Have you ever been driving, and your truck keeps pulling to the right when you are steering straight? These indicate your truck wheel alignment is off. Alignment involves keeping the wheels perpendicular to the road. It ensures your tires operate at their maximum potential, and the wheel is parallel to one another for better tire contact with the road. It also prevents wear and tear, expensive suspension repairs down the road, provides better fuel economy and smoother drive.

Misalignment occurs when one or more wheels shift out its original position. Poor driving behavior, environmental conditions, and other factors can cause the wheel to become misaligned. In this blog, Premium Truck And Trailer Repair Inc explain common reasons that cause wheel misalignment.

OVERDUE WHEEL RE-ALIGNMENT

Wheel alignment, wheel straightening, and wheel balancing is vital part of your preventive maintenance services. How often you bring your truck in for an alignment depends on your driving habits, usage, and other factors. But most professionals recommend having it done at least once a year. These provide optimum safety, keep the truck running smoothly and prevent unnecessary damage to your brakes, tires, or other parts.

ACCIDENTS

Accidents are dangerous and can easily affect your wheel alignment. These often occur in serious collisions, but your alignment can change even in a fender bender. Your wheels often experience massive impact when you crash into another vehicle, pole, or other things. And the brunt of the force can knock the wheel out of alignment. Therefore, it is essential to get your truck checked for misalignment after an accident, even if you don’t notice any changes.

WEAR AND TEAR

If you are driving an old truck with high mileage, your misalignment might be due to routine wear and tear. Worn wheel bearings and suspension springs cause your tires to shift from the correct angle, which leads to misalignment. Replacing old parts before they wear out completely will help extend the lifespan of your tires and fix the wheel misalignment. It also helps save money because worn parts won’t cause unnecessary damage.

SPEED BUMPS

Speed bumps are constructed to control speeds in parking lots but, they can also affect wheel alignment. Speed bumps can knock your wheel alignment a jolt out if you have a habit of speeding while driving. When you drive over these bumps, the force of your tires hitting the speed bump can misaligned your wheels. Hence, protect your wheel alignment by driving slower and being cautious going over bumps. Also, beware of situations and driving habits that can hurt your alignment.

POTHOLES

The quality of the roads you frequently drive on also affects your wheel alignment. Bad roads and environmental hazards have taken out many trucks, and you do not want them to take out yours. For example, hitting the same pothole every day may dramatically affect the way your truck wheel alignment. Therefore, you should exercise caution in areas on the road with potholes. Drive slowly over them to protect your truck.