Professional Wheel Alignment Services In Buford & Cumming, GA

Did you just purchase new tires? Make those tires last longer with a proper wheel alignment.  

Your car is rather good at telling you when something is wrong, so let’s go over some signs that your car maybe using to tell you the wheel alignment is off: 

• Pulling left to right

• Squealing tires

• Uneven or rapid tire wear

• Crooked steering wheel while driving straight

• Steering wheel vibration

If you see uneven tire wear, or if your car drifts or pulls to one side of the road on its own, there could be a problem with your wheel alignment. And there could even be other symptoms like a noise, shaking or vibrating in the steering wheel, or maybe the steering wheel is crooked after hitting a big pothole or curb.

All of these things could be a sign that your vehicle needs its wheel alignment checked, and depending on what you’re driving, a 2 or 4 wheel alignment just may get you fixed up and running straight again; but the key word there is checked.

If you notice your car displaying any of these signs, head over to Team Ryan Automotive, and we will equip you with a proper diagnosis and solution to keep your vehicle performing at its best!

Every decent car alignment should start out with a full inspection of every steering and suspension component to be sure there’s not a damaged or worn out part that is causing all this in the first place, or if you simply need tires replaced. Just like a doctor would assess your overall health before performing any surgery, we need to be certain that your cars steering system will hold any adjustments firmly before we begin this detailed task.

Components like tie rod ends, ball joints, idler and pitman arms, struts, and stabilizer bars and bushings all need to be in solid condition, or else all our hard work in aligning your car could be lost when you hit the first little bump down the road. These are things we check for you to make sure you are informed about the condition of your vehicle.  

A four wheel alignment consists of adjusting the suspension of your vehicle so that all wheels are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the ground. Three primary angles contribute to proper wheel alignment: camber, caster, and toe. Camber is the measure of the degree of perpendicular offset from the road surface. Caster is the angle of your wheel’s pivot points, which are attached to the suspension. When this angle is out of alignment, straight-line tracking or directional stability is affected. Toe refers to the angle of directional difference between the tire and the centerline of the vehicle. The front and rear wheels on your vehicle should always be perpendicular to the ground and parallel to the tire beside it. Routine wheel alignments have the potential to save you money in the long run while promoting optimal vehicle performance.

There are three main wheel alignment adjustments performed on most cars:

• Toe: This is how your tires are pointing forward down the road. Look down at your own feet as you are standing up straight and notice how your toes are either pointing straight, out to the side, or toed inward. This is much like your front or rear tires when we set the alignment to the factory specifications. Incorrect toe can cause a choppy, uneven tread wear, and even cause a pull or drift to one side.

• Camber: This is how the top of your tires are leaning, either outward or inward. It can affect your tire wear by causing the inside or outside of your treads to become worn and show the steel cords below the rubber surface.

• Caster: Think of this like the front wheel of your bicycle or shopping cart at the grocery store. Caster is the measurement of how the weight of your vehicle is apportioned over the front wheels, and mostly affects the handling or steer ability of your car rather than tire wear. Just like a chopper has a long fork for the front wheel and is harder to steer, or a shopping cart has front casters that turn very quickly and become unstable at higher speeds. This is how caster can affect your drivability; causing a pull to one side or the other if not in adjustment, and even making your vehicle feel unstable at certain speeds.

Not all cars are able to have all of these adjustments done, whether it’s a front wheel or a four wheel alignment. But they still need to be measured to make sure that there is no structural damage from a previous accident or even a minor impact from a road hazard.

Having this information allows us to make the proper recommendations about how to correct the condition. Sometimes an extra adjustment kit is required to correct these conditions, and other times a damaged component may need to be replaced. We just can’t tell until the digital alignment machine makes all of its measurements and compares them to the original factory specifications when your vehicle was built.

So how can you make sure that your car is getting aligned properly?

The first thing to make sure of is that the repair shop that’s handling your repairs has ASE Certified Master Mechanics on staff. This will give you the peace of mind that they have gone through the proper training and testing to demonstrate their competence in all areas of your car repair. ASE Certifications are voluntary, so typically the better mechanics will take the time to undergo this process. Look for the certifications on the wall.

Another thing to make sure of is that the auto repair shop you’re visiting is using digital wheel alignment equipment. Some of the older technology using strings and lasers to level out the sensors is outdated and not able to give accurate measurements that modern cars today require. 

One other thing to watch for in professional wheel alignment service is a full color printout of your before and after results. You deserve to see this information and receive a full explanation of everything that was wrong and how the adjustments were able to correct the problems.

Because we take your safety and well being very seriously, Team Ryan Automotive always has multiple ASE master certified mechanics on staff to not only perform these repairs on your car, but to explain them in as much detail as you would like to know.

Team Ryan Automotive uses only the latest digital alignment equipment with optical sensors that allow pinpoint accuracy for your vehicles wheel alignment, and the most up to date specifications that are available today.

We will always provide you with a full color printout of your wheel alignment before and after, showing in easy to understand terms exactly how your car truck or SUV repair process went. Plus, we also store into our system the wheel alignment report in case we need to look back and reference it again down the road, because you never know what could happen to your car when you’re driving on the roads in the Buford  and Cumming, GA areas.

Does Wheel Alignment Affect Performance?

Yes, it does. When your car’s wheels are not properly aligned, the tires are not working together the way they should, causing your engine to potentially work even harder and use more energy. That will then reduce fuel efficiency. 

Is It Safe To Drive With Bad Alignment?

We do not recommend continuing to drive with a known alignment problem. Bad wheel alignment can ultimately affect your car’s entire system, potentially creating an unsafe driving environment. 

What Causes Alignment Problems?

Sudden jarring impact caused by hitting something like a pothole, jumping a curb, or a road accident can all cause an alignment problem. Parts shifting overtime can also lead to an alignment shift in the wheel alignment.

How Do You Know If Your Wheels Need Alignment?

There are multiple signs to tell your wheel alignment may be need to be serviced:

1. Your car is pulling to the left or the right.

2. The tire treads are wearing unevenly.

3. Tires are squealing.

4. The steering wheel tilts off-center when you’re driving. 

5. The wheel vibrates when accelerating.

What Does Wheel Alignment Do?

Alignment ensures your wheels meet the road at the proper angle, your wheels are pointed straight, and your tires are center.