Get a wheel alignment every 12,000 miles or once every 2 years, whichever comes first. Other automotive manufacturers suggest having it aligned every 6,000 miles, which is approximately once a year for the average city driver.
Your wheels can become misaligned in any number of different non avoidable ways. Getting into a fender bender or an accident, running over a curb, driving through a pothole; these are all examples.
Because your wheels are slightly misaligned, those put together create unnecessary wear on the tires, fuel economy, and steering. From time to time, a realignment will help the vehicle operate at peak performance.
The average cost for a wheel alignment is from $50-$200. Typically, it is about $25-$50 per wheel. If you drive a front wheeled car, then the two front wheels will need to be aligned. Here, how much your mechanic charges is the foremost in determining cost.
The table below will help quickly compare the approximate estimates for wheel alignment from various reputable suppliers:
| Supplier | Tire Alignment Cost |
|---|---|
| YourMechanic | $94-$114 |
| Midas | $69.99-$99.99 |
| Valvoline | $80 |
| Firestones | $80-$190 |
| Jiffy Lube | $69.99+ |
| Pep Boys | $74.99-$129.99 |
Wheel alignment is also called tire alignment. This article explains how it is a necessary process for the general maintenance of the vehicle. But what is it exactly?
What is wheel alignment?
Simply put, wheel alignment is the adjustment of the vehicle’s wheels angles in conjunction with the designer specifications.
These adjustments allow the wheels to be perpendicular to the ground and parallel to each other. This allows for easier steering of the car and could lessen tire damage.
Thus, when you come across the phrases, “Four Wheel Alignment” or “Two Wheel Alignment, that is what they concern.
- Four Wheel Alignment: All four wheels are adjusted, hence the name. Generally done on four wheel drives or vehicles that have independent rear suspension systems.
- Two Wheel Alignment: It is a front-end alignment which deals with the front wheels only. This is typical for vehicles having a solid rear axle.
Mechanics use a specialized machine that goes by “Alignment Machine” to do these adjustments. It measures the steering angle of wheels, the swivel angle of the axis of the suspension system, the direction they point to, and other factors.
What Happens During an Alignment?
Once the customer brings the car to the shop, the first session starts by performing a visual inspection with an alignment machine to analyze the angles’ value at the caster, camber and toe.
- Caster: The angle which is formed by the steering mechanism’s top and lower ball joint. This angle helps autos steer to the proper height and enables better productivity when the vehicle is moving at high speeds.
- Camber: The angles formed by the road and the tire. How much of the tire touches the road and how the tire wears camber could influence.
- Toe: This is the angle formed between the tires, setting it affects the wear of the tires and the efficiency while turning.
The next step is to check how the angles set differ from the angles given by the manufacturer.
Other mechanics will often test the vehicle by taking it for a drive to check for signs of alignment problums. These may present as vibrations in the steering wheel or veering of the car in either direction when the steering wheel is not being actively turned.
The analysis is subsequently followed by the technician placing the vehicle in an alignment rack where he or she mounts targets to the wheel ends. After that, the technician puts the machine to control the caster, camber, and toe angles relative to each other as specified by the vehicle manufacturer and sets them to the specified ranges.
After most mechanics have fixed the vehicle, they usually take it for a test drive to check the new repairs and adjustments made to the vehicle.
Signs That Your Car Needs a Wheel Alignment
Apart from regularly checking the calendar, how can you know a vehicle is ready for a wheel alignment? Sometimes, the vehicle will provide feedback. Some of the examples include:
- If the car pulls to the left or right side while you are driving
- If the steering wheel appears to be shaking
- If even after driving straight, the steering wheel is still tilted.
Moreover, if you check the tire and find it overly worn on either the inner or outer side, making it appear worn unevenly, it suggests that possibly a wheel alignment is necessary.
How Much Does A Wheel Alignment Cost?
In $50 to $168 range, a national average price for a complete wheel alignment service has been estimated. However, pricing can shift depending on location and type of alignment.
Moreover, this should be done at least once a year, however, it may need to be done even more based on driving habits and conditions. Potholes, gravel roads, and off-road driving are quite rough on vehicle alignment.
In Kelley Blue Book, the table below demonstrates how average price varies with location and car’s make, model, and brand.
| Make and model | Wichita, Kansas | Los Angeles | Albany, New York |
| 2017 Jeep Wrangler | $137-$161. | $148-$174. | $142-$165. |
| 2017 Infiniti Q70 | $159-$187. | $170-$200. | $163-$191. |
| 2017 Chevrolet Tahoe | $138-$162. | $149-$175. | $143-$167. |
| 2017 Ford F150 | $142-$166. | $154-$180. | $146-$172. |
| 2017 Lexus LS | $163-$191. | $175-$205. | $167-$197. |
| 2017 Land Rover Range Rover | $254-$298. | $265-$311. | $258-$302. |
While some shops will perform free alignment checks while work is being done, all mechanics will charge for the alignment.
