How Often Should Tires be Aligned?

Tires gradually lose traction and their capacity to grip the road as their treads wear down. The wheels themselves can also be unbalanced over time due to various factors. Tire rotation and wheel alignment services can keep your Honda safe and encourage longevity in all the surrounding parts. Continue reading to find out why tire services are critical to your Honda’s safety and how often you should get a wheel alignment service.

How Often Should You Align Your Honda Tires?

A tire alignment, more accurately called a wheel alignment, is something that all vehicles eventually need. Alignment ensures that all four wheels point perfectly forward and are level with the ground. This way, your Honda drives straight, the tires are flush with the road, and the vehicle is less likely to drift left or right.

Regularly having this service, usually once a year or around every 10,000 miles, will lengthen the life of your tires, preventing them from developing excess wear. As for exactly when to get a wheel alignment service for your Honda, it varies depending on your make and model and driving conditions. You should consult your maintenance handbook for detailed instructions. Still, for the average passenger car or truck, an alignment is required every 5,000 to 10,000 miles. It’s also a wise policy to align your wheels when you get a suspension checkup and adjustment.

You can visit our service center in Fairfield, Ohio, to get your wheels aligned or any other services you need. Our team can check your entire system and tires and offer advice regarding service timings.

How Does Wheel Alignment Work?

Wheel alignment breaks down into three steering axes. First, and essential for preventing tire tread wear, is camber. This refers to whether the tire is tilting inward or outward on a vertical axis. Next is the caster, which can influence how easy it is to steer your vehicle. A positive caster means the steering components form a line pointing from the center of your wheel toward the front of the car, while a negative caster forms a line pointing back.

Finally, toe refers to whether the tires rotate slightly left or right on a horizontal axis. This can understandably affect tire wear rate and steering control. Toe-in refers to the tires pointing inward, and vice versa for toe-out. You should have either of these fixed.

Signs Your Wheels Are Misaligned

You must first recognize the warning signals to get your automobile’s wheels aligned before misalignment causes further damage. Here are some indicators that it is time to get your vehicle’s wheels aligned:

• The steering wheel is not centered or pulls to one side when going straight.
• The vehicle does not handle the road effectively or feels unstable.
• The tires screech when turning.
• The tires are wearing down unevenly.

Wheel alignment is essential for the performance and safety of your Honda car, truck, SUV, or van. During a professional wheel alignment, we will fix any toe or camber found on a wheel and adjust the caster to whatever is optimal.

How Long Does a Wheel Alignment Take?

Our factory-trained specialists typically take between 25 minutes and an hour to complete an alignment on a Honda, depending on how many wheels require corrections. If additional work or parts are needed to make your car road-ready once more, it may take a bit longer.

Wheel and Tire Maintenance Tips

Going in for maintenance and regularly checking tire pressure will go a long way. Still, rain, excessive heat or cold, and other conditions can all impact your tires and how your car’s wheels perform. Here’s how to keep your car tires and wheels in excellent condition.

Examine Treads and Sidewalls

The depth of wear on your car’s tires should be above 1/16 of an inch. When your treads are near that low on any tire, it’s time for a replacement. We recommend that your tires have at least 1/8 inch of tread to work well in all common weather conditions.

Keep an eye on the general condition of your tires when evaluating the treads. If you notice any bulges, cracks, or distortions in the rubber, you should address them quickly. While tires are quite durable, the sidewall is more prone to wear if anything strikes it. If a small tear or scratch worsens, you may need to buy new Honda tires sooner rather than later,

Rotate your Tires

The tires on your automobile will wear differently depending on whether it is front-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive. Separate from wheel alignment, your tires should be occasionally rotated, such as moving the front tires to the back wheels and the back to the front. Depending on the model, we will recommend different rotation orders. It’s generally best to get a rotation done every 6000 to 8000 miles.

Avoid Driving with Mismatched Tires

If you have an irreparable flat tire, you may want to replace the damaged tire instead of getting an all-new set. Unfortunately, this can cause more wear and tear on the remaining tires, causing them to wear down faster, and the cycle may never end.

Finally, to help protect your tires, suspension, and much more, be careful about how much weight your vehicle tows or carries. When the door is open, most cars have a sticker on the driver’s side that shows the maximum gross vehicle weight and other details. You can also reference the owner’s manual.

Honda Wheel Alignment at Performance Honda

Tire and wheel care will benefit you in a variety of ways. Aside from keeping you safe, it also saves you money on tire purchases and fuel while maintaining a quality driving experience. If you need your Honda’s wheels aligned, visit our Performance Honda service center in Fairfield, Ohio. Our experienced Honda service experts exclusively utilize high-quality original equipment manufacturer components, and we keep flexible hours throughout the year. If you have any questions about wheel alignment or would like to book a service appointment, please contact us online or call (513) 829-6900 today.