Jeep Alignment in Colorado Springs

What Is an Alignment?

In order to fully understand the importance of having your tires aligned properly, it's useful to first understand exactly what we mean when talking about tire alignment. First of all, when people refer to "getting a tire alignment," they are talking about adjusting your vehicle's suspension. An alignment adjustment does not directly alter the wheels on your vehicle or the tires wrapped around them, but the suspension––the components that connect the wheels to the rest of your vehicle.

The second thing you should know is that there are actually three different measurements involved with the alignment of your vehicle's wheels. When you bring your Jeep to us to have your alignment checked, our experts will take a look at all three measurements to see how they are aligned. If there are issues with any of them, we will make adjustments to fix your alignment. The three measurements we look at are:

• Camber: If you look at your vehicle from the front, facing its headlights and grille, the camber is how much the wheels are angled inwards or outward toward the center of your vehicle. Positive camber means the top of the wheel is angled out away from your car, while negative camber means the top is angled in toward the center of your car.
• Toe: If you were to look down at your vehicle from above, the toe is how the wheels are angled towards or away from each other. "Toe in" means the front edge of the wheels point in towards the center of your Jeep, while "toe out" means they angle out.
• Caster: This is harder to picture, but the caster is how the steering axis is angled when viewed from the side of your car. Positive caster means the steering axis is angled toward the back of your Jeep, while negative caster means it is angled toward the front of your vehicle.

Proper alignment requires that all three of these are set correctly. Any issues with one of them can create problems for you on the road, though it is likely that two or all three can be a bit out of whack. Having your alignment fixed makes your driving experience a lot better.

Why Is an Alignment Important?

Tire alignment is one of those things that you won't notice until something goes wrong. It is like having good tires or clean engine oil––having the correct alignment gives you the driving experience you should expect. Improper alignment is where things go wrong, and while none of it is necessarily catastrophic, it can create a lot of minor issues that impact your driving experience in different ways.

If the alignment is off, it can degrade your vehicle's performance, resulting in reduced fuel economy and handling. This is one of those things you might not notice at first, especially on its own, but it adds up and can become a real issue. Numerous things can impact your vehicle's performance and efficiency, so if you need an oil change, have old tires on your car, and your alignment is off, you might be stopping for gas a lot more often than you should.

However, one of the biggest reasons alignment is important is that it directly impacts how your vehicle handles while on the road. If your alignment is off, driving becomes a lot more work since you have to fight against your car to get where you are going. Improper alignment can make driving more demanding and tiring, which is bad if you are already tired after a long day at work or while on a road trip. In addition, improper alignment can make your vehicle less safe on the road since it is no longer driving the way it was designed to and making you work against it.

Signs Your Alignment Needs Adjusting

While it is a good idea to have your alignment regularly checked during scheduled service, like oil changes and tire rotations, there are some signs you can watch for to let you know that you need to have your alignment adjusted ahead of schedule. These signs may develop slowly over time or you might notice them appear suddenly after hitting a pothole or curb. They include:

• Uneven wear on your tires.
• Your vehicle pulling to the left or right.
• Noticing that your steering wheel is off-center.
• Excess steering wheel vibration.

The great thing about an alignment adjustment is that it is an inexpensive procedure that can be done quickly and easily. Getting an alignment does not require any new parts for your vehicle and our technicians use advanced laser alignment machines to get precise measurements in no time. This is not a major issue that will eat up an entire Saturday or have your vehicle off the road for a week or two. However, if you ignore alignment issues, they will result in bigger and more expensive problems down the road.

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