Factors That Impact Alignment Cost
The cost of an alignment depends on several factors:
- The number of wheels. A front-end alignment, which is only two wheels aligned (the two wheels on the front of the car), will typically cost anywhere between $50-75. Four wheels aligned typically cost more, usually $100-$175.
- Type of car. If your model requires specialized equipment, has a design that makes the job more difficult and time-consuming or is a luxury vehicle, service will cost more.
- Extra services. Other repairs that a mechanic may do before an alignment, like suspension work, tire balancing, or any other services that are considered extra, will also increase the cost.
- Local labor costs. Your area and how much local mechanics charge will determine the expense of the alignment.
- Alignment packages. If you purchase an automotive shop package, like Pepboys or Firestone, you can also receive ‘lifetime alignment service’ offers, which means you pay a single cost for alignments that are done every 6 months or 6,000 miles.
How Often Do I Need Wheel Alignment?
You must check the alignment of the car every six months or 6,000 miles. Do not go beyond 10,000 miles without an alignment check in terms of mileage.
As long as the tires are rotated, the alignment can be checked. If one or more tires have been replaced, then the alignment check needs to be done to ensure that the tires wear properly.
Good alignment saves you from replacing the tires too soon, and it also helps with preventing these problems from forming with the steering or suspension system.
Importance of Regular Wheel Alignment
Wheel alignment is as necessary as any other car alignment issue, but why is it important? Let’s analyze that further.
Keeping Tires in Top Condition
When your tires aren’t aligned diagonally, they can go bald prematurely and unevenly, which is not beneficial.
From my experience as a professional in passenger car and truck wheels, tires are not inexpensive, which makes this cost an issue. It is much easier to perform wheel alignments than to change tires that went out too soon because of wrong alignment.
A different way to think about it:
Properly Aligned Tires = Even Tire Wear = Longer Tire Life.
The money you would save can instead be spent elsewhere and still ensure that the tires being used are safe.
Improved Gas Mileage
Here’s something you might not have thought about – gas mileage can be affected by the alignment of the wheels!
A car with misaligned tires puts extra strain on the engine, which in turn burns more fuel and costs more money.
What’s even more interesting is that improperly aligned wheels create more rolling resistance. The car has to exert greater force to overcome this resistance and as a result burns more fuel.
To put it simply:
- Properly Aligned Tires = Lower Rolling Resistance = Improved Gas Mileage
That’s right! Regular wheel alignment checks can save money at the gas station. Yes, believe it or not, having well-aligned wheels leads to less fuel consumption.
Safer Driving
Not everything needs to be reduced to dollars and cents. Considering safety is also important. Having your alignment set can make your vehicle easier to control, which is crucial for unfavorable weather conditions or emergencies.
Driving with misaligned wheels is permissible but not advisable. This can have serious consequences. Thus, doing regular wheel alignments is necessary for maintaining safety.
Steering and Suspension Health
In other words, steering and suspension systems are fundamentally important for the vertical suspension and steering of the vehicle’s body. Aligned wheels do make driving easier. But misaligned wheels can cause stress which makes such components difficult to manage.
Many people tend to postpone repairs for the steering and suspension systems as they consider them too expensive. Routine steer scrubbing checks save you from unnecessary adjustments by determining if unneeded changes need to be made.
In summary, regular wheel alignments are crucial for:
- Prolonging the life of your tires
- Saving money on gas
- Ensuring safer driving
- Maintaining your car’s steering and suspension systems
What’s The Difference Between Wheel Alignment vs. Wheel Balancing?
Balancing pertains to correcting the imbalance of a wheel at a certain distance from an object by rotating the weight around its axis.
Realignment requires taking no action to balance the wheels, as all effort goes to maneuvering the tires.
The vehicle’s wheels must be balanced properly, otherwise, it can result in unwanted vibrations, excessive wear of the tires, and many issues with the car’s suspension. Depending on your driving style, whee balance may also need to be done Automatically at every 6,000 miles, approximately.
To ensure proper functioning of the vehicle, its wheels need to aligned so that the car works within the right parameters. Proper alignment helps to reduce tire wear and prolongs their lifecycle.
These services do not all relate help with the same problem, so they can be done separately, however, we recommend getting them done together at the same service station. In reality, many tire shops provide a bundled service, and it is worth it as it helps keep costs low. Consider bundling wheel maintenance services to take the most advantage.
The bottom line
Yes, alignment services can seem expensive, but nothing like the costs you will incur if you skip it altogether.
Failing to perform these actions leads to premature tire replacement, and at times, they can also help damage the suspension due to improper driving with misaligned tires.
Spending around a hundred dollars every year on tire alignment down the total cost spend on repairs by a lot.