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Don’t you just hate it when you go for an oil change and the mechanic suggests you get the wheels aligned? “I just had it done last month,” you say to yourself.

Well, in a decent country – notice I didn’t say perfect – you’d have to do it every 10,000km or so. Here? Every day is time.

The signs of poor wheel alignment are thankfully easily observable. Here are the primary ones:

1. Uneven and/or rapid tyre wear

2. Vehicle pulling in one direction

3. An angle to the steering wheel while driving straight

4. Steering wheel vibration

When you have these signs, it’s time to visit your wheel shop. It not only doesn’t cost a lot, it also saves you the trouble of replacing expensive suspension, steering components and, notably, tyres. Misalignment can shorten the lifespan of the tyres by several thousand kilometres.

The benefits don’t end there. Proper alignment means the car works as intended by the manufacturer, which means a better, safer and smoother ride. And because the car is more efficient, it needs less energy – read fuel, which takes you closer to the advertised fuel economy figure that wooed you to purchase the car in the first place.

There are three main parameters that are adjusted:

Camber

This is the inward or outward angle of the wheels when viewed from the front of the vehicle. Alternatively, it’s how further or closer the tops of the wheels are to each other – negative and positive camber respectively. Too much of any is detrimental to alignment.

Toe

From a bird’s-eye view, it’s how much wheels turn inward or outward. While these angles seem severe, say in Formula 1, it should be noted that too much on either would have adverse effects on handling.

Caster angle

This is the angle of the steering axis viewed from the side of the vehicle. It affects your stability and cornering, as do all the above.

When alignment is right, you’ll be hard-pressed to appreciate it, but you’ll also know when it’s gone.