Dec 14, 2020
Many believe that wheel tracking and wheel alignment are two terms for the same service. While the two are very similar, wheel tracking is a dated term and was used for vehicles back in the day. Wheel balancing is then an entirely different process altogether. However, all three are equally important for good vehicle handling, ensuring the longevity for the vehicle, even tyre wear and tyre safety.
What is wheel tracking?
Many years ago saw a time when cars only had two adjustable front wheels and a fixed axle for the back wheels. Both front wheels were tracked, meaning they were aligned to point in the right direction and completely parallel and because no adjustment could be made on the back wheels, they would follow the direction of the front. This is where the term ‘wheel tracking’ came from and when most people refer to wheel tracking, they mean wheel alignment.
What is wheel alignment?
Wheel alignment checks the direction and angle of the wheels to ensure they’re perpendicular to the road and parallel to each other. You can choose a 2 wheel alignment which looks after the front axle or 4 wheel alignment which looks after both front and rear axles.
When you take your car to have the wheels aligned, the technician will inspect the camber, toe and caster. Camber refers to the tile of the tyre, the toe is the direction the tyres point in relation to each other and the caster is the angle of steering pivot.
Once your technician has assessed the wheels, adjustments can then be made to the tie rods and control arms to correct alignment as per the manufacturer’s recommendation.
What is wheel balancing?
Over time your wheels will lose their balance and this causes the distribution of weight and contact patch to vary. Wheel balancing is then designed to distribute this equally again and to ensure your tyres are rotating evenly. To do this, a technician will use small balancing weights and add those to the rim to counter the weight inconsistencies.
How do I know if my wheels need to be realigned?
The following are tell-tale signs that your wheels need to be realigned:
● Visual Inspection - Is your tyre tread depth even across the width of the tyre? If not, uneven tyre wear is a sign that the tracking is out.
● Steering Position - Your steering wheel position is usually the same every time you drive and anything unusual is a sign of misaligned wheels. Even though your car is driving in a straight line the steering wheel position may change slightly.
● Drifting - If you’re feeling your car driving or pulling slightly to one side then this is a sign you need your wheels realigned and can be dangerous if you’re travelling at high speeds.
● Tyre Squealing - If you notice a squealing noise coming from your tyres this is a clear sign of alignment issues.
● Steering Vibration - This is another indication that your tyres need to be realigned, and can also be a sign of unbalanced wheels. This can be dangerous and can result in expensive repairs down the line.
Need your wheels realigned?
If you need to find a local garage to carry out wheel alignment on your vehicle, use MyCarNeedsA.com to find local mechanics in your area as we can save you both time and money! Get your quotes today!
