If you know how your wheels get knocked out of alignment you can avoid the dangers for the most part, and Central Auto Care believes that prevention is the best medicine. Don’t panic if your wheels are misaligned, however, because we can balance and align them, restoring your smooth ride. What are the things that knock wheels out of alignment? Here’s a comprehensive list for your reference.
Automobile Accidents
Even minor automobile accidents can knock your wheels out of alignment, especially if you were rear-ended. The impact against your vehicle, whether caused by you or another driver, causes abrupt, unexpected motion. This motion can damage the body of your vehicle, its suspension, and the undercarriage. Part of the suspension damage can include knocking the wheels out of alignment.
Road Bumps, Speed Bumps, and Parking Space Markers
Let’s talk about bumps – all bumps. People fly over bumps all the time because they think it doesn’t do any damage, but it does. Bumps in the road, speed bumps, and even the concrete markers they install at the end of parking spaces can easily knock your wheels out of alignment. The alignment cannot withstand excessive shock, and flying over a speed bump, even at 10 mph, is an excessive shock. Go slow.
Curbs
Go slow when you turn the corner or parallel park, too, to avoid hitting curbs. Hitting a curb wreaks havoc on your car, truck, or SUV’s suspension because the impact is only on one side. For example, if you make a right turn and you hit the curb, you’ve caused impact damage on the right front tire only. This knocks that wheel, or wheels if you hit the curb with the rear tire, too, out of alignment.
Potholes
Potholes are instant death to wheel alignment. As you drive over the pothole, the wheels are jolted downwards, backwards, and upwards. First, they bounce down into the pothole. Then, they bounce backwards when they hit the pothole side to exit it. They also bounce upwards as they exit the pothole. If you’re driving fast, this will knock the wheels out of alignment and could damage your suspension.
Finally, if you don’t have your wheels balanced and aligned regularly, they will eventually misalign on their own. Bring your vehicle into Central Auto Care for wheel and tire preventative maintenance. Our shop is located in Okotoks, AB. Visit us online to schedule an appointment. We’ll inspect your tires to ensure they’re still healthy, rotate them if necessary, and balance and align your wheels.
