A tire realignment isn't as costly or inconvenient as a problem with one of your car's major internal systems, but it's still something you want to avoid. Misalignment can be caused by factors beyond your control, such as a collision, but there are also several changes you can make to prevent the problem from occurring.
Take the Smoother Road
If you spent all your driving time heading straight forward on a completely flat and even surface, chances are you'd never need your wheels aligned. Pot holes and other irregularities in the road will tend to stress, strain, bend, or flex your vehicle's components, including the suspension. This will affect the alignment of your wheels.
Of course, no road is ever going to be flawlessly smooth, but you can help yourself out by avoiding off-road driving and taking smoother roads where possible. Those who spend most of their time on the highway, for example, will rarely experience wheel alignment issues.
Drive Calmer
It's not just the condition of the road that should be considered. You'll also want to embrace a calmer, more conservative driving style. Taking the road on in an aggressive manner will place additional stress on suspension and steering components. A problem with either means that you're putting proper wheel alignment in jeopardy.
Check Weight Distribution
Before you correct your driving style or starting picking out the most advantageous routes, you can do your best to prevent wheel misalignment by making sure that you remove all the junk from your boot. It isn't something that people often take the time to think about, but the distribution of weight in your vehicle can easily cause problems.
Having too much in the back will lower your ride height, thereby throwing off the alignment. Additionally, having weight piled on one side of the vehicle will mean that either your right- or left-hand wheels will be forced to carry more than their fair share of the load.
Pay Attention to Vibrations
Vibrations are bad for your car in many ways. Tremors might seem small, or even close to unnoticeable, but those minor movements occurring over and over in succession can quickly take their toll on your vehicle's components, moving them more and more out of kilter over time. When this damages steering or suspension components, your wheels can be sent out of alignment.
Vibrations can be caused by numerous problems, including issues with the engine or brakes. Make sure you get your car checked if vibrations start to occur.
Poorly aligned tires will impact your car's handling, mileage, and ultimately its safety, so it's well worth taking the your vehicle in to a car service.
