Misaligned tires will wear out more quickly and can potentially create some driving hazards. When tires are not aligned, they wear out unevenly relative to each other and within each tire’s own tread. The tires will also likely show a rough and slightly torn appearance. When tires wear unevenly, their life span is shortened significantly. Since the tires won’t wear as long, you’ll have to replace them more often, which can get expensive. More importantly, bad tread on your tires means poor traction when you drive. Having improper tire traction affects your car’s ability to stop under all circumstances. It can increase the danger of bad driving conditions such as mud or snow on the ground. Tires with uneven wear definitely won’t handle as well as other tires.
Checking Wheel Alignment
Check for camber, the tilt of the tire toward or away from the frame of the car, by standing in front or behind the parked car. If the tires tip in, the tops are closer together than the bottoms, the tread will wear away on the inside of the tire first. If they tip out, bottoms closer than the tops, there will be more wear on the outside. It’s also pretty easy to check the toe, or stance of the tires, in the driveway. Think of the tires on one axle, either front or rear, as feet. The fronts of the tires in either case are where the toes would be. “Toe-in” means the fronts of the tires are closer together, like standing pigeon-toed, and the tread will wear from the outside. Toe out means the rear of the tires are closer together and the tires will wear from the inside. The wear from toe-out tires is sometimes called “feathering.” If you notice your tires are slightly off angle or if you see the telltale tread wear, it’s time to get your tires aligned to increase their usefulness.
Wheel Alignment Effects on Tire Rating
Your tire gets a number of ratings. One rating is the uniform tire quality grading system ratings from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). These ratings tell you the tread wear, traction and temperature capabilities of your tires. All of these ratings are based on your tires being properly inflated and aligned. If you don’t maintain your tires, you won’t really know how much heat your tires can handle, how much load your car can carry or find meaning in any of the information provided. As a result, you’re literally driving blind regarding what your car can do when you drive on misaligned tires.
Misalignment Expenses
If you do notice your tires looking rough or torn, have them checked out at a car service station. The most visible benefit of an alignment is less tire wear. The cost to keep your wheels properly aligned should be far lower than having to replace four tires that wore out too soon. Tires can be quite expensive, easily $100 or more per tire, whereas an alignment often costs $50 to $100. This makes alignment a cost-effective procedure that should be part of regular car maintenance. An auto accident can also be a much larger expense than a realignment bill. Proper alignment can help avoid accidents caused by uneven tire wear. Many times medical bills and insurance premiums can be costly for years following an accident.