wheel Alignment

Wheels have three angles—toe, camber, and caster—to keep them in good contact with the road. If any of these angles are off, you can wear your tires, or you’ll experience difficulty driving. Worse, if the alignment is far off, you could lose control of the vehicle and wreck.

This is where wheel alignment comes in. It’s performed to adjust your vehicle’s suspension—the system that connects your wheels to the rest of the vehicle. In a nutshell, it’s correcting those three angles.

If you believe your wheels are not correctly aligned, contact Independent Auto and Diesel Repair. We do wheel alignment in Jamestown, TN.

Signs Your Wheels Need An Alignment

Sometimes your vehicle’s alignment is not off enough for you to notice something’s wrong. Only by putting it on an alignment rack can you verify a misalignment.

Signs you need a wheel alignment include the following:

Tires have uneven wear on both sides.
The steering wheel is not centered.
The vehicle is pulling to one side or the other.
You feel a vibration in the steering wheel during driving.

At Independent Auto and Diesel, our mechanics have the equipment to ensure you have the correct vehicle alignment. Our ASE Certified auto technicians will put your vehicle on the alignment rack to determine whether the problem is a simple alignment or the suspension is worn or broken.

Uneven Alignment:
Camber, Toe, And Caster

The wheels have three angles: camber, toe, and caster. They all affect tire wear and your ride

Camber

The camber is the tire’s angle of the tire as seen from the front of the tire. If a tire tips toward the engine or the vehicle’s fender, the camber is out of alignment.

Worn ball joints and bearings could cause positive or negative camber. If the camber is out, the edges of the tire usually wear.

Toe

If you could look straight down on the tires, you would see if they are straight or not.

Look down at your feet. Angle the toes in—this is what toe-in looks like on your wheels. If you angle your toes out, that is a toe-out.

The inner or outer tie rods usually cause a toe out. A toe-in or toe-out could cause “feathering” wear on tires.

Caster

The caster is the angle of the tire as you look at the tire from the side. If it is tilted toward the driver, the caster is positive. The caster is negative if it is toward the front of the car.

Lower and upper ball joints usually affect the caster.

Tire Wear Is Not Always Due To Misaligned Wheels

While misalignment causes tire wear, there are other causes. You may be surprised that you still get worn tires even though you just had an alignment. Here are other reasons for worn tires:

Check with a mechanic first to verify if an alignment issue caused the tire wear. At our auto shop in Jamestown, TN, we will not only check the alignment. We’ll also rotate your tires and perform other necessary tire services.

Contact Independent Auto And Diesel Repair for Wheel Alignment In Jamestown, Tn

If you feel your vehicle pulling to one side or notice uneven tire wear, you likely need an alignment. Our ASE-Certified mechanics in Jamestown, TN will check your wheels and suspension to determine whether you need an alignment or other services.

Contact us at (931) 863-2888 for inquiries or to schedule an appointment. You also visit us at 4859 S. York Hwy, Jamestown, TN 38556.