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Is it necessary to align the rear wheel? Yes, it is important that all your wheels are straight and pointing in the right direction. Wheel alignment is something you should do at intervals, especially if you travel off-road or drive through rough roads – roads with many potholes or damaged spots.
Rear wheel alignment symptoms refer to the signs your car would most likely show up when the rear wheels are out of position.
Yes, just the rear wheels can go out of position while the front wheels remain straight. When you notice any of these signs, it is important to have the car checked up and, if possible, get it aligned immediately.
Is Rear Wheel Alignment Necessary?
As long as your vehicle’s rear wheels are out of position, alignment is very much necessary; otherwise, you may experience much more difficulty while driving with misaligned rear wheels. Wheel alignment does not basically equal tire alignment, even though the terms may be used interchangeably by some people.
When wheel alignment is mentioned, it actually refers to the repositioning and straightening of the wheel hub and axles that hold the car tires, and not basically re-aligning the car tires’ positions.
Rear wheel alignment means repositioning the rear wheel axle and hub of your vehicle; it is very important if you had hit an obstacle during a reverse or you got hit by someone behind.
Rear Wheel Alignment Symptoms
1. Unable To Keep The Car Straight
One of the clearest signs that your car is due for alignment is when you have to keep swerving the steering wheel to maintain your lane even though you’re on a straight path and running at a low speed.
You’d notice that the car’s rear tires seem to be going sideways – either to the right or to the left – so you have to keep turning the steering wheel into position. This makes driving pretty hard and un-fun. When this keeps happening all the time you drive, go and check the rear wheel for alignment.
2. Shaking or Vibrating Steering Wheel
Unbalanced wheels would cause the steering to shake or vibrate seriously as you drive, even when you’re on a “very” smooth road. The vibration is caused because the wheels are not going in the same direction, which means they are out of alignment.
Of course, when the steering wheel keeps vibrating seriously, the chances of losing control over the car become very high, and the resulting scenario could be very absurd. That said, when you start experiencing stuff like this, you should have the wheels checked for alignment.
3. Uneven Wear On the Rear Tires
When the rear wheel is out of position and not re-align, the rear tires would start to wear out faster than supposed.
You’d notice that your car’s rear tires get torn easily or the threads wear out much faster than the front wheels – and you probably changed all of them at the same time. Uneven tire wear is one of the commonest clear signs that your car wheels are out of position.
4. Loose Steering Wheel
When you get in the car, and the steering seems too loose than usual, that’s a bad sign! A loose steering wheel is a dangerous sign of badly misaligned wheels and should be fixed as soon as possible.
When the steering is too loose, you won’t be able to fully control the tires when turning in corners or maneuvering. If it gets to this point, you ought to act very fast.
5. Squealing Sounds
Another great sign of bad wheel alignment is squealing sounds while driving. If you’re driving, and suddenly, the rear tires keep making a squealing noise, there are higher chances they are unbalanced, and the rear wheel needs to be re-aligned.
Frequently Asked Questions
How To Know You Have Misaligned Wheels?
If you experience any of the signs explained above, it’s obvious that you’ve got misaligned wheels and need to go for wheel alignment. Also, there’s a wheel alignment tool used by mechanics to check if a car’s wheels are rightly in position or out of position.
Can Rear Wheels Be Out Of Alignment?
Irrespective of your car’s drivetrain configuration – AWD, front-wheel drive, or rear-wheel drive – most cars are four-wheel alignable. This implies that only the rear wheel can be out of alignment and can be re-aligned separately.
How Much Is A Rear End Alignment?
If you’re going to get the rear wheel aligned, the cost averages at $100; however, you may pay lesser or higher depending on the workshop you went to get it done. If you’re getting all the wheels aligned, the cost can reach $200.
Summary
Summarily, listed above are the commonest rear wheel alignment symptoms to take note of. When you start experiencing any of these signs, it is important to check in for wheel alignment; the cost is considerably cheap.
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