Wheel Alignment Shop in Broken Arrow, OK

Wheel alignment issues can be easy to ignore — in fact, your car’s tires could be misaligned right now without your knowledge. However, this situation can cause serious problems if left unchecked for long enough.

To avoid such an outcome, you’ll want to find a wheel alignment shop Broken Arrow, OK locals can count on to get this job done. When you stop by Tate Boys Tire & Service’s Broken Arrow Tire Shop location for tire alignment, the ASE-certified mechanics working there will be able to:

• Take a close look at your car’s wheel alignment and suspension system
• Restore your tires to their ideal alignment
• Check for suspension wear and tear
• Analyze your steering wheel centering

Are you ready to take care of services like these? If so, Tate Boys can help — make a plan to visit us in Broken Arrow as soon as possible!

Reasons To Prioritize Tire Alignment

Your tires need to stay within a predetermined car alignment for your vehicle to function as intended, but it’s all too easy for tires to drift out of alignment. If your car gets in a collision, has worn-out parts, or is simply dealing with low tire pressure, its wheels could become misaligned before you know it.

If your tires are out of alignment, you could deal with unexpectedly severe consequences as a direct result. For example, you could encounter problems such as the following:

Proper Wheel Alignment Reduces Gas Mileage

When your tires are misaligned, they could start to suffer from uneven tread wear. As a result, the wheels could begin to drag instead of rolling like they should. Due to the resulting increase in friction, your vehicle will have to work harder to move, cutting down on its fuel efficiency.

A Lower Tire Lifespan

Uneven tire wear won’t just affect your vehicle’s fuel economy. It could also force you to replace your tires much earlier than you’d expect. But by taking care of tire alignment on a regular basis, you can stop tread wear issues from developing.

Discomfort While You Drive

Ideally, your driving experience should be free of unnecessary distractions. However, that might not be possible if your tires are out of alignment. If that’s the case in your vehicle, you could experience strange noises and steering wheel vibrations while on the road.

Have you noticed any of these issues in your vehicle? If so, don’t wait any longer to resolve this situation — instead, take the first step by stopping by Tate Boys’ Broken Arrow location.

Do You Need Wheel Alignment Service?

If you’ve been involved in a car crash recently, the odds that you need to visit a wheel alignment shop are high. But while hitting another car can throw your vehicle’s alignment off, the same is true for running over a curb — which means you could benefit from alignment work after any type of collision.

Of course, car crashes aren’t the only situation where you might need alignment service. Along with the red flags discussed in the previous section, look out for warning signs such as:

• A bumpy driving experience: A vibrating steering wheel is just one way that tire misalignment can make your driving experience uncomfortable. Poorly aligned tires can also make it hard for your suspension to do its vital job, resulting in a bumpy ride for you and your passengers.
• Pulling to the side of the road: Is your car drifting toward one side of the road or the other while you’re trying to travel in a straight line? There are a few different reasons why this could be the case, including tire alignment problems.
• Trouble centering your steering wheel: Usually, your steering wheel should be centered when your car is parked and its wheels are pointing straight ahead. If that isn’t true for your steering wheel, alignment issues may be to blame.

Even if you haven’t noticed any of these problems, you may still need wheel alignment if it’s been a while since your last appointment for this service. Typically, you’ll want to visit a tire alignment shop for wheel alignment every six months or 6,000 miles.

What Happens During a Tire Alignment Appointment?

Has it been a while since your last visit to an auto repair shop for alignment work? If so, here’s a quick explanation of what you can expect. 

Your shop’s mechanics usually start the tire alignment process by giving your vehicle a test drive. When they’re done, they’ll take a closer look at your tires and suspension and replace any broken or worn-out parts.

After that, mechanics will inspect your tire pressure levels and make adjustments to your suspension to restore your tire alignment. While doing this work, they will pay attention to three distinct angles:

Camber

This angle describes your tire’s inward or outward tilt (as observed from the front of your vehicle). A tire with a “positive camber” is tilted away from a car’s center, while wheels with a “negative camber” tilt in the opposite direction.

Caster

A tire’s caster expresses the angle of its steering axis (that is, the imaginary line starting on the ground underneath it and running vertically through its center). In a tire with a “positive caster,” this line tilts toward the driver’s seat. Meanwhile, the steering axis tilts toward the front of your car in tires with “negative caster.”

Toe

Toe describes the angles of your tires as seen from above your vehicle. Wheels with a “toe-out angle” point away from the center of your car, while tires with a “toe-in angle” point toward your vehicle’s center.

After adjusting these angles, your mechanics will take one last test drive to make sure everything is working as intended. Generally speaking, this entire process should take between 30 and 60 minutes to complete.

The Wheel Alignment Shop Broken Arrow Residents Trust

Not every auto shop is qualified to provide the precision workmanship required for tire alignment to go off without a hitch. When they’re looking for a wheel alignment shop, Broken Arrow residents should make sure they find a business that employs ASE-certified technicians, offers transparent pricing by providing quotes, and helps customers save with online coupons.

If you need a business like this for your next wheel alignment appointment, Tate Boys Tire & Service is here for you. Whether you’ve noticed wheel alignment-related warning signs or it’s simply been a while since you last took care of this work, our mechanics are ready to get your tires exactly where they should be!