6 Signs Your Car Needs An Alignment

As a driver, it’s essential to know when and why your car needs an alignment. A wheel or tire alignment is when a mechanic adjusts your tires after they’ve naturally shifted from driving around on imperfect roads. If you drive with misaligned tires for too long, it can affect how the car operates and may cause stress on major vehicle elements, such as tire wear and gas mileage. Click the link below to call our service center in Cincinnati, OH!

Call Us

In Cincinnati, roads with large, unavoidable potholes during or after winter can cause your car to shift alignment. Additionally, if you were to get into a car accident, this would ultimately move the wheels, causing misalignment. Getting your car checked, even if you’re unsure if the car’s alignment is off, is good practice to keep you and your loved ones safe on the road.

Tips for When Your Car Needs an Alignment

Several signs may tell you that your car needs an alignment, so our team at Performance Kings Honda put together a list to help you determine if it’s time to schedule an alignment. When you go in for your alignment, your car may endure three types of alignments, which are thrust, two-wheel, and four-wheel.

Thrust alignment may happen with a two-wheel alignment, and it’s when the mechanic makes sure your front and back wheels align with each other. A two-wheel or front-end alignment is when the mechanic only adjusts the vehicle’s front two tires. Sometimes, technicians can’t adjust a car’s back wheels because the rear portion of the suspension may not allow the tires to be shifted around. Finally, a four-wheel is when the mechanic adjusts a vehicle’s four wheels, but this service is only for vehicles with all-wheel drive.

Experiencing Rapid or Uneven Wear and Tear on Your Tires

Your tires wearing out quickly or unevenly is one sign that you need to have them realigned. Generally, you replace your tires every six years unless swapping them out for winter tires to withstand the Cincinnati winters. The industry also recommends you rotate your tires between every 5,000 to 7,000 miles. So, if you’re getting new tires or rotating them more than normal, you may schedule a checkup with your local dealership to determine if misalignment is causing the frequent changes.

Observing a Crooked Steering Wheel While Driving Straight

As you’re driving, if you observe a crooked steering wheel despite riding on a straight path, there might be a misalignment issue. When manufacturers create a vehicle and it enters our lot, they always center the wheel, so if there’s a shift, it’s vital to take care of it. To determine if your steering wheel is straight, look at the Honda logo on it and check if it’s straight. If it is, the alignment is most likely fine, but if not, be sure to get it checked out by a mechanic.

Hearing Noises When Steering

When driving, turn down the radio to listen for potential noises while steering. Typically, when you’re navigating the wheel, it shouldn’t make much of a noise at all. So, if you’re noticing a sudden sound as you’re driving your car lately, it might be because of misalignment.

Noticing the Car Pulling in a Certain Direction

A misaligned car may pull to the left or right side due to alignment problems. While this is usually a common sign that the car needs an adjustment, it’s natural for a vehicle to pull in a certain direction. It becomes a problem when the car constantly pulls one way or the other every time you drive it. So, if you always have to steer your car a certain way to keep it from favoring one side of the road, make an appointment to get it adjusted.

Having Squeaking or Squealing Tires

Unless you’re pulling out of your parking spot too quickly or taking a sharp turn, your tires shouldn’t squeak or squeal while you’re driving. If this happens, it’s because the car’s alignment shifted and needs a mechanic to readjust it. This sign may go along with the first one about your tires experiencing more wear and tear than normal. Ask one of our technicians if you require a tire change, rotation, or alignment in our tire center.

Feeling Vibrations in Your Hands From the Wheels

Feeling vibrations in your hands from the wheel while driving is another indication it might be time to have a technician look at the car’s alignment. Unless you’re driving on rough terrain, normally, you shouldn’t feel much vibrations from the vehicle’s wheels. If this happens, you may also notice the car shaking. However, it’s vital to take your vehicle to a mechanic when you experience vibrating or shaking because of its misalignment, or it might be another handful of issues you need to address.

You may also experience problems unrelated to alignment while your car is sharking or vibrating, such as:

• Defective tires.
• Bent wheels.
• Worn out suspension and joint parts.
• Engine and transmission issues.
• Broken or worn brake rotors.

Additionally, technicians and experts may offer suggestions about how to remedy the misalignment yourself if you can’t get an appointment immediately. They may suggest removing unnecessary, heavy objects from the car, especially if it’s in the trunk. If you don’t need these objects in your car, consider taking them out to lessen to stress on the car’s wheels. They may also recommend monitoring the air pressure in your tires and ensuring it’s correct. You may find the right air pressure for the car’s tire brand and model in the car’s owner’s manual.

Here at Performance Kings Honda, we’re committed to providing you with the best customer service because we value your business. We want to make sure we answer all the questions you have, including educating you on your car’s alignment needs. Contact us online or call our service center at (513) 791-9090 today if you’re seeking more information about how we can help you and your vehicle, and a member of your expert team will get back to you as soon as we can.

Schedule Service Today