To maintain proper control of your car, you must keep your wheels in proper alignment. Otherwise, steering will become difficult, your tires will wear unevenly and your fuel economy will decrease.
Check to see if you need a wheel alignment:
- Make sure your tires are properly inflated. Then take your car for a test drive. Lightly rest your hands on the steering wheel, but don’t steer. If your car drifts to either side, make an appointment with your Gemini Car Care location.
- Inspect the tread on your tires to see if it is uneven. If the tread is worn down the middle, most likely your tires are over-inflated. If it’s worn on the inside and outside of the tire, then your tires are probably under-inflated.
Today, service centers like Gemini Car Care locations use computerized alignment equipment to diagnose your alignment angles. Some of the most common are:
- Toe: the direction of the wheels towards or away from each (viewed from above the car).
- Camber: tilt of the wheels toward or away from each other (viewed from in front of your car).
- Caster: the angle of the steering axis in relation to the wheel. To visualize this angle, imagine a vertical line through the middle of your tire while standing on one side of the car.
- Thrust Angle: the relationship of all four wheels to each other. This time, imagine a center line from bumper to bumper.
An alignment check at a Gemini Car Care location includes:
- Inspection of the steering and suspension components.
- Examination of the tires (size, inflation and wear).
- Comparison of your current alignment to the guidelines provided by your manufacturer.