Square to Rhombus — Sunshine Auto Center

You’ve heard the term, but what does it mean? Your vehicle’s wheel alignment is the relationship between the axles, wheels, and automobile. Think of your car (and its wheel alignment) like a square. If something creates an undue force on those right angles (corners), the shape is skewed and becomes a rhombus. As applied to your suspension system, your wheels are no longer in proper alignment. This means that your automobile can’t perform as well or as safely as it should. Suppose the major suspension angles (camber, caster, toe, and thrust) are off. In that case, you’re also causing excess stress on other components that could result in additional damage. You’re also setting your tires up for premature wear. These issues can become expensive! Before this happens, bring your car to Sunshine Auto Center in Pompano Beach, Florida. Better wheel alignment is just a phone call or mouse click away.

What About That Pothole?

Maybe you’re wondering if hitting a pothole can create the need for a wheel alignment. Though not every encounter is this severe, the answer is yes. The potential is after that a single lousy encounter or an extended series of smaller events. Specifically, slamming a wheel into a deep hole at full speed can bottom out your shocks (meaning that they’ve extended/contracted to their limit). When this happens, the force causes the car to “give” (react) somewhere else. This could cause the suspension angles to skew. Less extreme jolts aren’t likely to cause this in a single event, but over time pothole exposure weakens shocks/suspension and allows for damage to your car’s wheel alignment.

How Will You Know if You Need a Wheel Alignment?

Although a wheel alignment problem may disguise itself briefly, it will tell on itself reasonably soon. If your car’s suspension angles are skewed, you’ll likely begin to notice one or more of the tell-tale signs. For instance, if your steering wheel won’t return to center or seem straight as you drive directly ahead, you could have a wheel alignment problem. Also, squealing tires may indicate this same issue. Another red flag is tires that are worn a lot more in some spots than others. That’s the result of the tires making irregular contact with the road surface (hopping) and is almost always a signal that you need a wheel alignment. Unless you address the problem, you’ll probably have to purchase new tires sooner than you’d like to. Wheel misalignment can become severe, damaging other components and diminishing your ability to control your vehicle. Therefore, don’t ignore the signals your car is sending. Instead, bring it to Sunshine Auto Center for wheel alignment.