How to detect if your car needs alignment or balancing
Detecting whether your car needs an alignment or a tire balance can prevent premature tire wear, annoying vibrations, and steering problems. Here's how to identify the signs for each one.
Signs Your Car Needs a Wheel Alignment
An alignment corrects the angles of your tires so they make proper contact with the road. If your car needs an alignment, you will likely notice issues with the steering or the car's direction.
- Your car pulls to one side. When you're driving on a straight, flat road, you'll feel the vehicle drift or pull left or right, even if your hands are off the wheel.
- The steering wheel is off-center. When you're driving straight, the steering wheel is crooked and not in the "12 o'clock" position.
- The steering feels loose or wanders. The car may feel unstable, especially at higher speeds, and it might be hard to keep it in a straight line.
- The steering wheel doesn't return to center. After making a turn, the wheel doesn't naturally straighten back out on its own.
- Tires have uneven wear. Check the tread on your tires. If one side is more worn than the other (e.g., the inner or outer edge is bald while the rest of the tire looks fine), it's a strong sign of an alignment issue.
Signs Your Car Needs a Tire Balance
Tire balancing ensures that the weight of each tire and wheel assembly is evenly distributed. An imbalance often causes vibrations.
- Vibrations while driving. You'll feel a shaking or vibration in the steering wheel, the floor, or the seats, especially when you reach speeds of 50 mph (80 km/h) or higher.
- Noisy ride. You may hear a humming or buzzing sound that gets louder as you go faster.
- Uneven or "cupped" tire wear. While this can also be a sign of alignment problems, an imbalance can cause a specific type of uneven wear where the tread has patches of wear alternating with patches of no wear, giving it a scalloped or "cupped" appearance.
- Increased fuel consumption. While not always noticeable, an imbalance can cause tires to have more rolling resistance, which can slightly reduce your fuel economy.
In general, if your steering is acting up, you likely need an alignment. If you're feeling a vibration at a certain speed, you probably need a tire balance. Many shops will check both when you go in for service.
