wheel alignment: what it is, when you need it, and what it fixes

alignment is the set of angles at which your wheels meet the road. three matter.

toe is whether the wheels point straight ahead, or slightly inward or outward. it is the angle that destroys tires fastest, and the one most often out.

camber is the lean of the wheel when you look from the front. too much either way wears one edge of the tire.

caster is the tilt of the steering axis. it affects how the car feels, whether the wheel returns to centre and how stable it is at speed, more than it affects tire wear.

when to have it checked

• after a significant pothole or kerb strike, and Ontario spring roads supply both
• when fitting new tires, so the new set starts straight
• after any suspension or steering work
• if the car pulls, the wheel sits off centre on a straight road, or the tires are wearing unevenly
• once a year regardless, because it drifts gradually and you adapt to it without noticing

what alignment will not fix

if the pull is worse under braking, that is a brake problem. if it wanders and feels loose, worn tie rod ends or ball joints will not be corrected by an alignment, and a shop that aligns a car with worn steering components has taken your money for a setting that will not hold.

worn parts get replaced first, then it gets aligned. in that order.

why it is worth doing

a car that is out of alignment is dragging a tire sideways at every moment. that costs you tread, it costs you a little fuel, and it costs you stability in an emergency stop.

the alignment is a fraction of the cost of the set of tires it saves, which is the entire argument.