Whether commuting to work or driving across the beautiful state of Michigan, your car takes you many places. 

One of the main components of a well functioning car is proper wheel alignment. Correct wheel alignment ensures your car’s steering systems, tires and engine work efficiently to provide a safe car ride. After an accident, you should always check your vehicle for proper wheel alignment.

It is recommended that your car’s wheels be realigned at least once per year, or if your car begins to drift one way while driving. The most convenient time to get your car’s alignment checked is when you get your tires rotated. 

Read below for five benefits of properly aligning your wheels:

• Increase fuel efficiency. Cars with improper wheel alignment suffer a decrease in fuel efficiency by up to 7%. Improper wheel alignment means your wheels don’t work together correctly and your car’s engine works harder to propel you forward, causing a reduction in fuel efficiency.
• Reduce auto repairs. Driving with improper alignment causes your car’s parts to wear unevenly and prematurely. Every time you hit a pothole your car’s suspension and steering systems take the hit. When your wheels aren’t aligned correctly, some take more impact than others causing them to break down prematurely, sending you to the repair shop.
• Increase the life of your tires. Improper wheel alignment causes your car’s tires to damage quickly. With proper alignment your tires work together in harmony and wear that the same pace allowing you to keep your tires for as long as possible.
• Improve car safety. Improper wheel alignment causes unnecessary wear and stress on steering joints, wheel bearings and other steering components. Stress on these auto parts ultimately reduces their effective lifespan and leaves you in risk of harm’s way.
• Experience a smoother drive. If wheels are misaligned it can cause the vehicle to veer to the left or right resulting in a need for the driver to continuously correct the steering. A need for constant steering adjustment to over compensate for bad wheel alignment is tiring, inefficient, distracting and dangerous for both the car and the owner.

If you are unsure if your car’s wheels need to be realigned, consider contacting a professional.

For more information on the benefits of proper wheel alignment from the experts at O’Neill’s Body Shop, please contact us here or call us directly at 616.949.6840.