Do you need a wheel alignment after tire rotation?

Let’s be real for a second here: is rotating your tires really all that important to your car’s maintenance? It’s such a simple task, and all four tires are always on the ground anyway, plus you tend to turn both left and right about the same number of times, so what good does it really do?

Why Rotate Your Tires?

Even though your tires are all in contact with the road constantly, they wear at immensely different rates. Failing to rotate them means you will wear them out unevenly, resulting in premature changes and higher operating costs. To be more precise, your front tires wear far faster than your rear ones do.

Your front tires are the ones responsible for turning your car, which means they’re going to shoulder a much greater load. Your outside front tire tends to travel the furthest in any given corner. Over time, as you turn both directions thousands of times, these tires tend to accumulate the miles far faster than the rear tires. Front wheel drive cars feel this effect far more, as they also have to support the weight of the engine.

Signs You Need Tire Alignment?

There are several ways to tell if your vehicle needs tire alignment. These signs include:

• Uneven tread wear:
• Vehicle pulling to the left or right
• Steering wheel vibrates:

Drivers will usually notice uneven tire wear before anything else. When any tire shows more wear and tear than the others, you should schedule a tire rotation. Since the front tires bare most of the engine weight, need to direct the car through turns and handle more braking, it’s completely normal for them to wear out faster. Yet another major indicator for tire rotation is increased vibration and noise as you drive. Vibrations will probably be noticeable throughout the vehicle, but they’ll be the strongest in the steering wheel. When tread is worn very unevenly, you may even notice the vehicle shaking or swaying. Usually swaying happens at lower speeds while shaking is apparent at higher speeds

If you have questions or concerns about getting your vehicle aligned after you have a tire rotation, give us a call at The German Auto Doctor.