New Tyres: Do You Really Need Wheel Alignment?

Just fitted brand-new tyres? You might be wondering if you also need a wheel alignment service — and the short answer is yes. This article explains why alignment is essential for protecting your investment, improving steering accuracy, and ensuring your tyres wear evenly for maximum safety and performance on the road.

Wheel alignment is a service that’s offered to drivers at a small fee, that seeks to align the wheels of a vehicle and make sure that they are angled in the correct direction for smooth travel.

It’s considered an important part of vehicle maintenance, that maximises the lifespan of tyres by ensuring they travel with a forward momentum, in the correct direction, and with balance.

But is it necessary for those fitting brand new tyres to their vehicle?

When Do You Need Wheel Alignment Services?

Wheel alignment services tend to be required by those who can feel the steering wheel pulling to one side when driving. 

Hitting a pothole or driving on worn tyres are all things which exacerbate misalignment – and can lead to symptoms like steering wheel vibration, squealing noises on the road, and pulling towards one side with the steering wheel.

So, while wheel alignment is an important part of regular maintenance, it can become a sudden and necessary service if you hit a pothole or find that your wheels are knocked out of alignment by brushing against a kerb.

And that’s not all…

Do You Need Alignment Services on New Tyres?

Yes!

Wheel alignment services are not really considered a repair service. Rather, they secure the driving position and momentum of the wheels, so that they sit and run in perfect balance with the vehicle. 

They ensure that the driver doesn’t have to keep correcting the direction of straight travel and help ensure a healthy lifespan for all tyres.

Crucially, it doesn’t mean there is something wrong with the new tyres. It means that they simply need to be fitted correctly to ensure balanced travel and straight tracking.

Knowing When You Need Your Wheels Aligned

We have already loosely mentioned some of the signs of misalignment and how to know if you need a wheel alignment service. But to make it as easy as possible, here’s a list of the symptoms of misalignment…

• Steering wheel pulling to one side when driving, trying to force your direction of travel
• Vibrations in the steering wheel
• Excessive wear to one side of the tyre, on in one area of the tyres rubber surface
• Squealing tyres, even when driving slowly
• When the car is driving in a straight line, you notice that the steering wheel is not perfectly centred

All of these signs can indicate that you need to re-address the balance and alignment of your wheels. 

Your local mechanic will offer this service and will also be able to advise on whether the worn patches on tyres are something to be wary of. Remember that for tyres to be deemed legal and safe to drive on, they need to have the minimum tread depth of 1.6mm across the entire surface.  

This means that if you leave the issues around misalignment in place for too long, you will soon find that patches become worn to excess and the tyres are rendered unsafe to drive.

Tyres.co.uk is your go-to supplier for new tyres, with access to collections that suit all driver needs, preferences, and vehicle types.