What Does a Car Alignment Do?
If you’ve ever wondered what a car alignment does, you’ve come to the right place. (Hint: it helps your tires last longer.)
Written by Amber Reed
Reviewed by Jessa Claeys
A car alignment—also known as a “tire alignment” or “wheel alignment”—adjusts your vehicle’s suspension components to prevent uneven tire wear and keep your car from pulling to the left or right while you drive.
No matter what type of car you drive or what kind of tires you use, a car alignment is an important part of your vehicle’s routine maintenance. Not only do properly aligned wheels help your tires last longer, but they also reduce steering issues and prevent problems with your vehicle’s suspension system. In general, you should visit your mechanic for alignment service once every 6,000 miles.
If you want to learn more about this essential part of car maintenance and how alignment problems can affect your vehicle, then you’ve come to the right place. In this guide from
Jerry
, we’ll go over everything you need to know about how car alignments work—including how you know you need one and how much they cost. We’ll even throw in some tips on how you can use our trusted insurance comparison app
to lower your car insurance
payments in under a minute.What is a car alignment and what does it do?
When you bring your vehicle to an auto body shop for a car alignment, your mechanic will adjust your car’s suspension components to ensure your car doesn’t pull in one direction while driving. This essential service helps extend the life of your tires and prevents annoying handling problems like awkward steering or steering wheel vibration.
Depending on your vehicle’s drivetrain, your mechanic will perform either a front-end alignment or a four-wheel alignment on your car. Here’s how they differ.
- Front-end alignment: Typically performed on front-wheel drive cars, this service only adjusts the vehicle’s two front wheels.
- Four-wheel alignment: The preferred alignment type for all-wheel drive and four-wheel drive vehicles, this service adjusts all four wheels.
Jerry sends free alerts to keep your car up-to-date so you can avoid costly repairs
* checking your rate won’t affect your credit score
Get ahead of my car maintenance
* checking your rate won’t affect your credit score
How it works
A car alignment is performed using an alignment machine, which checks these three things:
- Camber: The angle of your tires when viewed from the front
- Toe: The angle of your tires when viewed from above
- Caster: The angle of your steering axis when viewed from the side
If one or more of your tires has too much of an inward or outward angle, or your steering axis is off-center, the technician will adjust your vehicle’s alignment until the alignment machine’s computer confirms the angles are correct.
Wheel alignment vs. tire balancing
While a wheel alignment adjusts your car’s suspension parts, tire balancing adjusts the wheels themselves. Many auto body shops perform these two services together along with a
tire rotation
for a flat fee.During the tire balancing process, your car is mounted on a balancing machine, which rotates your car’s tires at a high speed and determines the amount of weight needed to even out your tires.
Unbalanced tires can cause uneven tire tread wear and reduced fuel efficiency in addition to damage to your car’s shocks, bearings, or wheel assembly.
Signs of wheel misalignment
Several factors can cause your car’s wheels to become misaligned, but a sudden impact—like hitting a pothole or getting into a traffic accident—is the most common culprit. Alignment issues can also be the result of normal wear and tear, rundown suspension parts, or a bad lift kit installation.
Here are the most common symptoms of unaligned wheels:
- Pulling to the right or left while driving
- Heavy, awkward, or uneven steering
- Tires that wear out unevenly or faster than normal
Driving on misaligned tires can put you at increased risk of a car accident, making you more likely to injure yourself or damage your vehicle. If you experience changes in your car’s performance related to drifting, difficulty steering, or atypical tire wear, bring your car to an auto body shop for a car alignment.
Compare insurance quotes from 50+ carriers with Jerry in under 45 seconds (Title in payload)
4.7/5 rating on the App Store | Trusted by 5+ million customers and 7 million cars4.7/5 app rating | Trusted by 5M+ driversHow often should you get your car aligned?
Experts recommend getting your car aligned every 6,000 miles—or with every other oil change. You should also have your wheel alignment assessed anytime you experience steering issues with your car or after buying a set of new tires.
How much does a car alignment cost?
The exact cost of car alignment depends on the type of car you drive, where you live, and whether you need a front-end or four-wheel alignment—but most auto body shops charge between $75 and $200. Keep in mind that if your mechanic bundles wheel alignment with other services like tire balancing and tire rotation, costs may be slightly higher.
MORE: Here’s how to save money on car expenses
Find cheap car insurance to protect your vehicle
Staying on top of basic maintenance like wheel alignments is a great way to prevent major mechanical issues and extend your car’s lifespan—sometimes by thousands of miles. But another great way you can protect your vehicle is by optimizing your
car insurance
coverage with Jerry
.Just download the app, fill out your driver profile, and Jerry’s
licensed agents
will scan coverage options from dozens of insurance companies to provide you with a comprehensive cross-analysis of the best (and most affordable) policies across providers. Once you find the plan that works for you, Jerry will handle the phone calls, paperwork, and renewals for your top pick so that you don’t have to. We can even help cancel your old policy! So why do all that extra work when Jerry can do it better?
“I decided to tryJerrybecause my car insurance had been increasing drastically with each policy renewal. Jerry found me multiple ways to save after entering just a few pieces of info! I’m saving almost $70 a month after choosing Nationwide.” —Ish M.
Let Jerry find your price in only 45 seconds
No spam · No long forms · No fees
Can you do a wheel alignment yourself?
No—a proper alignment requires the use of specialized equipment like an alignment machine, so you should always have your wheel alignment checked by a professional mechanic.
Does a car alignment make a difference?
Yes! A car that’s properly aligned will perform better and get better gas mileage than a vehicle with misaligned wheels. Regular car alignments also prevent your car from drifting while driving and lead to less wear on your tires.
Estimate your repair costs for free with GarageGuard™
Simplify your car maintenance with Jerry.
4.7You might also be interested
