alignment, also known as tracking. However, I didn’t go into much depth about it. So, how do you know when you need to check your tyre alignment to see if it’s right? 

Signs

The signs it’s time to get your alignment checked include:

• Steering wheel vibration
• Steering dragging or pulling to one side
• Uneven or unusual wear to your tyres
• Your steering wheel not being central when driving in a straight line
• Squealing noises at low speeds

Causes

So, what causes your tracking to be off?

You might have already guessed; those irritating potholes! Other than hitting potholes, it can also be caused by hitting kerbs or having a collision. Your car shock absorbers bear the brunt of it, but the hundreds of potholes on our roads still cause a lot of damage! If you’re aware of any of these occurring, then it would be a good time to check your wheel alignment.

Other than this, it’s a good idea to check if you have new tyres fitted or replace any suspension or steering parts. Alternatively, check it either once a year or every 12,000-15,000 miles, depending which comes first.

Problems

Making sure that your tracking is right is an important part of car maintenance. If your tyres aren’t aligned properly, it can affect how well they’re gripping the road  and how your vehicle handles. It can increase the amount of fuel you’re using, so it’s not worth putting off as the money you’d save in tyres you’d likely burn off in petrol or diesel!

It can also cause your tyres to wear unevenly, in a variety of ways depending on where the misalignment problem lies.

What to do

You’ll need to take your car to a garage where they can sort out the tracking for you. There they can check for even the tiniest misalignment and rectify the problem. Once this is done, you will likely notice a much smoother ride!

Of course, you may need to replace your tyres too if they have worn badly due to the tracking being off.

Find tyres online in Essex from Jet Wheel Tyre.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Jet Wheel Tyre for which I have received compensation. As always, all views and opinions are honest and my own.