How do I know if my car steering is correctly aligned?

Question

My machenic always tells me that he fixed it but I am never sure if he really aligned it perfactly or was it just almost aligned

Answer 1

Does the car pull left or right, are the tires wearing evenly. Most alignment shops will give you a computer print out showing before and after alignment graphics.
Go to the web site below, lots of good information.
In its most basic form, a wheel alignment consists of adjusting the angles of the wheels so that they are perpendicular to the ground and parallel to each other. The purpose of these adjustments is maximum tire life and a vehicle that tracks straight and true when driving along a straight and level road.

This article begins with information that any motorist should know; however, if you are interested in learning more about this topic, click on the underlined words for more detailed explanations of each term. We will cover various levels of detail with the deepest levels containing information that even a wheel alignment technician will find informative.

Wheel Alignment is often confused with Wheel Balancing. The two really have nothing to do with each other except for the fact that they affect ride and handling. If a wheel is out of balance, it will cause a vibration at highway speeds that can be felt in the steering wheel and/or the seat. If the alignment is out, it can cause excessive tire wear and steering or tracking problems. For more informatio

Answer 2

Cross rotate your front tires and see if it goes away. Alignment setting could be within specs but a tire pull will cause the same problem as an out of alignment condition. If it goes away you have a tire pull. Most alignment shops are staffed by guys working their way up the ladder so their pay along with their experience is low. And you'll never get the same reading on the machine every time; if their using the Hunter machine every time you mount the alignment heads you'll get a different reading.

Answer 3

several things.. keep an eye on tire wear, especially the fronts. lay the palm of your hand on a tire thats been used awhile, and has some wear. rub your hand with the tread, then go against it. does it feel rougher one way vs. the other? this may be due to feathering of the tread. do the same aross the tread. look for heavy wear on inner or outer edges. does the car drift or pull on a level road? check tire pressures--- often overlooked by alot of people. if the car drives nice, then at least it's close to good alignment. almost all places use computerized alignment systems; they will give a printout of each car done. what it is and what factory specs are. ask to see it.

Answer 4

Don't rotate your tires and see if the front ones wear abnormally. Also, take the car out on a 3 or 4 lane highway with light traffic and at 60 mph from the center lane, take your hands off the steering wheel and see if the car drifts rapidly right or left. The steering should not consistently pull right or left on a flat surface.

Answer 5

If you can momentarely let go of the steering wheel on a straight stretch of road and it continues straight for some ways.

Answer 6

2 ways to check are 1 on a flat smooth highway,let go of steering wheel.if it really drifts to the left or right.then its not properly aligned.remember that a highway is not totally flat so it will drift slightly.2check your front tires for unusual ware on the treads.that's another sign

Answer 7

i own a repair shop,and if there right you can let go of the steering wheel ,and it should drive its self pretty strait for a while ,it will eventually go off one way or the other,,but it shouldn't pull to either side when your driving it,,this is a good way to tell if its right,,some roads will cause one to pull pretty bad,,but most roads are good enough to try this on,,good luck,hope this help,s.,,have a good x-mas.

Answer 8

have someone follow you--if the rear wheels are not directly in back of front wheels when you are driving staight ahead then the wheels are not aligned.

Answer 9

go for Dodgeman hes right