Why does my car steer to the left or right on it’s own?
A common question we often hear is “Why does my car steer to the left or right on it’s own?”
Anyone who drives a car will have experienced the car creeping off to one side of the road usually on motorways or stretches of long straight road. The cause of this creep can be a number of things from issues with the road surface to the more common reason your cars wheel alignment is slightly out.
Some drivers who experience this creeping may also have noticed uneven wear on certain tyres around the car, this uneven wear is again more often than not caused by poor wheel alignment issues.
What is wheel alignment?
Many people may simply believe car wheels are simply bolted to the car, one in each corner and that’s that. Simply bolting a wheel in each corner doesn’t mean the car will drive in a straight line easily or stay travelling in the direction you point it.
Each of the 4 car wheels have many points of adjustment, sometimes 6 in total. Each of these points of adjustment has a specific value worked out by the engineers that built the car. The purpose behind these points of adjustment is so that each of the wheels can be set up independently of each other to drive straight and true.
Over time some or all of these points of adjustment can move very slightly causing the car to, amongst other things creep across the road.
What are the benefits of having wheels aligned correctly?
It’s always best and safest to keep your car in good working order, wheel alignment is just one of the things to keep on top of. Apart from stopping the car creeping across the road there are also other benefits you’ll gain too.
- Safer Driving – poorly aligned wheels, incorrect tyre pressures or poor tyres and faulty suspension systems can make your car much less stable whilst driving and especially in emergency situations.
- Reduction in tyres wear – poor wheel alignment can cause tyres to wear unevenly, one side of the tyre can become bald long before the rest of the tyre has been used. Correctly wheel alignment ensures your tyres wear more evenly meaning you get all the value of the tyre not just a small part.
- Greater fuel consumption – straight and true wheels along with correct tyre pressures reduces rolling resistance on the road. The result is better fuel consumption, saving you money in the long run.
The benefits of proper wheel alignment are many, so if you want a car that drives straight, is safer, saves you money on tyres and fuel. Then get you car checked out.
At A&M Tyres, Pemberton, Nr Wigan we’ve invested in the very latest state of the art 6 sensor computerised digital wheel alignment equipment. The system has a comprehensive database of detailed manufacturers settings for wheel alignment meaning your car can be adjusted to the settings for your exact make and model.
From punctures and new tyres to state of the art digital wheel alignment we can help.
Contact us today for a free quote on wheel alignment for your car