Wheel Alignment - What Is It & Is It Worth It?
Ellie Dyer-Brown, 18 days ago
3 min read
- Wheels
- Tyres
FixMyCar discusses the benefits of wheel alignment, what it involves and what it costs.
Wheel alignment prolongs the life of your tyres and limits damage to the suspension and braking systems. It also affects your car's fuel efficiency.
The advice in this guide will help you understand how wheel alignment works, how much it costs and why it matters.
Contents
When should I get my wheels aligned?
What causes wheel misalignment?
Is wheel alignment the same as tracking
What's the difference between wheel alignment and wheel balancing?
What happens during a wheel alignment?
How long does a wheel alignment take?
What is wheel alignment?
Wheel alignment is an often overlooked aspect of car maintenance. It involves the mechanical adjustment of a vehicle’s suspension to alter the angle and direction of the tyres.
Car manufacturers set the optimum alignment for each model to influence the vehicle’s handling and performance.
Alignment terminology
There are a few terms you need to be aware of to understand how a wheel alignment works.
Toe in and toe out
"Toe" is about how the front of the tyres is positioned in relation to the rear of the tyres. Incorrect toe alignment can make your car pull to one side.
Toe in - this means the front of the tyres are closer together than the rear.
Toe out - the rear of the tyres are closer together than the front.
Negative and positive camber
"Camber" is the inward or outward tilt of a tyre. The optimal camber is set by the car manufacturer, but it can be affected by hitting potholes and may need adjusting occasionally.
Positive camber - the tops of the tyres are further apart than the bottoms (slanting in a v-shape).
Negative camber - the bottoms of the tyres are further apart than the tops (slanting in an a-shape).
Benefits of wheel alignment
Wheel alignment comes with numerous benefits.
1. Longer tyre life
When your wheels are incorrectly aligned, even to a small degree, it has a knock-on effect on your tyres, resulting in accelerated and uneven wear. The faster your tyres become worn, the sooner you’ll have to replace them. That’s why booking a wheel alignment is often cost-effective in the long run; it will save you from having to replace your tyres frequently.
Find out how to check your tyre tread with the 20p test.
2. Better fuel economy
Misaligned wheels mean your car has to work harder due to increased rolling resistance, which ultimately uses more fuel. According to Investopedia, your mileage could increase by 10% when your wheels aren’t correctly aligned.
Owning a car is expensive enough - nobody wants to spend more money on fuel than they have to.
3. Improved handling
Driving on misaligned wheels makes everything harder, including steering. You may have to hold the wheel at an unnatural angle to steer, which is uncomfortable and dangerous. After a wheel alignment, there will be a noticeable improvement in how your car responds when you turn the wheel.
4. Smoother drive
Severely misaligned wheels often seem to fight against each other (and you), pulling to one side or the other and dragging even when you put your foot down. You may notice excessive vibration and bumps, making every drive uncomfortable.
Booking a wheel alignment will ensure every drive is smooth and enjoyable - like your car is working with you rather than against you.
5. Fewer repairs
Almost any driver would answer “yes” to the question, “Would you like to have fewer car repairs?”. Well, a wheel alignment is an easy way to make that happen.
Having misaligned wheels doesn’t just negatively affect your tyres; it can also impact your suspension, brakes and transmission. If you ignore the problem for long enough, you may end up spending more repairing these components than you’d have paid for a wheel alignment.
When should I get my wheels aligned?
In an ideal world, your wheel alignment should be checked once a year - this often happens during a full service.
However, not everybody manages to keep to this schedule, and many drivers simply forget. That’s why it’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with the signs that you need a wheel alignment:
Uneven or rapid tyre wear
Vibrating or off-centre steering wheel
Squealing tyres
Is wheel alignment necessary?
Maintaining the correct wheel alignment is necessary for the safety and longevity of your vehicle. Even if you don’t get your alignment checked annually, you should never ignore the signs listed above.
What causes wheel misalignment?
Most of the time, wheel misalignment is caused by a car’s suspension since sudden jolts and impacts can throw components out of alignment, which affects how your wheels are positioned.
Things that can cause wheel misalignment include:
Accidents and collisions.
Hitting potholes, kerbs and speed bumps, especially when you’re driving quickly.
Worn components like suspension springs.
Vehicle height modifications.
Is wheel alignment the same as tracking?
Tracking is another word for wheel alignment; they both refer to the process of altering the direction and angle of a car’s wheels.
What’s the difference between wheel alignment and wheel balancing?
Although they sound similar and are both designed to ensure the long-term health of your wheels, wheel tracking and balancing are two different things.
Wheel balancing aims to distribute the weight of the wheels evenly on each axle and involves attaching small weights to a wheel’s rim. Doing this helps to balance inconsistencies.
Wheel alignment, on the other hand, focuses on the position of the wheels in relation to each other and the road.
What happens during a wheel alignment?
A qualified and experienced technician should carry out wheel alignments. Repair centres often have a specialist wheel alignment machine to measure the position of the wheels in relation to each other.
The measurements are compared to those specified by your car’s manufacturer, and adjustments are made as necessary. The technician considers the following factors when doing this:
Negative and positive camber - this is the ‘tilt’ of the tyre towards the vehicle or outward.
Negative or positive caster - this refers to the angle created by the steering’s pivot point.
Toe-in and toe-out - these terms describe the angles of the front tyres compared to the back of the tyres.
How long does a wheel alignment take?
You’ll be pleased to know wheel alignment is not a lengthy process. It typically takes around an hour or less for a front-wheel alignment and slightly longer for a four-wheel alignment, particularly if the mechanic finds worn-out suspension components that need replacing.
How much does a wheel alignment cost?
A wheel alignment typically costs between £30 and £150. It depends on your make and model of car, the labour rate, and whether you want the front, rear or front and rear wheels aligning.
The average price for a front and rear alignment on FixMyCar is £83.25.
A front alignment costs £45.84 on average
A rear alignment costs £66.95 on average
Front and rear alignment are both important for vehicle handling and tyre wear. However, the front wheels require adjustments more frequently because they have a bigger impact on steering and stability.
Price by make
The table below shows how prices for a front and rear alignment vary depending on your make of car.
| Car Make | Average Price |
|---|---|
| Audi | £86.82 |
| BMW | £84.19 |
| Citroen | £80.66 |
| Ford | £80.14 |
| Mercedes | £87.40 |
| MINI | £84.07 |
| Nissan | £85.47 |
| Peugeot | £81.38 |
| Renault | £83.24 |
| Toyota | £83.97 |
| Vauxhall | £81.37 |
| Volkswagen | £82.61 |
| Volvo | £86.50 |
Book a wheel alignment
If you think your car needs a wheel alignment, FixMyCar is here to help you find the right garage at the right price.
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Written by Ellie
Ellie is FixMyCar's Content Writer. She has over three years of experience writing about cars and regularly collaborates with automotive experts to provide trustworthy advice for drivers in a language they understand. Her work has been featured in Yahoo! Finance, iNews, The Daily Express and The Sun. She has a BA in English literature and an MA in creative writing from Durham University. Outside of work, Ellie follows F1 and eagerly awaits Ferrari's next era of dominance in the sport. She drives a Suzuki Swift.