Ask a Technician: What is ‘Healthy’ Alignment, Balance, and Rotation?

Day to day, it’s easy to take for granted the ability to maintain full control of your vehicle. Your vehicle’s alignment, balance, and rotation are largely responsible for this control. For your safety behind the wheel, proper maintenance of these systems is essential.

Healthy Alignment, Balance, and Rotation

If your car is running smoothly on the road, with no shaking or side-to-side movement, your alignment, balance, and rotation will most likely receive a clean bill of health. Make sure to note any changes you notice when steering, however. Even a slight favoring of one side of the road could mean a much bigger alignment problem down the road.

Unhealthy Alignment, Balance, and Rotation

If you notice these symptoms, take your car in for an alignment and balance check-up.

Shaking of the car is likely a sign of imbalance. The shaking will get worse with speed and necessitates a prompt service visit.

Leaning to one side of the road without steering that direction is the tell-tale sign of an alignment issue. Left untreated, misalignment could worsen over time and affect your control over your vehicle. As with any imbalance, favoring one side results in uneven tire tread and increased rate of wear. Regular tire rotation will distribute the stress to the rest of the tire and result in more even wear over time.

Loss of control is a red flag signaling something is definitely wrong. If you feel as if your car is not responding properly, or your steering is unresponsive, get off the road as soon as possible and call for help.

To avoid danger on the road, a regular alignment, balance, and tire rotation check is a safe bet. Schedule a visit at our service department to control your vehicle with confidence.