Preventing Uneven Tire Wear With Proper Wheel Alignment

After driving your new Mazda off the lot, we’re certain the first thing on your mind is maintenance. While many common maintenance measures do their part in ensuring the longevity of your vehicle, wheel alignment ensures your safety, and the safety of others on the road.

If your wheels aren’t properly aligned, you risk early and uneven wear of the tread of your tires. Positive or negative camber, or the angle of your wheels when viewed from the front, can cause more wear on the outer and inner edges of the tire when compared to the center tread. The heel and toe alignment, or the tilt when viewed from above, can cause uneven wear of the individual tread blocks, appearing like saw teeth across the tire.

Aside from being an eyesore for your new Mazda, that tread is there to provide traction on the road. Without it, driving becomes even more dangerous, leading to drifting or loss of control in wet or slick conditions. To ensure the safety of yourself and other drivers, keeping up to date with alignment check-ups is of the utmost importance.

You may also experience your steering being unresponsive, or sometimes going in an unintended direction. Maybe you feel your vehicle pulling to the left or right, and generally requires more steering input to stay in the lane. This is mainly caused by toe or heel alignment. When taking a turn, one wheel has to follow a wider or tighter arc than another, causing steering to feel unwieldy and uncontrollable.

Adequate steering is tantamount to your well-being when driving your new Mazda, allowing you to avoid other vehicles or obstacles in an emergency situation.

In addition to uneven tire wear and issues with your steering, a misaligned vehicle can cause a domino effect and lead to more problems. For example, tire pressure can drop due to the uneven wear caused by misalignment, which will inevitably lead to a traumatic tire blowout at high speeds. This drop in pressure also worsens your fuel consumption; your car needs to do more work for the same result.

A misaligned vehicle can also lead to issues with wheel balance, which is distinct from the alignment of your wheels. If your wheels are off balance, this can lead to shaking or vibrating of your vehicle and loss of control. To avoid an accident, getting your vehicle’s tires aligned is the first thing any car owner should do. This is why scheduled maintenance checkups should never be ignored or delayed.

Visit Tom Bush Mazda to Prevent Unexpected Issues

Proper alignment can ensure the longevity of your vehicle, but more importantly, it can ensure your own safety and well-being. Understanding alignment issues and their symptoms can save you hundreds of dollars in subsequent repairs. To learn more, visit Tom Bush Mazda in Jacksonville, FL.

Tags: uneven tire wear, wheel alignment
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