How To Deal With Wheel Misalignment Issues In Your Lexus

Wheel alignment is the process of adjusting the angles of wheels to match the manufacturer’s specifications. Most car manufacturers align the wheels of their vehicles to improve performance and road handling.

Your Lexus wheels are typically aligned directly parallel to each other, allowing your tires to share the load of your car equally. However, if your tires become misaligned, serious complications can occur.

Recognizing the symptoms of misalignment and treating them as soon as possible goes a long way in ensuring the longevity of your tires and the optimal performance of your vehicle. This article will go through the causes of misalignment, signs of wheel misalignment, and how best to deal with these issues.

Causes of Wheel Misalignment

Numerous factors can cause your wheels to become misaligned, some of which include:

• The impact from hitting curbs or speeding through potholes, or bumps.
• Wear and tear on your vehicle’s suspension over time. This wear affects the wheel alignment and can cause uneven tire wear.
• Collisions, even minor curb impacts.

Signs of Misaligned Wheels

Misalignment is critical to detect, because even a minor misalignment can result in significant tire wear discrepancies and cost you unnecessary expenses on hastened tire change. These warning signs are often ignored because they are not always as evident as they appear.

Steering Wheel Vibration

You may feel vibrations in the steering wheel due to poor wheel alignment. As you drive, these vibrations can spread throughout the rest of your vehicle. The steering wheel may become difficult to turn and maneuver, and you may notice that moving straight ahead is difficult due to the wheels pulling in different directions.

Squealing Tires

Your tires may begin to squeal when the vehicle accelerates or makes curves when they are due for alignment. The camber and toe settings determine each wheel’s alignment with the ground and the other wheels on the car. If one of these deviates from its normal position, it can cause excessive friction, resulting in various strange noises, squealing, and other noises coming from the wheels.

While other factors can also cause squealing, it is best to visit a mechanic to determine the cause of the issue.

Vehicle Pulling to Either Side

If your vehicle begins pulling to one side when driving, then the wheels must be adjusted. If the problem is left unattended, driving straight will become more complicated, and you may even cross into other lanes if you do not keep a firm grip on the steering wheel. The worse the alignment, the more your vehicle pulls away from a straight line.

Crooked Steering Wheels

A crooked steering wheel often indicates that your vehicle is out of alignment. Your steering wheel was made to center and to always return to the center after turning. Checking your steering wheel alignment while driving down a straight road to see if the logo in the middle is centered is a simple test for this.

Uneven Tire Wear

When it comes to problems with wheel alignment, tire wear patterns can often act as an early indicator. Examine the tread depth on both sides of your vehicle’s tires. If one side appears to be more worn than the other, an alignment issue is likely.

Camber adjustment issues are typically indicated by wear on the outside or inside edges, whereas toe adjustment issues are characterized by feathering or scalloped patterns.

How To Deal With Your Lexus Misalignment

When your vehicle is misaligned, you will notice that steering and handling become more challenging and your vehicle performance will be worse. Driving straight also becomes difficult, braking becomes dangerous, and your tires degrade much faster than expected. In the end, the longer you wait to get your alignment done, the more money it will cost you.

A regular wheel alignment will go a long way in ensuring the optimal performance of your vehicle. Wheel alignment issues require the use of specialized equipment to diagnose and rectify, which is why you should rely on specialized auto mechanics.

Lexus drivers in Bellevue, WA, and the surrounding areas of Seattle rely on Landmark Motors for expert servicing and maintenance. Reach out to us today, and we will provide you with the assistance you require, with quick service at a reasonable cost.

* Lexus Car image credit goes to: Robert vt Hoenderdaal.