Wheel Alignment and Tracking in Tyne and Wear

Wheel alignment is the setting of your wheels relative to each other and to the road. Tracking usually means the front wheels, and whether they point straight ahead or slightly in or out. Four-wheel alignment checks all the wheels together, including the rears.

A small error does not feel dramatic, but it quietly chews through tyres and can make a car tiring to drive. At Banks of the Tyne in Hebburn we offer tracking and four-wheel alignment for drivers across Tyne and Wear.

Signs your alignment may be out

The most common clue is the car pulling to one side on a flat, straight road when you lightly hold the wheel. Another is a steering wheel that sits off-centre when you are driving straight.

Tyres tell the story too. Wear on only the inside or outside edge, or a feathered, saw-tooth feel across the tread, often points to an alignment problem.

• Car drifts left or right on a straight road
• Steering wheel crooked when going straight
• Inner or outer tyre edges wearing faster
• Squealing tyres on gentle corners
• Steering feels vague or twitchy

What the job involves

The car is measured on alignment equipment that reads the angles of each wheel against the manufacturer's settings. Where an angle is out, adjustments are made to bring it back within the specified range.

Alignment is not the same as balancing. Balancing deals with vibration from the weight distribution of a wheel and tyre, while alignment deals with the direction the wheels point.

What affects the result

Alignment can only be set properly if the parts holding the wheel are sound. A worn or damaged steering or suspension component can stop an adjustment from holding, or stop it being possible at all. Tyre condition and pressures matter as well, so these are checked first.

A kerb strike, a deep pothole or a recent suspension repair are the usual reasons alignment goes out. The cost depends on the vehicle, whether it is front-only tracking or full four-wheel alignment, and what the inspection finds. We explain it at the estimate.

When not to just realign

If a tyre already shows uneven wear, alignment will stop it getting worse but will not undo damage. Sometimes new tyres are sensible alongside the alignment, and we will say so honestly rather than push it.

If the steering feels loose, knocks over bumps or the car wanders badly, get it checked promptly rather than assuming alignment alone is the cause.