Wheel alignment
The average price of a newly mounted and balanced tire with a new
valve stem is roughly $125 per tire. That’s $500 for the set of four. If
your wheel alignment is out, you could lose that $500 in short order.
That’s why you should, at the very least, check wheel alignment before
venturing out on a new set of tires. So how could you lose money by not having an alignment done? By significantly decreasing the life of your new tires. The steering and suspension of your vehicle has wear points. They are bushings, ball & socket joints, and miscellaneous mechanical links. When the steering and suspension system is new and adjusted according to factory specs, the rate at which the tires wear is minimized and the vehicle corners and handles smoothly. Over time, the steering and suspension systems are jostled and hammered (compliments of America’s highways). This produces wear in the parts listed above, causing the alignment to go out from factory specs. This results in poor cornering and handling, and a significant increase in tire wear.
There are three alignment angles that must be in line for the vehicle to handle properly and for minimal tire wear. Carmakers have built adjustment points into the steering and suspension that allow for re-alignment of the front end.
There are three alignment angles: