Suspension and Alignment Guide: Pulls, Crooked Wheels and Wear

The car tells you in a few ways. You may need to hold the wheel slightly to one side to drive straight. The steering wheel logo may sit off-center when the car goes straight. The inside or outside edge of the tires may wear faster than the rest.

Hitting a curb or a deep pothole can knock the angles out in a moment. New tires are also a good time to check, since old tires can hide a problem. See wheel alignment.

The printout shows each angle before and after the adjustment, next to the vehicle maker's range. Values inside the range are usually shown in green and values outside in red.

Ask us to walk you through yours. Some vehicles only allow adjustment of certain angles without extra parts.

Alignment sets angles. Shocks and struts control bounce. They cause different symptoms, though both affect tire wear.

• Worn shocks or struts: bouncing after bumps, nose dive when braking, body sway, cupped tires.
• Worn steering or suspension joints: clunks, loose steering, and an alignment that will not stay in spec.
• Alignment only: a pull or crooked wheel on an otherwise tight, quiet car.

If parts are worn, we tell you before aligning, because aligning a car with loose parts wastes your money. See shocks and struts.

Old tires wear into the shape of the alignment problem, which can mask a pull. New tires show the problem right away and start wearing unevenly from the first mile. An alignment protects the investment in a new set.

If the car pulls after new tires, we check pressures and may swap tires side to side to rule out a tire pull before changing alignment. See alignment after new tires.

Many newer cars have cameras and radar for lane keeping and emergency braking. Changes to alignment or ride height can affect how those systems see the road, and some vehicles call for a calibration afterward. We tell you plainly when a car may need that step and whether we can do it or it needs to go elsewhere.

Lifted or lowered trucks and cars change the geometry. Some cannot reach factory specs without additional parts. We tell you what is possible before we start.

After an alignment, we drive the car to confirm it tracks straight and the steering wheel is centered. If it is not right, the job is not finished, and we do not hand back the keys until it is.

At home, you can notice a pull on a flat, straight road, check whether the wheel sits centered, and run a hand across the tread to feel for feathering. Leave adjustments to a shop with an alignment rack. See the suspension and alignment bundle.

Tread wear is a record of how the car has been rolling. Reading it before choosing a repair points us to the right part, and it keeps a new set of tires from wearing the same way. Look at all four tires, not just the one that bothers you.

More pictures and patterns are on the tire wear patterns page.

Driving around the foothills puts steady load on the front end. Long downhill stretches shift weight forward under braking, which works the struts and control arm bushings. Freeway expansion joints and patched lanes send repeated jolts into tie rods and ball joints.

Curbs in tight parking lots and driveway lips hit at an angle can bend a tie rod or move toe in a single tap. Lifted trucks and SUVs used for towing or trail days carry more leverage on every joint. None of this means a part has failed, but it is why we inspect the front end before setting angles on a car that sees these roads every week.

The line between urgent and optional comes down to control. Anything that lets a wheel move where it should not, or keeps the tire from staying on the road, is a need. Ride comfort and wear that is still within limits can usually be planned.

• Fix now: a ball joint or tie rod with measurable play, a leaking strut with bouncing, a broken coil spring, a steering wheel that shakes and clunks over bumps.
• Plan soon: dampers that are tired but not leaking, a sway bar link that knocks, cracked bushings without play.
• Can wait: an alignment on a car that tracks straight with even wear, or upgraded shocks for feel.

We show the play or the leak with a photo so you can see it for yourself.

An alignment visit starts before the car goes on the rack. We ask what you feel, check tire pressures, and look over the tires for wear clues. Then the front end gets checked for loose parts, because angles set on worn joints drift back out.

1. Road test or a short description of the symptom.
2. Pressure set to the door sticker, tires inspected.
3. Steering and suspension joints checked for play.
4. Sensors mounted, before readings recorded.
5. Adjustments made where the vehicle allows.
6. After readings printed, steering wheel centered.
7. Road test, then the printout goes over with you.

Send a request from the booking page and we call or text to confirm a time.