Back to all

Line Them Up: Wheel Alignment Service at Tuffy TIre & Auto Service Center Orland Park

June 28, 2022

Hello Orland Park! Let's talk about alignment. One of the most important parts of preventive maintenance for your vehicle is keeping the wheels in alignment. Poor alignment causes your tires to wear unevenly, which can significantly reduce their lifespan. This means you will have to replace them more often, which can be costly for drivers in Orland Park.

It can even damage your suspension system, which is costly to repair. But even more importantly, uneven tread wear can lead to blowouts on the road, a dangerous and potentially deadly safety risk for Orland Park drivers and their passengers.

It may not take an accident or bad driving habits to “knock” your tires out of alignment. Tires can go out of alignment with just everyday Illinois driving. Orland Park road hazards, pot holes, uneven or gravel roads, and even the bumps and bounces of normal Orland Park roads and surface streets can gradually put your vehicle tires out of alignment.

So it's good auto advice to have your vehicle's alignment inspected periodically. Your vehicle's owner's manual will have recommendations on how often you should get an alignment check: usually every year or two. But if you think your vehicle tires might be out of alignment, you should bring your vehicle into Tuffy TIre & Auto Service Center Orland Park now.

When you bring your vehicle in for an alignment, your technician at Tuffy TIre & Auto Service Center Orland Park will start by inspecting the steering and suspension systems. If something is broken or damaged there, it will need to be fixed in order to get good alignment of the wheels.

If all looks good in the steering and suspension departments, the vehicle will then be put on an alignment rack where an initial alignment reading is taken. The wheels can then be aligned to the vehicle manufacturer's specifications. The ideal alignment for any vehicle is set by its engineers and may vary from vehicle to vehicle.

There are three types of adjustments that may have to be made to correctly align a vehicle's tires. The first is called “toe.” This refers to tires that are out of alignment because they point inward or outward at the front of the tire. Think of a person who is pigeon-toed or splay-footed, and you get the idea.

The second adjustment is the camber. This adjustment affects the angle at which the tires meet the road. Think of a solid building in contrast to the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

The last adjustment is the castor. This adjustment measures the angle of the tire in relation to the front axles. So, a piece of auto advice that just might be good for life as well: keep everything in alignment, and you'll be able to steer where you want to go. Drive safely.

 Tuffy TIre & Auto Service Center Orland Park
7900 W. 159th St.
Orland Park, Illinois 60462
708-444-2966

More articles from Tuffy Orland Park

Not-So-Common Sense (Sensor Failures)

April 14, 2024

So your vehicle won't start. What's the first thing that comes to mind? Battery dead? Starter motor worn out? Out of gas? Well, those are all reasons that make sense. But your vehicle may be refusing to start because one of its computers is being warned that to do so might damage it. Here's ... More

What Is an EGR Valve? (EGR Valve Service)

April 7, 2024

If you've ever felt your vehicle hesitate, go, then hesitate again, you might think there's something wrong with the transmission. After all, it's not moving smoothly down the road. But there are plenty of malfunctions that can cause those symptoms, one of them being something you may have nev... More

Tuffy TIre & Auto Service Center Orland Park Automotive Tips: Diagnostic Service

March 31, 2024

Imagine waking up one morning with a stomach ache. You pick up the phone, call the doctors office and say, Ive got a really bad tummy ache. How much will it cost to make me feel better? Of course you wouldnt do that. You know that there could be a lot of reasons for your symptoms and that the doc... More