Do you need a front end alignment after replacing struts

“Do you need an alignment after replacing struts” is a question that many people are interested in on automotive forums. Some car owners are quite confused by this problem.

So is it necessary or not? What is the basis for the determination? All will be in the article below. Scroll down and get the detailed answer.

YES. The main function of the strut mounts is to reduce the flex of the chassis when cornering, thanks to a link with the two ends of the fork.

The sharper the turn at high speed, the greater the centrifugal force generated; even the situation of car flipping is completely possible.

That’s why drivers need a suitable sturt bar to reduce the difference between the wheels and balance their grip.

When someone asks you “Do I need a wheel alignment after replacing struts”, the answer is usually YES. Why do we say “usually”? Because it depends on your suspension.

Adjustment can affect wheel alignment, reducing ride comfort and causing the vehicle to vibrate. It would help if you only did it when you:

• Get an offer from a vehicle manufacturer
• Edited some details that are different from the original texture
• Intend to change tires.

So, how to replace struts without needing alignment? When the wear between the tires is even, and your car doesn’t wobble, you may not need to think about it.

For those who do not have much knowledge, please do not rush to do anything; let’s ask the fixers in alignment shops.

What Happens If Your Wheels Aren’t Aligned?

As noted above, the decision depends on the suspension status. Don’t delay when your car needs alignment after replacing struts. Otherwise, it will lead to some annoying problems while driving.

Untimely Tear Tire 

Tires are an important part responsible for bearing the load of the vehicle body and surrounding forces. Therefore, the uneven wear of car tires affects the operation process and endangers the user.

Besides the condition of use, unbalanced wheels, improper tire pressure, and improper wheel alignment are also a cause.

There are three parameters that the driver needs to pay attention to vertical tilt angle (Caster), horizontal tilt angle (Camber plate), and pinch (Toe).

• Misalignment of horizontal tilt angle: causes one part of the inside or outside of the tire to wear more than the other side. This case is called Camber wear.
• Misalignment of vertical tilt: One side of the tread has lower wear than the other, causing the tire to “ruffle”.
• Bad alignment of toe: leads to heel or tire wear. From the outside, you will notice that one side of the tread block wears out faster than the other.

Accidents

Using a tire without alignment after strut replacement can cause misalignment of the wheel or loss of control.

The situation where the car is no longer under the driver’s direction is extremely difficult; it forces us to pull over to the side of the road to check.

This is quite inconvenient when you are traveling on busy roads or highways.

And yet, driving such cars in bad weather conditions like buying storms, sleet, and bad terrain, will make things worse. Many accidents have occurred, with the cause determined to be due to this fault.

Steering Vibration

The car steering system is one of the seven basic systems, playing the most important role in the control systems.

It has the function of keeping the car moving according to the desired trajectory of the driver or changing the direction of the vehicle’s movement.

If you experience a shaking steering wheel, it is better to do the alignment check first because this is one of the four main causes of this phenomenon.

The steering wheel will start to shake when the car is at 80km/h and begin to shake more strongly at 100km/h.

Too Much Fuel Usage

Automakers consider making their products use as little fuel as possible when designing. But when there is any structural deviation, this breaks. It means you will have to receive more gas bills than usual.

Tire Squeal

In addition to the sound of the engine, the noise emitted by the tires is another way for the car to “communicate”.

When you brake hard, turn sharply, or accelerate quickly, you will most likely hear the screeching sound of your tires.

But if you are moving at normal speed and still hear the noise, the cause may lie in the “incorrect” wheel alignment.

How Often Should You Get Wheel Alignment?

Depending On The Road

We stated that wheel alignment necessary after strut replacement. However, most automakers do not include wheel adjustment services in their maintenance programs.

To ensure their safety, drivers often bring cars to the garage randomly without any basis. This can be a wasteful action when your car is not yet in need of repair. So when is the right time?

After The Crash

When having a traffic accident, the damage to the cars is inevitable. Depending on the severity of the incident, your car can be damaged to different degrees.

Even with minor collisions, you should take your car to the garage for inspection.

The front end is often the first place of contact in a crash, so the suspension and wheels are the most affected parts.

In addition to losing the beauty or price of the car when you intend to give up the car, seemingly innocuous errors can damage a whole mechanical system.

In the long run, it affects the vehicle’s quality, safety, and life.

After Replace Tires

When getting a new one from the tire shop, wheel alignment isn’t required, but it’s a good idea, if not a very good one. Alignment helps to ensure that all four tires are compatible with each other.

If you don’t proceed to align the new ones, you may experience a rough ride and will likely cause them to wear out sooner than usual.

While plenty of affordable tires out there, you certainly don’t want to spend more money than is necessary.

As Investopedia reports, driving in the wrong direction can also cause you to waste up to 10% of your gasoline fuel.

Therefore, you should edit it accordingly so that you can save fuel and don’t have to refuel often.

Besides wheel alignment, tire balancing is also very important, and they are often done together every time you bring your car to the auto repair shop.

How To Know Your Wheel Needs Alignment?

Car Pulling To The Left Or Right

The vehicle wobbles to the left or right or shakes due to the wrong tire angle or system details. It causes the car not to achieve equilibrium at the wheels.

This is a big problem, especially when traveling on bad weather days.

The sign of recognizing this is very simple; for example, when we go on a straight road and your steering shifts to any side.

Or go on a long trip home with a sore shoulder. That’s when you should bring your car in for a checkup.

Uneven Wear Tread

Tires have problems such as uneven wear, broken valve caps, uneven edges, etc. That means it’s worn out.

Sometimes you can even see a few small ridges of wear between the grooves; Replace the tires quickly if they become more and more visible.

Another sign you need to look out for is the tire’s sidewall.

This is a place under great pressure when the entire mass of the vehicle is pressed onto the road, so be careful with holes, cuts, and scratches caused by long-term exposure to the road surface.

Don’t forget to look for bulging, peeling, or deformed tires. It means the wheel has changed its internal structure or has a hole somewhere.

Off-Center Steering Wheel

Car steering knuckle deviation is common in cars running for a while. Its expression is that when the driver does not apply force, it also deviates slightly in one direction.

Accordingly, the car will move in a curve, not a straight line, even without applying the force.

When the vehicle deviates from the steering, it will be difficult for the driver to operate it safely on the road, endangering both the owner and other vehicles.

Steering Wheel Vibration

Car steering wheel shaking, even jerking when accelerating or moving at high speed, is also a sign that you should not take lightly.

Parts like engine, axle, brake system, wheel bearing, air filter, spark plug filter, fuel or spark plug, etc. When there is a problem, the car can cause the car to vibrate and vibrate.

Therefore, it is necessary to find the exact reason to be able to fix it the most thoroughly.

Tires Squealing

The noise when driving due to friction and vibration is unavoidable, but sometimes the noise from the tire is also a warning sign that this part has a problem and needs four-wheel alignment.

Besides the impact of acoustic resonance and road texture, these clunking noises only become annoying if your wheels have problems that need to be addressed soon.

Conclusion

Above is the information about the question: do you need an alignment after replacing struts?

Except in some cases, this is still a good thing to do to increase the safety of yourself and other vehicles. To be sure, bring the car to the service center for advice.

Wishing you safe journeys. Thanks for reading.

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