TRUCK & TRAILER WHEEL ALIGNMENT 101

por Betts Marketing Staff

Proper semi truck wheel alignment is important for maintaining the overall welfare of your commercial vehicle. Poor alignment can lead to premature wear on your tires and bad fuel economy.

La alineación de camiones también juega un papel importante en la seguridad del conductor. Asegúrese de resolver regularmente los problemas de alineación de camiones pesados y remolques para evitar reparaciones costosas y garantizar prácticas de conducción seguras.

Betts Truck Parts & Service ofrece servicios de alineación de camiones pesados y servicios de alineación de remolques para conductores y flotas en la Costa Oeste. Tenemos la experiencia y las capacidades con el estado de la técnica de alineación láser Beeline equipo para mantener su camión correctamente alineado.

ALIGNMENT BY THE NUMBERS

These statistics (below) highlight just how crucial proper wheel alignment is for vehicles. Misalignment not only affects the handling and safety of the vehicle but also has significant financial implications due to increased fuel consumption and premature wear on tires. The potential savings in fuel and tire costs from maintaining proper alignment can make a substantial impact on vehicle maintenance expenses in the long run.

70% of vehicles are misaligned
60% of vehicles that need to be aligned have worn or damaged parts
A properly aligned vehicle will see the following savings:
2% fuel savings
30% extended tire wear
Total Annual Savings = $2,226/year
Fuel savings = $688/year
Truck tire savings = $818/year
Trailer tire savings = $720/year

SIGNS YOU NEED A WHEEL ALIGNMENT

These signs (below) are indicative of potential issues with wheel alignment. It’s essential to pay attention to these signs and have your vehicle inspected by a professional if you notice any of these symptoms to ensure your truck or trailer maintains proper alignment for safe and smooth driving.

Vehicle drifts or pulls to one side
Steering wheel position is off
Crooked steering wheel
Squealing tires
Steering hesitation
Tires wearing unevenly
Vibration

DIFFERENT TYPES OF TIRE WEAR PATTERNS & WHAT THEY MEAN

Various types of uneven tire wear can indicate specific issues with a vehicle’s suspension, alignment, or other mechanical components.

Recognizing these wear patterns can help in diagnosing underlying issues with the vehicle’s components. Regular tire inspections, proper inflation, alignment checks, and timely maintenance are crucial for ensuring even tire wear and maximizing tire lifespan.

Here are some common examples of tire wear patterns:

Tire Camber Wear: Positive camber leads to wear on the outside of tires, while negative camber causes wear on the inside. This is due to the tilting of the wheel away from vertical.

Cupping Wear: Loss of tire-to-road contact due to worn suspension components creates vibrations that result in tire bounce, leading to a series of high and low spots on the tire trea

Truck tire thrust-scrub angle wear illustration

Thrust/Scrub Angle Wear: Accelerated wear on the inside of one drive tire and the outside of the opposing drive tire occurs due to improperly aligned drive axles (thrust angle). Scrub occurs when axles are not parallel, causing hazardous strain on tires.

Truck tire wear dog tracking illustration

Dog Tracking: Misalignment between a tractor’s rear axles and the trailer’s axles causes the trailer to track to the left or right. This wear pattern is similar to thrust angle wear and can indicate problems with drive axle mounting or misaligned trailer axles.

truck tire wear toe-feathered illustration

Diagonal Wear: Manifests as localized flat spots across the tire tread in a diagonal pattern due to mechanical drivetrain forces. Alignment problems, worn wheel bearings, differing tire diameters, or mismatched/inflated tires can aggravate this wear.

truck tire wear flat spotting illustration

Flat Spotting: Occurs as a lone scrubbed band of tread across the tire surface due to braking issues like locked or dragging brakes, panic stops, or aggressive braking.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD SEMI TRUCK ALIGNMENT SERVICES BE PERFORMED?

Recomendamos que se realice un servicio inicial de alineación de camiones entre las primeras 15.000 y 30.000 millas de vida de un camión, o después de los primeros tres meses, lo que ocurra primero. También es importante comprobar la alineación si se observa un desgaste irregular de los neumáticos o si el conductor informa de problemas de dirección o manejo. La alineación también debe comprobarse cada vez que el vehículo haya sufrido daños, o si se han sustituido componentes que afectan a la alineación.

WHAT ARE THE FEATURES & BENEFITS OF A BETTS WHEEL ALIGNMENT?

We provide alignment appointments M-F from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Every alignment comes with a full chassis inspection (the vehicle is raised in the air while checking the following areas: leaf springs, leaf spring bushings, king pins, wheel bearings and steering linkage)
We can diagnose your problem before it gets out of hand and costs you more money
Computerized Laser Alignments are the most accurate in the industry
All alignments come with a computer printout showing specs prior to and post-alignment
Proper alignment increases tire performance
Proper alignment increases fuel efficiency
Proper alignment improves vehicle drivability
Proper alignment improves the performance of suspension parts

Contacte con nuestro equipo at Betts so we can help you keep those wheels aligned. It is our mission to Seguimos ganándonos su confianza, milla tras milla¡! ®