skittlebog t1_jdnvt5h wrote on March 25, 2023 at 8:28 PM

Reply to comment by Doesnt_Matter_TA in ELI5: What’s car alignment? I read that cars should have it done regularly as part of their service. by LittleLostSadDeer

Driving over bumps, and general wear and tear, can cause the wheel and tires to not line up straight anymore. Even if they are off a little bit, it can cause the tires to wear faster and make steering a little off. An alignment is when they get all of the tires and wheels sitting flat and pointing in the right direction again.

bandanagirl95 t1_jdo1dan wrote on March 25, 2023 at 9:09 PM

Also not completely sitting flat because as you turn, you want to maintain certain tire contact, and therefore need to compensate for that. There's also plenty of things with suspension abs even driving style that impact this, which is why it's important to get them aligned more than just the once. Each alignment is an approximation of what it will need to be, but those factors will almost certainly change over time