How Often Should Your Car Get a Routine Alignment?

A wheel alignment is an important part of your GMC’s maintenance schedule. It involves checking and correcting the alignment of your wheels to ensure that they’re in the correct position for safety and efficiency. As your GMC dealer, we want to tell you more about why you should get a routine alignment.

Advice From Your GMC Dealer: What Is a Routine Alignment for Your Wheels?

What Is a Wheel Alignment?

Your axles are straight, and your wheels should be perpendicular to your axles. When you first drive away in your car, the wheels are perpendicular. Over time, wear and tear or possible damage to the wheels or tires can alter the angle of your wheels. This places additional strain on the tires, braking system, axles, suspension, and other car components.

During a wheel alignment, we connect your wheels to our computerized alignment machine. The machine will make a series of adjustments to the angle of each wheel until all your wheels are perpendicular to the axle.

Why Do You Need a Wheel Alignment?

The angle of each wheel in relation to the axle is determined by its camber and toe. The camber of a wheel is the position of the wheel viewed from the front. A positive camber means that the wheel points outwards, while a negative camber means the wheel points inwards. The toe position is the angle of a wheel viewed from above. A toe-in wheel means the wheel points inward, while a toe-out wheel points outwards.

As we’ve seen, your wheels should all be perfectly perpendicular to the axle and point directly forward. In this situation, your fuel efficiency is highest, wear and tear on the axles and wheels is greatly reduced, and your tires will suffer much less wear. An incorrect camber or toe angle, in contrast, will wear down the tire tread faster and provide resistance when you drive.

When Should You Get a Wheel Alignment?

Generally, a wheel alignment should be performed every 6,000 miles. This figure can vary between GMC models based on your vehicle’s body type, drivetrain, and driving conditions. The correct wheel alignment schedule is listed in your car’s manual. In some cases, for example, if you’ve bumped a curb, you may need to get a wheel alignment earlier than expected.

Signs You Need a Wheel Alignment

It can sometimes be difficult to determine if your wheels are correctly aligned simply by looking at them. We’ve listed some signs you need to come in for an alignment.

• Your car is pulling to one side
• The tire tread is wearing unevenly
• Your steering wheel vibrates

An alignment can increase the lifespan of your tires, reduce damage to the steering and braking systems, and increase fuel efficiency. Call our service department today at Crain Buick GMC.

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