A wheel alignment is also called a front end alignment. If the vehicle is not aligned properly, the vehicle may steer to one side (pull). Or it may drive like it does not want to go where you point it (wander). In extreme cases, the vehicle will waddle from side-to-side (hunt).
In the simplest of terms, a wheel alignment consists of adjusting the mechanical parts of a vehicle's steering and suspension system so that the wheels roll straight and stand up straight when the steering wheel is pointing straight. Ok. That's easy to understand. But why does a vehicle that is out of alignment chew up tires so quickly?
To correct alignment requires very fine adjustments. Here's where it gets interesting. (This explanation does take a little bit of math, and for that, I apologize. But the math is very simple and I think you'll have no trouble following it.) Here goes.
Look at a clock. Not the digital type but the old style with hands. Look at the minute hand. It makes a complete circle every sixty minutes (one hour). I'm sure you remember that a full circle is 360 degrees. That means in one minute, the minute hand moves 6 degrees. (6 degrees per minute times 60 minutes equals 360 degrees.) Watch the minute hand for 3 seconds. See how little it moves. (It moves about ¼ of a degree in 3 seconds.) The difference between a good alignment and a butchered job is the amount that the minute hand moves in LESS THAN 3 SECONDS!
But why does such a small amount result in chewed up tires? Consider the alignment setting called “Toe”. (Think pigeon toed versus splay-footed.) Toe is usually measured in inches but can be converted to degrees. If the toe is off, the tires are not pointed straight down the road. That forces the tires to slide sideways a little tiny bit as the vehicle goes down the road. If the toe is off by just 1/32nd of an inch (about 0.1 degrees), for every 10,000 miles traveled, the tires had to slide sideways EIGHT MILES!
At Clearview Tire and Auto Service, we use German-made computerized alignment equipment that measures the alignment 1/100th of a degree. Bring your vehicle to Clearview Tire and Auto Service on North Main Street in Hopkinsville, Kentucky for the best alignment anywhere. That's another reason so many people say “TAKE IT TO CLEARVIEW!” See our Coupon page for discount coupons.