Auto repair Burnaby: Computerized wheel alignment

 

You are on your way to work. Your steering wheel starts to vibrate and your car begins to pull to one side. Your car was fine yesterday. So you feel confused. You go to the nearest mechanic and he informs you that your wheels are misaligned. Why does this happen?

Wheel misalignment occurs when a car hits a pothole or bumps a curb in the road. Also, this happens when your suspension becomes worn and slack. Altering your car’s ground clearance without modifying the suspension will also lead to this.

Misaligned wheels can make your tyre’s surface uneven which will affect your braking and cornering performance. And can increase the braking distance needed to stop.

Damaged tyres can result in a blowout, skidding and loss of control of your vehicle which can result in a serious accident.

Another factor to consider is stress on your vehicle’s suspension. Damaging the components of your suspension can be costly.

Replacing them can cost high.  Also if your wheels aren’t aligned more effort is needed to turn them. And so fuel consumption will increase.

If you find that you are experiencing any signs of misaligned wheels. It is imperative that you contact an auto repair in Barnaby to see if you require a computerized alignment service.

During this procedure, your vehicle will be put on an alignment rack and a device will be used to check how much your wheel deviates from the manufacturer’s specifications.

There are 3 main services that can be done to improve the performance of your car.

Camber

Camber is the angle of the wheel in relation to being straight up. Negative camber is the top of the wheels tilting while a positive one is the bottom of the wheel tilting.

When your wheels go across an uneven surface, all of your tyre’s tread isn’t used. And this can cause your handling performance to suffer. This is when a negative camber can be used to counteract that giving you cornering stability.

Toe

Toe compares the front and back of each wheels distance. Toe-in is when the front of the wheels are closer to the centre and toe-out is when the back of the wheels are closer to the centre.

The toe shouldn’t be altered massively as it will greatly affect your driving experience. Too much toe can affect the steering and cause the tyres to drag. This will affect the speed and stability of your vehicle.

Caster

Caster is a line through the upper and lower steering knuckle. It controls how much the steering and suspension centre.  If this line ends in front of the tyre’s contact patch it is a positive caster.

A negative one ends behind the tyre’s contact patch. Increasing a positive caster pushes the line further forward, making your steering stable as-well-as improving your straight-line stability.

What can I expect from having my wheels realigned at KMF Automotive Ltd?

  • Fuel efficiency
  • Cost-efficient maintenance
  • Smoother driving
  • Vehicle safety
  • Long-lasting tyres
  • Better handling
  • Improved steering