What is wheel alignment or 'tracking'?

What is wheel alignment?

Wheel alignment (or tracking) is an important part of car maintenance. It refers to the angle and direction at which your tyres are set.

At Halfords Autocentres, we use specialist equipment to accurately adjust the front wheels of your vehicle. Your wheels need to be aligned to the recommended position as outlined in your vehicle's manufacturer specification.

Hitting kerbs or driving at speed through a pothole can result in wheel misalignment. Poorly aligned tyres can affect road holding and decrease the life of your tyres, so it's really important to check your wheels regularly.

Do I need wheel alignment?

Have you noticed difficulties with steering, or your vehicle pulling to one side? Are your tyres wearing on one side more than the other? These symptoms are classic signs of wheel misalignment.

Watch out for:

• Uneven or abnormal tyre wear
• Drag or pulling to one side
• Steering wheel vibration
• Scrubbing or squealing noises at low speeds

A tyre that is 'toed in' will show wear on the outer shoulder of the tyre, while a tyre that is 'toed out' will show wear on the inner shoulder. Different types of vehicles require different toe settings to allow for the way that wheels either pull towards each other or apart.

Tyre wear is not the only area of your car that can suffer if your wheels are incorrectly aligned. Braking distance, driving quality and fuel consumption are all affected.

What's included?

Our expert technicians will check the direction and angle at which your tyres are set.

Please note that our technicians will only check the two front wheels for incorrect wheel alignment. Usually this will be enough to resolve the issue, however, in some cases, all four wheels will require alignment. If so, a full quote will be provided before any additional work is carried out.

How long does it take?

Wheel Alignment at Halfords Autocentres takes between 45 minutes and an hour.

Book Wheel Alignment today

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