Benefits of Regular Tyre Rotation and Wheel Alignment

Tyre rotation and wheel alignment are two processes of vehicular maintenance that most people forget about, considering that vehicle maintenance, in general, is something that people do not pay much heed to. Tyre maintenance isn’t something that people are really aware of either, and as such, they tend to misunderstand what tyre rotation and wheel alignment may mean. Both tyre rotation and wheel alignment are done as part of wheel maintenance, and both should be done routinely in order to get the most out of the current set of tyres on the car, as well as ensure many other benefits of having regular wheel maintenance. 
In this blog post, we will look at the many benefits of regular tyre rotation and wheel alignment, and we’ll understand why these processes are crucial in keeping the performance of the vehicle and its wheels to the maximum. But first, let’s take a quick look at both tyre rotation and wheel alignment and understand the basics, i.e. what both these processes entail. 

Let’s get started with tyre rotation and wheel alignment first. 

Tyre Rotation: What Is It?

Tyres rotate all the time, right? So why would anybody need to go get them rotated at a mechanic’s place? Well, that is one of the more prominent problems with this particular process; people misunderstand what is meant by tyre rotation. You see, vehicles of all types come with specific drivetrain types; some are front-wheel drive or FWD, some are rear-wheel drive or RWD, while SUVs and trucks may be all-wheel drive or AWD. Obviously, the tyres being driven undergo more wear and tear, which is why rotation is applied to the actual tyres themselves. What it means is that when you take in your FWD car for tyre rotation, the mechanics will take off the front wheels and they will switch it with the rear wheels. This is what is called tyre rotation, and as we’ll see below, this is very important. 

Wheel Alignment: What Is It?

Roads aren’t perfect anywhere, and Canada and Vaughan, specifically, are no different. Potholes are everywhere, and if potholes kill anything, it’s wheel alignment. When a car is new, all four wheels are perfectly aligned straight. As you go over potholes, speed bumps and all the imperfections on the road, the wheels will get bent out of shape ever so slightly, which, to test out, you can start by driving at a steady speed on an empty road with no traffic. Let go of the steering wheel, and if the car starts to creep slightly to the side, your vehicle needs a wheel alignment. Why? Now, let’s look at the benefits of both tyre rotation and wheel alignment.

Tyre Rotation, Wheel Alignment: The Benefits

Maintenance for any part of the vehicle has the benefit of the entire vehicle working properly. But beyond the obvious, for people who may struggle to look past the reasons why tyre rotations and wheel alignments are considered crucial for wheel maintenance, here are the many benefits of having both: your vehicle’s tyres rotated routinely, and the wheel alignment is done effectively. 

Enhanced Fuel Efficiency

One of the major benefits of having both tyre rotation and wheel alignment done routinely is that you get much better fuel efficiency from your vehicle. How so? Well, good tyre maintenance and upkeep means that your wheels are always in good shape. With misused tyres or deflated tyres, rolling resistance from the wheels is increased, which puts more stress on the engine, causing it to overperform and consume more fuel. Once you regularly get your tyres rotated and your wheels are in perfect alignment, there will be small but noticeable changes in the fuel efficiency of the vehicle.

Extended Tyre Life

If maintenance does one thing for the vehicle, it is that it allows the vehicle to be utilised to its peak and allows you, the driver, to get the most out of it. The same goes for tyres; if you do regular maintenance on your tyres, you will get the most out of them. If the shop or garage promised you 10,000 miles out of the set of fresh tyres they got you, you might even get some more mileage out of those if you provide them with regular maintenance. And that is what tyre rotation and wheel alignment can get for you; you can get the most out of your tyres when you get both of these done regularly. 

Better Handling

Tyres are the main reason why your vehicle either handles quite well or does not handle well at all. Besides the suspension setup, the only other major factor that can help determine how well your vehicle handles is your tyres. And when you have well-maintained tyres installed on your vehicle, you will be able to get the best handling out of them. Skipping out on wheel alignment, more specifically, can cause the car to veer off to a side where the tyres are the weakest; this is handling at its obviously worst and can even cause accidents, which is why, for better handling, it is imperative to get your vehicle’s tyres rotated and the wheels aligned every now and then.

Even Tyre Wear

With tyre rotation, wear and tear gets evenly distributed across all four tyres of the vehicle. As explained beforehand, your tyres will exhibit accelerated wear depending on the drivetrain type; FWD vehicles will show more wear on their front tyres, and the same goes for RWD vehicles. Rotating these tyres front and back, and left to the right will allow you to evenly distribute the wear on all four tyres, and this way, you can crunch more miles out of the single set of tyres than you would have managed to on a set that hasn’t been rotated. 

Better Traction 

Take good care of your tyres, and they’ll provide you with excellent handling. We’ve already discussed that, but we haven’t discussed traction, and traction is really important. Traction is the difference between a driver having a normal drive versus being in a bush at the end of the road or not being able to negotiate a corner properly. With good maintenance and excellent condition of the tyres, you will get much better traction than you would have on a balder set of tyres. This means that for better traction, simply maintain your tyres with good practices, and you will get excellent traction. 

Magnum Autoclub: Tyre Maintenance Made Easy!

We all know the trope: the greasy mechanic ripping every customer off any way they can just to make a few extra bucks. Or throwing in something that does not need repair or replacement but is doing it anyway. Well, Magnum Autoclub is here to dispel that stereotype and introduce you to a car maintenance experience that will really take the service to the next level. At Magnum Autoclub, we’re dedicated car lovers trying to make everybody enjoy the ride they have and appreciate the cars they drive. This is why our service is geared towards making you fall in love with your car and ensuring that each and every service you want: whether it is synthetic oil change or tyre or wheel swaps, our expert technicians and mechanics are here to make your experience a quality one and to make your car drive like a dream again. Trust Magnum Autoclub for the best auto maintenance service.