Wheel alignment, often known simply as “tracking”, is the adjustment of the angles of a car’s wheels so they are set to the manufacturer’s specification.
To handle and perform to its best, a car’s wheels must be “dead straight” in line with the car so that they roll freely when driving. If any wheel is at an angle this can cause:
- excessive and uneven tyre wear
- poor handling such as pulling to one side or ‘tramlining’
- reduced miles per gallon
- increased stopping distances
- the steering wheel to be off-centre when the wheels are straight
Department for Transport studies have found that the poor tracking has a staggering effect on fuel consumption and tyre life, even when tracking is only slightly out.
In fact a 2° misalignment wastes an amazing 10-15% of fuel (that’s up to £7.50 wasted every time you put £50 of petrol in!) and can half the lifespan of the front tyres.
If you add up the costs of wasted fuel and replacing worn tyres you can see having your wheel-alignment checked and adjusted is a very cost-effective exercise.
It doesn’t always take a huge pothole to knock your tracking off either, so don’t assume it’s correct because you haven’t “clunked it” recently! Also if you’ve had any suspension work done, and the garage/mechanic hasn’t checked the tracking afterwards, it could now be out of alignment.
The Hunter Hawkeye Elite wheel alignment system
At Triggs in Brentwood we have the latest laser wheel-alignment systems so we can get all four of your wheels (yes the back ones can go out of alignment too) back to the manufacturer’s very-accurately defined angles – oddly they’re different for different cars, but our alignment computer knows what’s what!
We’ll give you a before-and-after printout so you can see what’s been adjusted; if the tracking was way off you’ll immediately feel how much better it rides and handles – it might just feel like a new car again!
