Bruce's Tire provides Wheel Alignment services to Oakland, CA, Fremont, CA, San Jose, CA, and other surrounding areas.

Description of Wheel Alignment

A wheel alignment consists of adjusting the wheels of your vehicle so that all wheels are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the ground. Three basic angles contribute to proper wheel alignment: camber, caster, and toe. Camber measures the degree of perpendicular offset from the road surface. The caster is the angle of your wheel’s pivot, which is attached to the suspension, and when this angle is out of alignment, straight-line tracking is affected. Toe refers to the angle of directional difference between the tire and the vehicle’s centerline. Your vehicle’s front and rear wheels 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.

Benefits of Wheel Alignment

A wheel alignment will keep your vehicle running safely and efficiently by promoting reduced tire wear, better gas mileage, and safer driving conditions. Wheels out of alignment will contribute to uneven tire wear. Uneven tread wear can be felt in a vehicle pulling to the right or left while in motion. Left untreated, wheel alignment issues can turn into steering and suspension issues since driving with wheels out of alignment puts stress on your tires and suspension components. If your vehicle begins pulling to the right or left while driving, or if you feel a vibration in the steering wheel at higher speeds, contact us today for a wheel alignment service.

Bruce's Tire proudly serves the wheel alignment needs of customers in Oakland, CA, Fremont, CA, San Jose, CA, and surrounding areas.

Ensuring that your vehicle’s steering and handling are operating properly is essential to keeping your vehicle safe on the road. Wheel alignment is a key aspect of this. So, when you need a local alignment shop you can trust, look no further than Bruce’s Tire & Automotive!

Sometimes also called a tire alignment or car alignment, a wheel alignment involves adjusting the vehicle’s suspension components to change the wheel or tire angles. So, unlike people often think, a wheel alignment does not involve adjusting the actual wheel or tire assemblies. Essentially, during this service, the mechanic is squaring the wheels and axles with each other using the suspension, ensuring that they are sitting evenly and moving in the same direction properly.

No matter what type of vehicle you drive, here at Bruce’s Tire & Automotive, our experienced auto care mechanics can help ensure your wheels stay properly aligned and your vehicle can drive at its best.

The Local Experts in Professional Wheel Alignment Service

During a wheel alignment service, our Automotive Service Excellence (ASE)-certified master mechanics use computerized alignment equipment to check how each wheel is aligned with the other wheels and the road’s surface. Then, the necessary adjustments will be made to ensure that all of your wheels are optimally aligned.

This specialized alignment technology allows for increased accuracy with much tighter alignment specifications than manually measuring and adjusting angles. That’s why a wheel alignment service should be left up to the professionals. Without this kind of technology like you’ll find here at Bruce’s Tire & Automotive, a proper alignment simply cannot be performed on the types of vehicles on the road today.

Your Vehicle’s Preventative Maintenance Schedule Should Also Include Wheel Alignment Service

There is no one-size-fits-all answer for how often a car alignment should be done. It is largely dependent on where and how you are driving. Your vehicle’s owner’s manual is where you will find the most precise answer to how frequently to bring your vehicle in for this service.

Vehicles naturally go out of alignment over time due to normal use— unless you have a collision or drive over a large pothole or object on the road. Because a misalignment can often be so subtle, you may not even realize it right away. This is why your vehicle’s preventive maintenance routine should include wheel alignment inspections (and corrections as needed).

To ensure you get the maximum life out of your tires, we recommend that the alignment be checked roughly every 6,000 miles (or during every other oil change, depending on your vehicle’s oil change schedule). It can also easily be checked during your a regular tire rotation service.

You should also have the alignment checked ASAP if it’s been a while since your last alignment or if you have recently hit something in the road because this can throw the alignment out just as much as an accident can.

Wheel/Tire Alignment Checks are Quick and Easy

An alignment check here at Bruce’s Tire & Automotive includes:

• ● Assessment of your vehicle’s suspension and steering components
• ● Comparison of your wheel alignment to your vehicle manufacturer’s guidelines using state-of-the-art equipment
• ● Examination of your tires for the proper size, inflation, and level of wear.

Based on the inspection, if the mechanic determines that any alignment angles are out of the suggested specification, the necessary adjustments can be made. Our ASE-certified auto care mechanics can also look for any drive line complications or steering and suspension concerns.

A Breakdown of the Three Main Alignment Angles

As mentioned above, there are three main wheel alignment angles that must all be in the proper position to ensure your vehicle is in optimal alignment. Knowing exactly what these three angles are can help you further understand what happens during a wheel or tire alignment service.

Here is a further breakdown of the main alignment angles:

Camber

This is the tire’s outward or inward angle when viewed from the front. For example, the Leaning Tower of Pisa would be a negative camber. If the camber is significantly outside of the recommended specification, the vehicle can sometimes pull to one side. It will also cause premature tread wear along one edge of the tire because one side of the tire will be making more contact with the road than the other side.

Caster

This is the angle of the tire towards either the front or rear when viewed from the vehicle’s side. When the caster angle is out of specification, it will cause the vehicle to pull to one side but usually won’t cause premature tire wear.

Toe

This angle is the one that is most often in need of an adjustment during a wheel alignment. The toe angle is the inward or outward angle of your tires when viewed from above the vehicle. A misalignment of this angle will quickly cause adverse tire wear but will not cause the vehicle to pull. This angle is also the easiest to “knock out” of alignment by hitting a pothole, curb, or other objects.

When a Wheel Alignment is Probably Needed

There are several red flags to be aware of that would indicate when your wheels or tires are out of alignment, including:

• ● The steering wheel or vehicle is pulling to one side.
• ● When driving straight on the road, the steering wheel is not straight.
• ● You feel vibration when turning.
• ● The tire tread is wearing unevenly or faster than normal.
• ● You hear one or more tires squealing when turning a corner at normal speeds.
• ● You have reduced handling when turning corners or braking.

If you have recently noticed any of these issues, bring your vehicle to your closest Bruce’s Tire & Automotive location today. Our expert service mechanics can pinpoint and correct any tire alignment issues your vehicle may have.

Ways You Can Help Maintain Your Vehicle’s Alignment

There are several things you can do to help ensure that your vehicle stays in proper alignment longer, including:

• ● Don’t drive over hazards. This may sound obvious, but pay attention to what you are driving over. If you see a pothole or object in the road ahead, try to avoid it by safely switching lanes or using an alternate route. The most common cause of severe misalignment is running over a large pothole, curb, or other rough road condition.
• ● Remove excess vehicle weight. The tire angles your vehicle’s alignment is based on are directly related to the height of the chassis. So, if the back of your vehicle is weighed down, the vehicle’s height will be lower, negatively impacting your alignment. Take out anything that you don’t need in the vehicle.
• ● Maintain proper tire air pressure. The vehicle’s chassis height is also affected by underinflated tires. So, make sure to always maintain the correct air pressure in each tire.
• ● Drive more conservatively. Driving consciously, carefully, and less aggressively will reduce the strain on your suspension and steering components, which are key to maintaining proper alignment.

If you are following the above suggestions and are still noticing indications of misalignment in your vehicle, bring it into our alignment shop ASAP. Save your vehicle from premature or uneven tire wear and unnecessary strain on suspension components.

Top-Quality Wheel Alignment Service—Schedule Your Appointment Today!

You can count on the professional team here at Bruce’s Tire & Automotive for high-quality alignment service, no matter what type of vehicle you have. We can help you maintain proper vehicle handling, extend your tires’ lifespan, and take care of any other auto service needs you may have.

Schedule your appointment online today for an expert car alignment service!