The Many Benefits of Truck Wheel Alignments

Trucks are often driven over rugged terrain, and this makes their wheels especially susceptible to misalignments. In addition to potholes and curbs, uneven surfaces, rocks, and debris that trucks drive over can also throw off their alignment. If your truck's wheels are misaligned, having the issue fixed with a wheel alignment has many benefits.

Experience a More Relaxing Drive

First, having your truck's wheels properly aligned results in a more relaxing driving experience. When either or both wheels are misaligned, they may pull your truck slightly to the side. You have to compensate while driving by constantly adjusting the steering wheel. With a proper alignment, there won't be any drift to the side and you won't have to compensate.

While you'll experience this benefit on every drive you take, it's especially noticeable on long drives. When you have to continually change the steering wheel because your truck is pulling, long-distance drives quickly become tiresome. If you don't have to constantly make adjustments, you're able to enjoy going down the road a little more.

Increase Your Truck's Fuel Efficiency

Second, an alignment will save you money at the gas station — and the amount it saves you can be quite a bit depending on what truck you drive and how much you drive.

Misaligned tires don't roll as they're designed to but instead drag slightly across the road. This effect reduces fuel efficiency by up to 10 percent. That amount is noticeable in any vehicle, but it's particularly substantial when you drive a truck because these vehicles tend to have lower fuel economies than many other models to start with.

Prolong the Life of Your Truck's Tires

Third, the drag that a misalignment causes also reduces the life span of your truck's tires. Even a slight drag from misalignment can cause uneven and excess wear, forcing you to purchase tires more frequently than you otherwise would.

Again, this is an expense that any vehicle owner can appreciate but is more notable if you drive a truck. Whereas the average cost of tires for other vehicles usually falls between $80 and $150, the average price of truck and SUV tires often falls between $100 and $250 — and can reach $350 per tire at times. Some trucks also have six tires rather than four.

Having a service done that will reduce how frequently you need to buy new truck tires will lower your overall vehicle costs and is a wise investment.

Avoid More Expensive Truck Repairs

Fourth, your truck's wheel alignment impacts components in the suspension. When the alignment is off, the struts, shocks, and other parts in the suspension are more likely to be damaged and need repair. The average cost of fixing a suspension is around $1,342 to $1,440 for many models, according to Repair Pal. That's many times more than what an alignment normally runs.

Keep Your Truck Safe

Finally and most importantly, having properly aligned tires is an essential part of maintaining a safe vehicle. Because the suspension affects steering, it can impact your ability to control your truck while driving. The impact and danger are more pronounced at high speeds — when colliding with another vehicle, a stationary object, or an animal is extremely dangerous.

This benefit alone justifies having an alignment done whenever your truck's wheels are misaligned. Accidents can result in hundreds or thousands of dollars in expenses, and their true cost frequently goes beyond mere dollars. When injuries are at risk, the responsible thing to do is have the necessary service done.

To have a wheel alignment done on your truck, contact the automotive technicians at BRAKEmax.